St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-08
Fhe TrotterIs Not King.

To the Editor OF the Globe:
In the turf department of the St. Paul
DAILY GLOBE of Monday. Nov. l, 1886. there
is an article under the heading, 1.-The Trotter
is King" which is taken from the Breeders
Gazette, and was doubtless written by NJ. L.
Grattan. who draws a lesson from the
Rancocas and Glenview sales OF horses that is
interesting and may he useful if properly ap-
p ed by breeders. Tue point of tue lesson is
that it pays better to breed and raise trotters
than il does runners. Several years ago Mr..
Loriard. in New York, and Mr. McFerren,
at Clenview. Ky, commenced breeding
horses. The first bred running horses, and
the other trotters. Both gentlemen bred on
the same general principles. That is, both
were men with e BOD business ideas about
breeding, both bred to get winners, both put
large amounts of money into the business,
and paid large prices for what they regarded
as the test they could get. The
LOrillard stables of runners, and the
McFerren stable of trotters, were two of
the best collections of horses. in their respec-
tive classes, in the United States. Two weeks
ago both these stables were sold the same
week. one in New York and the other at Glen
view. 1t would be difficult to conceive Of a
fairer opportunity for judging of the CON-
parative value OF trOtting and rum ng blood
than these two sales afford. There has never
before been so good an opportunity for CON-
parison of this kind. and VIII not be again,
probably, for years t come. as it has never
before been the case that two great breeding
establishments, one representing the trotterS
and the other the runners meet under the
hammer the same week Now, this is ali
very true, with the exception OF the cOnclu-
sion. MIR. Lorillard and Mr. McFerran were
pical breeders in their separate classes.
RancOcas and Glenview were typical eStab-
liShmels. No horsemAn should refuse to ac-
cept either place as representative farm.
The Gazette however, fails TO tell that the los
horses sold at Geuvlew we're the entire stud
of Mr.. McFerran, and that the So
SOLD THE SAME WEEK
at Rancocas were the remainder left after
the twenty seven head hal been sold the pre-
ceding February at auction for SAG $50, or
an average of $500 piece. has any sale of
trotting horses ever attained this average?
Let US not. however accept even this.
Messrs Lorillard and MCFerran are typical
men, Rancocas and Glenview are typical
places. Let US compare the prices Of the Ito
horses sold Mt auction al Rancocas in Febru-
airy and October, and the los horses sold at
GlenYiew in October. Mr.. Lorillard's 10
thoroughbreds sold for 1921. 945, an average
of So 654 piece. Mr.. McFcrran's It's head
of troIting horses sold for 1924 or an
average of SI,952l4 a piece. This makes
the average per capita Of he 10 horses sold
by Mr.. Loriilard $721. IS more than the aver
age price paid for the l6s head of horses sold
by NJ. McEerran. Again, even leaving out
this sale at auction of twenty-seven head of
Mr.. Lorillard's test horses sold last Febru-
ny which just comp arison would never
permit, the average price of 81, 72l.62 made
at Rancocas of the eighty-tbree head of horses
sold there in October. shows most forcibiy the
superior value of the thoroughbred, when we
read Mr.. Bruce's statement that number
of the broodmares were blind, physical
wrecks, and past the age of their usefulness y"
One mare sold for only $50, several others for
$50 and 81 0 II piece.
Mr. Grattan is a most able turfman, a
charming and intelligent writer, but if he at
tempts TO demonstrate that trotting horses
sell better than thorou hbreds, he ill soon
find he has undertaken AL Impossible task.
JOHN BRADFORD.