Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-08-31
SECRET OF SUCCESS IN BREED
ING.
GEN.. TiLTON INTERVIEWED BY A BOSTON
HERALD MAN.
Concluded from last week

"As | was saying a few moments ago,
the great secret in breeding is the breed
ing of good horses to good mares. There
is no magic in racing anymore than there
is in good breeding. In a contest, the
descendants of certain families are bound
to get a place. Blood always tells. The
best bred runners and trotters can be re-
lied upon to be the fastest, all other con-
ditions being equal. OF course there is a
deal of difference of opinion as to what
is the best stock for breeding purposes.
In my opinion, without any reservation
whatever, the foundation of trotters in
this country is the Hambletonian family.
Rysdyck Hambletonian was the greatest
trotting sire of his day. His blood,
mixed with that of Mambrino Chief. is
the best combination that has been made.
The blood of Pilot Jr., Henry Clay and
Vermont Black Hawk, aided by pacing
blood, makes up the blood of all trotting
horses in this country, in connection with
the other two families. Every one inter-
ested in turf matters knows that at the
present time there is great rivalry be-
tween the two leading sires, George
Wilkes and Electioneer. Electioneer is
by Rysdyck Hambletonian, and his dam
was Sayles's Harry Clay. Wilkes is also
a Hambletonian and Clay blood is claim
ed for him, a fact that has given the Clay
family great impetus. 1t looks at the
t,rnspnt tinna as If E1antiapaar Ilnn1
would come up. challenge Wilkes and
soon gain first place. Mind you, | don't
say Electioneer will beat Wilkes. He
may. There never was a fighting man
who didn't get whipped, and the same
applies to the trotters. Judging from
experience, there are many up and downs
In this business, as well as in all others.
Before George Wilkes was sold and
shipped South he was offered to me for
$4,000. He was considered sort of a fail
ure then, because he hadn't had oppor-
tunity to show himself. He had been
timed and raced for a number of wears.
j didn't know as much about breeding as
! do today, and | refused to purchase
him. Others knew more than | did and
as a result they have made a fortune on
him. This fact only goes to show how
near | came to striking oil without get
ting it. It's an old saying, "a fool for
luck and a poor man for business How
Wilkes sons have advanced since that
time? Look at Guy Wilkes, the greatest
stallion ever known on this earth. Most
mature, perfect and sumptuous. The
Wilkes family has achieved a great posi-
ton as sires with several classes of
mares. Electioneer has achieved a great
position as a sire in two classes of mares,
those of pacing and thoroughbred blood.
The trouble is, in breeding trotters from
thoroughbred stock, that too much thor
oughbred blood gives the offspring a ten
dency to run. Electioneer's great sue
cess has been in being able to obliterate
this running instinct"
"Do you think the trotting horse
breeding of this country is as yet per-
fect?'
"Oh, no. If such were the case there
would be no good breeding. No man
wants to breed horses if he sees no
chance for Improvement. Any one can
breed a cart horse. We have certainly
got very well along in the breeding line,
but not where we will be in the near fu-
ture. Breeders are learning more and
more every year. There was a time
when thoroughbred blood was not want
ed in raising a %trotter, but now breeders
do not object to a dash of it. New Eng
land breeders haven't come to that yet,
though the success in Kentucky stock is
that they are bred from thoroughbreds.