Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-09
THE KENTUCKY SALES
Cain Gives Interesting Pointers
About the Big Events.
VAN NESS CASE LOOMS UP.
Facts About the EIectiOneer and George
Wilkes Argument.
IMPORTATION ABOUT THE RUNNERS.

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.l
LEXINGTON, KY, February 8.-The
first sale in the series of trotting-horse offer
ings took place in Cynthiana to-day, re-
port of which will be found in this issue.
On Monday the Brosfeld sale will begin
here and continue throughout the week.
This will be followed by the offerings OF W.
T. Woodard, which will occupy the re-
mainder of the month. Thus the ring of
the auctioneer's hammer will be heard in
Lexington for the next three weeks. Al
ready the horsemen from all parts of the
country are here, and the festive drummers
who sell horse goods have already pitched
their tents in the bluegrass, and are hard at
work angling for customers. Owing to the un-
precedented demand for catalogues of these
sales it is believed there will be more bidders
here than ever seen at any similar offerings
This is stirring up the hotel men, who are do
ing all they can making ready for the coming
horsemen. These February sales are always
looked forward to with much interest by horse
men all over the United States, as the prices
realized at them form basis for the trotting
horse market during the remainder of the year,
and it is thought the coming sales will show
big advance over former ones.
Urinary surgeon of Kentucky, D. L. Herr, had
a narrow escape from an accident a few days
since. He was driving down Main street, this
city, in road cart, when on turning corner
a street car collided with the vehicle, throwing
him out. Outside of few slight bruises and
being covered with mud, he sustained no in
jury. Dr. Herr, despite his advanced age, is
always on the 90, and while he has turned the
breeding of trotters over to his sons he still
feels lively interest in this great industry.
When he first began to advocate the trotter
here more than 40 years ago, he was the laugh
ing stock of all the breeders of pedigreed
horses. They saw greatness only in the
thoroughbred, but DR.. Herr told them he hoped
to see the day when trotters would not only
have pedigrees themselves. but would sell for
more money than the aristOcratic horses i'm
ported from Old Virginia and England. That
his prophecy has been fulfilled was amply
shown in this correspondence last week by the
table which proved the 20 highest priced trot-
ters brought $S2l, ,499 more than the 20 highest
priced thoroughbreds.
THE CASE OF VAN NESS.
It is currently reported here that great influ-
ence will be brought to bear at the coming
meeting of the Board of Review of the Ma
tional Trotting Association for the reinstate-
ment of Frank Van Ness who was expelled
some years ago. Some OF the horsemen here
are of the opinion that he will be reinstated
while others think it will be impossible for the
board to do so, inasmuch as he was once be-
fore without the fold If he fails to be rein
stated, Van Ness will continue with the run
ming turf.
The 2-20 list of the great California stallion,
Electioneer, and of the phenomenal dead sire,
George Wilkes. shows the latter leads the
former by one performer, but four of them are
HlnPfinnanTjS shows a
single sidewheeler. He also has two perform
ers to his credit with faster records than any of
the sons and daughters of the hero of Ash
Grove stud As an average sire of extreme
ing trotting sires of the world, as the following
table will show: