St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-29


speed was developed. George BraSStield,
who has seen Pretender driven by young
Black, said of him: He is another DiTec-
tor in every respect. He is bred like him.
looks like him and trotS like him. and they
think he is just as fast as Director. He has
no record. but when trOtting looks as If he
was running away"
Mr. Gratien Replies to MIR. Bradford
To the Editor of the Globe.
Mr. Bradford apparently makes with his
figures a strong showing for the runners.
When you begin your problem with two
and two are five, no amount of correct
figuring can correct the error. Mr.. Brad
fOrd's error is in his premise. He has not
been comparing the sales of real trOtters
with the sales of runners. The trotter is a
modern creation, great latitude is allowed
in his breeding by the rules as yet, for in
stance, my neighbOr, Mr.. Riehl. might
breed one of his Clyde mares to Herod, get
a FLY and breed her in time to Mr.. Brad
fOrd's old favorite Portion. The produce
would be a standard bred trotter, but men
with brains enough to make money would
give up but little for the winning prospects
of a trotter so bred. The latitude given of
necessity to the formation of a breed, to
ing of many alleged trotters at public sale.
The older breeders or those commanding
large means have many fashionable crosses
in the pedigreeS of their stock, and buyers
show their appreciation. Time was when
half bred runner was not rara avis in
England, the home of the thoroughbred.
just as half bred trOtterS are yet allowed in
America, the home of the trOtter. But now
the English running stud book requires
that the dam have seven crosses and here
five are required. Thus five times the
purity is required for a runner than
trotter and as a consequence runners all
have speed. There is but little span be-
tween the fastest and the slOwest. The
speed of trotters is not yet fixed inherit
ance while their breeding ranges from a
diluted cross to half a dozen strong and
fashionable ones. To make a fair COM
parison of sale of trotters with runners,
the former should all be by standard sire
out of dams with five standard crosses,
and even then there would be great in
equality against the trOtter. for despite the
most careful selection standard crosses are
yet loaded with elements foreign to the trOt
ting gait. By reason of the formative con-
dition of the breed the production of trOt-
tiers of an average high rate of speed is
44Ol1llllS Inc do CC1 do luC plOQuCOlOu VI
runners. For this reason the runners should
command much higher average price at
auction than they do. The breed is formed,
there are no foreign elements to be elimina-
ted-that was all done generations ago with
an Arab and barb foundation of desert race
horses tracing to Mahomet'S mares. The
reason they do not sell for more is because
they have less practical value for the DEM
Ocratic purposes of true Americans. To
enhance and increase the sale value of rum
ming youngsters stake races are established
for them. and their breeders very generally
contribute so that when running fOal is
led to the auction block his possible value in
fixed events reaches thousands of dollars.
Trotting horse breeders are slowly imitat-
ing this example, but their methods like
their breed. are as yet formative, and few
trOtterS offered at auction have any engage
mentS of value. So far as | know the
youngsters sold at Glenview had no engage
mentS, while those sold at Rancocas were
mostly well engaged, and these
ENGAGEMENTS GOVERNED THEIR VALUE.
Eliminate this feature of engagements
and the runner cuts a small figure. True,
Mr.. Lorillard bred Dewdr0p; SO did Nc
Ferran pure breed Patron. and if the latter
had been offered, without engagements to
cllIdlICS Ills NdIuc dG Sale Tie re-
cent princely price paid for half interest
III him indicates what effect he would have
had upon the average. Suppose Mr.. Lor-
lizard did breed part of the runners in his
stable, so did Glenview breed great trotters,
but it was young and breeding stock only
that was offered. Slmon-pure trotting
stock, not alleged trotterS with one or two
diluted crosses; such as figure in many
of the sales inStanced by Mr.. Bradford. 1t
would be just as logical to depreciate gold
coin by averaging it with a copper cent
They are both money. Do not lose sight of
the fact that Dewdrop brought only little
more than the value OF her engagements,
Ia which her winning was as certain as rae
ing ever can be. She did win them, al most
her purchase price. The whole question,
stripped of verbiage. is this: Which has the
greater value, the simon-pure trotter or the
runner? Name runner to equal Maud s
in actual cash selling value. Find a run
ming gelding, nineteen years old. that can
win dollar where Deck Wright won
hundreds this year, or a twenty-year-old
running stallion that can show all the speed
Of his younger days as HerOd did this year.
The value of the trOtter is founded upon
his practical usefulness aside from his race
horse qualities. He is a bidable. an every
day servant, with the disposition and power
TO work on the farm or the road. He is a
pleasure in prosperity and a helper in ad
versity. Heis mans companion and friend
from cOlthOOd to old age, and not the semi
savage that the runner is in consequence of
his short career i'll mans company, and that
only at the fercer and exciting gallOp. The
runners value is Fictitious one, it is
founded upon the value of his engagements
and upon his use as gambling machine,
pure and simple. A short racing career,
followed by almost a total loss of value if
a geldng awaits him. The simOn-pure
trotting gelding goes from the track to the
stable of the gentleman road rider at prices
ranging from thousand up to thirty or
more thousands of dollars. and the demand
to-day is much greater than the supply.
The true-blue American citizen loves the
trotter for another reason, patriotic one.
That disobedient, rebellious Uncle Sam in
herited the runner but made the trotter, or
or rather is making him, and values him &C.
cordingly. NJ 7. G.
Voice From iowa.
To the Editor of the Globe.
SHELDON. Ia. Nov. 23.-Mr. Bradford's
Thoroughbred" in Mondays GLOBE does
the trotter injustice. He does not state
MeSsrs. KittsOn. De Graft. Sherwood and
otIeIS SoIu uedIly all yearllngS III their last
sale at st. Paul. and not all their colts.
VIII he please state how much thorough
bred yearlings bring at public auction in
Minnesota, for example the sale of Doc
MintZer's estate at st. Paul; he does not
state Commodore Kittson's sale of thor
oughbred at Philadelphia included MANY of
the cracks of the turf not all warnings.
and that many trOtterS sold at the Kellogg
combination sale in New York are the
weed of different breeders; that Woodward
& Harhisln sell nearly a ! Scruhs and rar1,