Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-08-18
FORTUNES FOR HORSES.
Ormonde, the $15o,ooo Stallion,
 and Other Costly Equines.
THE RUNNERS FETCH THE MOST.

MeddIer and Common Each Sold For s75,-
 900, and St. Blaise Brought s1oo, 900.
 The S1 co. 900 Stallion Axten Leads the
 High Priced Harness Horses.
 "A horsel A horse! My kingdom for horser'
 When King Richard III made this ex- travagant bid on Bosworth Field, the high water mark in turf prices was reached, and it has never been surpassed since, but as no one took the royal bidders offer and as he clung fast to his kingdom until Richmond ended his miserable life W. O'Brien Mac donough of California must be regarded as the prince of all horse purchasers.
 Horsefiesh at Sl50,O 900 a head comes rather high, but it comes rather infrequently, too, for Ormonde, the English Derby winner, now in this country, is the only horse in the world that ever commanded such price, and young Macdonough is the only man in the worlds history that ever paid it. Ormonde's entire career, however, is punctuated by large sums of money. In the 10 races he ran under the colors of the Duke of Westminster, including the Eng fish Derby, Two Thousand Guineas, Don- | caster, St. Leger, Hardwicke stakes at As cot, and Imperial gold cup at Newmarket, the grand stallion won about $l50, 900. The Duke of Westminster then sold him to Senor Jose Bocau for $70,OO0 and all Eng | land mourned when the un beaten thorough | bred was carried away to the Argentine | Republic
 Although Ormonde was said to be afflicted | with roaring, English turfmen were so dis | pleased with the loss of his services as a 1 sire that a syndicate raised nearly $100, 900 for the purpose of ending the great horses exile and restoring him to the English turf | This seemed a vast sum of money to offer for horse whose wind was said to be af- | fected, but two enterprising Yankees were | ready with even higher bids. Charles Reed, | the Tennessee turfman who astonished the world in 1891 by paying S10o,O0o for St | Blaise, the English Derby winner the late | August Belmont brought to America, | seemed reluctant to lose the reputation of having paid the largest price ever given for a athoroughbred and went to Argentina with l $1S5, 900 in his inside pocket and offered that l princely sum for Ormonde.
 l This bid seemed away beyond competi- | tion, but California possessed a young man with $7, 100000 and turf ambition of the | vaulting kind that hesitated at no ob- | stacles. This young man was Macdonough, and he cabled an offer of Sl50, 900 for horse he had never seen and secured the coveted | prize. Ormonde will be installed as sire at 1 Mir. Macdonough's great farm at Menlc | Park, Cal, adjoining the famous Palo
 Alto ranch of the late Leland Stanford. Accompanying Ormonde are nine thor
 oughbred English mares, several of which
 are in foal by him. They are valued at
 Sl50.0O0 by Mir. Macdonough, and when | Ormonde and the matrons are added to this | large stable at Menlo Park the establish
 ment will be one of the most notable ill | America
 Macdonough is only 2 years old He is | slim and blue eyed and not at all "horsy'
 in appearance, His mother was a sister of | William :. OBrien of Comstock lode fame,
 who left SO, GOO, 600, and his father, John
 Macdonough, is one of the rich men of the
 Pacific slope
 The value of a thoroughbred like Or
 monde or St. Blaise rests upon his merit as
 a sire, but whether Charles Reed will ever