The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-24
HIGH PRICED HORSES SOLD.
Turf Extravaganza in Ancient Times
BucephaIus Cost Thirteen Thousand
Dollars.
From Clarke's Horse Review.

From Clarke's Horse Review.
Speaking of costly horses, the purchase
of the English race horse, Ormonde, by
William OBJ. McDonough, the California
millionaire, for the prinely sum of $3.50, 900
calls to mind some extravagant prices
paid for horses in the past. We do not
mean the Sl05,000 paid for Axtell nor the
1926, 600 for Mr. Forbes great colt Arion.
nor the big prices paid by the prince of
good fellows, Robert Bonner, for his
various purchases. But we refer to some
historical purchases prices paid in the
dim and distant past, a time which many
of our readers no doubt had supposed was
void of any extravaganza in that one
weakness which seems to have pervaded
ell epOchs of civilized time-a weakness
for great horsefesh.
The writer has been recently spending
half hour with handful of old Latin
books, and has had the curiosity to see
what the ancients thought a good horse
was worth. The curtain of antiquity first
rolls up on Egypt, and here we find it re-
corded in letter, or rather papyrus, left
by one of their kings of the Eighteenth
dynasty-telling of his conquest of a for
eign nation-Mesopotam how he
brought lot of very fine horses from that
country Homer also tells us how King
Agamemnon offered Achilles twelve
horses that would win for him great
riches by their racing.
in later years we find King Solomon,
the wisest of men, sending to Egypt and
paying as high as s., 900 to Sc, 600 for
horses. His own stable was magnificent
Alexander, according to Plutarch gave
about $4,000 for Bucephalus, the most
noted of all horses of antiquity; but
Pliny, the historian, puts the price at
nearer $4,000. And here the spirit of
gaming crops out again, for we are told
that when PhilOnieus, the Thessalian
offered the horse to Phillip, the father of
Alexander, the King and his court went
out to test the speed and docility of the
war horse. The horse was so vicious and
unmanageable that Philip promptly dis
cardcd the idea of purchasing, but Alex
ander, standing near who appears to have
had more horse sense than the rest, saw
that the high-strung animal was fright
ened at his own shadow, and remarked:
what horse they are losing for want
of skill and courage to manage him"
Alexander, who was one of natures
noblemen, conquered nations as he did
Bucephalus, and after the conquest, by
his kindness and generosity, he won them
completely. We may learn from him q
lesson of kindness to animals, for when
the horse was old he refused to ride him
on his long marches, riding commoner
horse instead; but when he struck Darius
at Arbela, in one of the worlds decisive
battles, he would go into the fight only on
his old horse.
With all of our boastful civilization and
fast records. we are far behind the Ro-
mans in the matter Of horse racing. The
Circus MaXimus, which seated 2S5, 600
people, was the greatest race course the
world has ever seen. and the famous
jockey, Diocles, whose likeness engraved
on the metal wheels of a child's play cart
has been lately dug up at Pompeii, is said
TO have earned over million dollars IN a
year. We may very safely conclude. then.
that many horses in those prohigate times
sold for more money than Ormonde or any
other horse of modern times And we
might mention here that negro Jockeys
are not an original American institution.
for we learn that Cresceus, an African
Jockey Of those days, was one Of the
greatest riders, and earned 0.OO0 sester-
COS In one year. Verify, in the price of
horses as ia other things, there is moth
ing new under the sun"