St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-24
Six Hundred Thousand Dol
lars Spent for High-Class
Performers.
Effect of Weights on the Trot-
ters--Monbars' Speedy
Rise in Price.
Information Touching Equine
Beauties From Many
Points Of View.

The man who has demonstrated to the
world that an interest in fast horsefesh
does not mean gambling is Robert Bon
ner. saws the New York Tribune. Six
hundred thousand dollars is the sum
which Mr.. Ronner has spent in fast
horses since he began driving for his
health, by his physicians orders, Ill
1856, thirty-fve years ago. That is to
say, 100000 is the amount, if Mr. Bon
ner hasn't forgotten TO count any OF his
speedy pets. But only few weeks ago
he gave friend a list of champions he
had bought in the last year and half.
and entirely omitted to mention so
famous an acquisition to his TarrytoWn
stock farm as his great Ansel, the
stallion for whom he paid Senator Lee
land Stanford $4,000, and to whom he
bred Maud S, the Queen of the Turf,
only a few days ago. Thirty-siX thou
sand one hundred dollars is the sum
paid for four horses. including Ansel,
since November. 1889. And what health
and what happiness he has got out OF
his steeds.
Mr.. Bonner is easily fifteen years
younger in appearance than any OF his
associates of his own aye, and he has a
record of fast horses and of fast drives
behind them which professional might
envy. Besides owning the unrlvaled
Maud S. whose record is a whole second
and a quarter faster than the time OF
her nearest competitor, and being the
proprietor of Sunol, with her wonder
ful three-year-old and fOur-year-Old rec
ordS of 2:1015, Mr.. Bonner has himself
driven the fastest miles to road wagon
known He once sent Maud 5 mile
over his own track at his farm near
TarrvtoWn in 2:1314, making the first
half, the mare well held in. in 1:0S75.
In the second half lie let her out to full
speed, coming home in :04S4.
Then blr. Bonner gave Maud S mile
to top road wagon at Fleetwood IN
2:l9, which is the fastest trotter was
ever driven to & top road wagon, as the
Tarrytown mile in 2:13I is the best on
record for a single horse to skeleton
wagon. Another fast mile which he has
driven was the one behind Alfred 5.
which was made to top road wagon 600
pOunds) in 2:21, and he drove the 2:lS
horse, Edwin Forrest, mile TO wagon
in 2:l515. Mr.. Bonner owned Joe Ell
lott. the first horse to tot i'll 2:1315.
road wagon in 2:26, supplementing this
the same year by making record for
two miles of 5:O114. The great horse
Rarus improved in Mr.. BOnner's hands
from a record of 2:1315 to one of 2:ll15.
driven by Johnny" Murphy, and Ed
win Forests record got as low as 2:l1%
after Mr.. Bonner had owned him a little
while.
Mr. Bonner has given up the cares of
business. and. though he sleeps in his
West Fifty-siXth home nearly every
night in the year, he spends his hap
piest hours at the TaTTytOWn farm.
watching over and exercising his fleet
pets. He thinks nothing of getting up
at O'Clock in the morning to be at Tar
rytown in good season. The air at the
Bonner stud was so much cooler than
the atmosphere usual to the neighbOr-
hood in summer that Maud S was only
bred few days ago, although the mat
ing was determined on some months be-
fore, because it is not desired that the
foal should be dropped before the
weather is settled and warm in June of
next wear.