St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-25
THE HEAVY RACING MEN.
Some Interesting Gossip About tllC
AstOrs and the Vanderbilss.

Il
AstOrs and Ihe Vanderbilts.
The recent death of Mr.. w. II. Wander
bit left each of his four sons millionaires,
and the two elder sons are each supposed
10 be worth over $50. 600. 600. One of these,
William K, has been seen so often about
the different race courses that he is regarded
as one Of its habitues. He is fine, ath-
letic young man, about % or 81. You can
always find him at Sheepshead Bay and
sometimes at jerome park. and generally
in the betting ring, as he is not above the
human weakness Of backing "a good thing. -
Since he came in possession of enormous
wealth there are many who say he will. now
that he is master, drift actively into racing
and keep a stable of race horses. But peo-
pie who talk this way don't know the Van
derbiits. They are big spectators when
they control the market as they have on
Wall street; in short, when they have "a
sire thing Young William K. went into
Wall street q few years ago, on his own
hook, and dropped S2,O0O,oOO. 1t taught
him lesson.
William X. Vanderbilt follows racing
yes: bat it isn't so much from a love of the
sport: it's more as a purely business trans
action. lie is one of the largest stock
he is vice president, and the stock pays big
ger dividends than any railroad stock he or
his father have ever owned. He won't 60
into racing; not he. There's too much risk
in it. How he feels on the subject is shown
by the answer he once made gentleman.
The gentleman, noticing his frequent at
) tendance at Coney Island. and mistaking it
for love Of sport, asked him why he did not
PURCHASE 4 STABLE
OF race horses. ''0h, no." replied Young
Vanderbilt. laughing, 'let some one else
have the care and expense of horses. can
find out all l want to know when feel like
betting"
The AstOrs have long been the great rivals
Of the Nanderbilts in the race for wealth.
and the turf has much stronger hold upon
Mir. William Astor than it ever had
upon the Vanderbilts. Mr.. Aston
is supposed to be worth $50, OOO.-
GOO, and with his income he could
indulge in all the experiments of breeding
and racing he desired. He has the taste,
and about ten years ago set out to gratlfy
it. He purchased the Kentucky Derby
winners, Vanguard and Baden Baden, and
won many valuable stakes with them. lie
also hao Diana, Frederick the Great and
Pride of the Village. From 1876 to 1880
he had flourishmg stable. He founded a
stud at his country seat, Fernciffe-on-the-
Hudson, and the first colt he bred was Fern
cliffe Ia son of Leamington), who Won the
WitherS, LorillarG and other big stakes.
Mr.. AStor was getting deeply into racing,
but his family threw cud water upon it.
You see the AstOIS had never been a
sporting family. they were averse to
speculation. They made their money
through the rise of real estate values, and
the practice of economy, and looked upon
the Wall street aristocracy as nouVeau richie
although they were themselves the
descendants OF German emigrant. They
had queer ideas about the turf. Mr..
Astor is very mild domestic man. and
yielded to the pressure of his family to with
draw ms name from racing He has a stud
OF young mares by Glenelg, Virgil, King
Alfonso. ETC., and has Baden Baden for a
sire and is breeding race horses. He still
races few under the name of his agent
MIR. Ehlers. and has six in training at Mon.
mouth Park, under Midgeley. Should thew
do well, his coming cut under his own
name is only question of time. Racing
needs just such men. He is liberal. with.
out extravaganza, aud
MAN OF CULTURE, MoDEsTY
and self-reSpect. Since the great FLY Dew
drop showed such superior form, there are
those who have laughed at Mr.. Lorillard
for selling FalSetto, and nearly ali the
sporting papers have told him dozen
times each that he made "a mistake he will
never cease to repent" They patronize
him, offer him tons of advice how to breed
his horses, and which stations he should
use. that Falsetto is the greatest of sires
and that he ought to send Dewdrop's dam
and all his mares to Kentucky to breed to
Falsetto; if he don't ruin stares him in the
face. Perhaps these men know more than
Lorillard and his stud groom, but l doubt