Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-02-09
OUR HORSE INTERESTS.
Breeding TrotterS.

hred exclusively by wealthy owners or
bred stock, or, on the most
prentiouS stock farms. Two of the
greatest horses ever bred by one man
are Allerton and Axtell. bred In an
obscure Iowa town, by c. W. Williams,
a poor telegraph operator, unable
to purchase anything but
two cast-off mares from a wealthy
stock farm, and to breed to anything
but young and untried sires, command
ing moderate service fees. But though
the individuals were without reputa-
ton. yet their breeding was in good
lines and the mating well chosen and
two of the highest priced horses ever
bred were produced, transforming the
owner from poor, unknown operator
into a millionaire of national fame.
And this has been the history of a
large number of the greatest horses,
as well as of multitudes of lesser fame.
Martha Wilkes, a perspicuous candi-
date for the national record was bred
by a widow woman. Nancy Hanks.
the greatest of all, was bred by small
breeder who would have remained un-
known but for the breeding of the
matchless queen. The great champions
of their day, Ethan Allen. Smuggler,
Make Cobb, and the greatest of all.
Hambletonian himself brought what
ever wealth and prominence their
breeders and owners had to them;
rather, they built thereupon.
And not merelys fashionable and
fortune favored animals with wealthy
owners to boom them, but many of the
more ordinary mold. left TO seeming
obscurity, have come to the front, as
the producers of extreme speed, and
performers of greatest merit. Neither
great horses or great men are neces-
sarily royalty bred, with wealth and
luxury to foster and push them. The
great PAGER Mascot, the only horse that
ever went mile as fast as Nancy
Hanks, 2:04, was sired by Deceive. an
questionable son of Hambletonian,
with an unknown dam, and the breed
ing Of his own dam was unknown.
Flying Jib and Guy are next among
the phenomenons of the year, the
former by an obscure son of Almont,
unknown outside of his own little
neighhorhood; the latter by a horse
called Shiloh, whose breeding was not
even recorded.
McDoel. one of the senatorial win
ners of a year OF so ago. also sprung
from obscurity, like Lincoln and Grant,
with good blood in their veins, but un-
surrounded with the tinsel of royalty.
Alvin, one of the fastest and gamest
free for-all campaIgners yet produced
is another whose ancestry, though of
sound trotting lines, yet was in no
sense fashionable.
Nightingale, winner of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers $4,000
stake, the Buffalo $1,000 cup and the
$40 900 Charter Oak stake, is another
OF respectable, though in no sense
fashionable ancestry OH either side.
And multitudes of other examples
| little less illustrious might be adduced,
OF first class performers springing up
from good but unfashionabie, un-
heralded ancestors, with merit, but not
fashion or money to boom them. And
ali this proves, not that high priced
| fast and fashionable Sires and dams
are TO be deprecated, but that outside
the gilded circle and within the reach
and means of all there are animals that
produced a high rate of speed, and
that in the breeding even of record
| breakers. the small breeder has a fail
chance to win the capital prize. Ii
shows that, as has been said fortunes
eggs are not confined TO certain baskets
and duly labeled; but that there is q
chance aud hope for any one with an
average Dare bred in trotting lines
and bred To an ordinary Irotting sire
To secure merit OF the highest order
1t confirms the ole truth that good
blood and breeding tells, wherever
found, without the trappiDgs of royalty
as well as with it: independent of the
prestige that wealth gives as well as by
it. 1t is the hope and incentive OF the
commoDest people in the most ordinary
walks of life, where worth and merit
have a chance and are sure to win.