Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-28
SCIENCE In BREEDING.
SENATOR STASPORD'S SUCCESS IN
BREEDING TROTTERS.
Results Obtained from a Strong In
fusion of Thoroughbred Blood
The Great Electioneer.
From the New York Spirit of the Times.

from the New York Spirit of the Times
The theory of breeding the trotting horse
is a never ending theme of interest. Frank
Forester, whose pen was first to undertake
to direct practical thought upon this sub
ieet, contended that all improvement must
come from the thoroughbred horse, and
thought any other stallion unfit to USE
His views were so extreme that those who
undertook TO put them in practice soon
gave up discouraged. This teacher having
been abandoned, two different schools
sprung up in his place, which ever since
have been at direct variance with each
other. One taught the avoidance of thor
ouehbred blood as much as possible. The
others contended for an intermediate
course, using trotting blood sufficient to
control action with cautiously selected
crosses of running blood to give an i'm
proved physical organism for the mainten-
ance of speed for distance.
Much heated argument has been ex-
pended over these two theories, and in the
meantime many excellent trotters have APP
peared in favor of both sides of the argu-
ment. For long time it seemed as though
the opponents of a thoroughbred admix-
ture had the best of it. They contended
that the running current destroyed trot-
ting action and disposition to trot, impart-
ed a fractions temper, and did not improve
the stamina and endurance of the stock.
OF the mass of trotters about the eoun-
try but very few that appeared in the $50
list had thoroughbred ancestor within
two or even three generations. 1t was
therefore pointed out that thoroughbred
was not adapted to trotting purposes. To
still further favor this view it was claimed
that the late r. A. Alexander, who had
extensively tried to breed trotters upon a
thoroughbred foundation, as well us of
purely trotting stock, had abandoned the
former method, being far better satisfied
with the latter Still many others con-
tinued to believe in and practice the use
of an admixture Of thoroughbred blood, so
that some twenty years ago several ambi-
tiouS establishments were using it.
These attempts were almost invariably
made by breeding the thoroughbred mare
to the trotting sire. In this way it was
easier to engraft a fashionable trotting
strain upon large number of youngsters,
since far less outlay was required in buy
ing stallion of the desired family than in
gathering together a large number of its
broodmares But rs the interest of the
running turf rapidly expanded, the best
thoroughbred mares became too valuable
as producers Of running stock to be longer
retained in trotting studs, and for this rea-
son very few good thoroughbred mares
have been covered by trotting sires for
many years past. Furthermore, the advo-
Gates of the thoroughbred cross gradually
weakened in their enthusiasm, owing, in n
great measure, to want of success in
maintaining the required trotting action.
1t is more than likely that the theory
would have been abandoned all round but
for the after effects of some of the earlier
work done in this direction, and for the
late success in the Palo Alto Stud in pro-
ducing fast and reliable trottevs directly
from thoroughbred mares.
The greater part Of the demonstration
in favor of a thoroughbred mixture with
trotting blood emanates from Woodburn
Farm and Palo Alto. 1t is plain that no.
where else was the theory tried under like
favorable conditions, for as we recall other
establishments that attempted it, We no
tice in the first place that no stallion equal
to those of Mr.. Alexander and Governor
Stanford in power to control the action of
their progeny Vas brought into use else
where, and this seems to be the KEY to all
success in this direction. Again, thc mares
used at Alto Patio were not alone chosen
because thoroughbred, but, in addition,
for their conformation and temperament
The earlier Mr.. Alexander made, perhaps
an equally good selection of mares when
Woodburn was organized, and in Pilot Jr
had an unusually good trotting stallion for
the purpose Of crossing upon them. His
efforts, too, were not without resu that
were excellent for their day, but VII : the
get of Pilot Jr. had speed, and some of his
progeny from thoroughbred mares were
among his best trotters, yet as family
from whatever description of dams, they
were of highly nervous organization and
ofteu of fretful disposition, that made lug
gers of most of them and rendered them
unreliable in races. This was more espe-
cially the case with the mares. Mr.. Al
exander was about the first systematic ex-
perimenter with the thoroughbred mix
ture, and, until the attempt at Palo Alto,
his was the most productive of favorable
results But it so happened that, with
one encouragement and another, this the
DRY of breeding had gone into Gisfavor at
WOODBURY. before it was undertaken at
Palo Alto. Successful moves in breeding
are not always recognized as fast as made.
The very highest results accomplished at
Woodburn now prove to have emanated
from the abandoned system.
That the other establishments referred
to were unsuccessful in attempting to
breed trotters from thoroughbred mares is
perhaps not surprising, when it NAV be
generally said that they were in the same
predicamcnt in their attempts with trot-
ting bred mares. Whether because their
stations were Of little value, or for what
ever cause, they failed alike with trotting
and thoroughbred dams. Scattering in
stances of success in producing trotters of a
high order partaking literally of thor
oughbred blood are Of late not infrequent,
but no establishment, until Palo Altos
Success has brought out line of stock
successfully bred upon that theory. This
being so it would appear that in the cases
! of Woodburn and Palo Alto the expert
ment was tried under different and more
| favorable conditions than in any other es-
Enlistment. That difference probably
| consisted in the action-controlling power
of the stations used. There seems to be
| no evidence that the famous stations of
the past twenty years, whose names now
stand foremost in the list of successful
srres-such horses, for instance, as George
Wilkes, Volunteer, Blue Bull, Dictator,
Harold, Happy Medium, Almont, Daniel
Lam 5ert, etc.-covered any thoroughbred
mares to speak of, If occasionally one was
bred to them it was usually a mare con-
| sidered OF too little value to be bred to a
| running sire. Therefore, the question has
never been satisfactorily tried with first
class material on both sides until Senator
Stanford put it to the test at Palo Alto.
Eiectiuneer has thirty-one performers in
the $50 lit, ranging in speed from that
point as low as 2;16. They are from mares
Of much variety of breeding. His most
successful hit has been upon daughters OF
the pacing stallion ST. Clair, and it was
| from one Of these that he got his fastest
performer, viz: Manzanita, record 2:16 as
| a four-year old. He also got from daugh-
tiers of st. Clair, Bonita, 2:1SI; Wildfower
2:2i at two years old, and Fred Crocker
a:25} at two years old. Nothing whatever
II L ~