Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-11-27
TROTTING TOPICS.
improvement In the Market for High
bred Harness Racers.
DEVELOPED STOCK IN DEMAND.
Some OF the Prices Paid for Speedy Trot'
tcrs-Aiix the Only Record Breaker
Not Greatly Sought For.
New York Times.)

CNew York Times.)
Following horse-show week has been
another OF even more particular interest,"
10 the fanciers OF Iight-harness STOCK. inc
comhination.sale at Madison Square Car
den which began last Wednesday drew
more breeders, owners. and trainers thah
have come here since the market began
20 decline some W years ago. NO DOUBT
the very fair prices realized earlier IN the
month served to stimulate confidence IN
tho future of harness-racihg even In TINS
s,ate. where its fate has been sealed 80
far as the speculative feature Is con-
cerned.
The consignment from the Palo Alto
Farm led all the others In point OF value
because, instead OF the "eeuHs-out
process that was formerly employed IN
,electing young stock from that famous
California nursery. the collection sent
over this fall represented the best OF the
stud that the late Leland Stanford got TO-
rether at much cost. All the princeiy
.ums which Mr.. Stanford received from
his t%rotters. from the $l25.0O0 that ne
got for Arion down, were AT private SALE
and the only very valuable animal oreu
by him that ever came under the hammer
5vr,rg his lifetime was Bell Boy. THIS
.ol, who was really very much over
rated had passed out Of Senator Stah-
fo,d's Dos.ession for some 5000. and men,
no means of tudiclous "bOoming. Ms
nrice mounted up toward $4,000 at auc-
lion. poau-
Several others Of the
tiful Bells family. including ~. feI. ~"
Rells. and Bellefiower. were also sou I'm
palo Alto. and they have been so h'snly
nrized that none of them has been unuc'
,he hammer Since the death Oh ~
tioneer. the mare Beautiful Bells' VIM
nrogeny have been so uniformly last ""s
barred to Palo Alto and AdNerIsel'
sons of her former mate. The result Vi
~ union with Advertiser is the new
,bampion yearling. Adbell, who recehtIy
naced the record for the infant class a'
e:g3.
This performance. proving as 1t did, that
peautiful Bells could produce speed from
other s,res than Electioneer, maze hei
son Day Bell. by Palo Alto, the HhOiV
desirable when he was put up TOT COMP
,,t,on here. This colt, a foal OF lo'I' nas
NOT been developed. as the large hldJollty
of the Young stock from California nav
heen. and the explanation that ne W.
considered TOO valuable to RISK injury
hardly suiiced. In his untrleu ~
nav Rell rough $500. whereas had ne
hoo, trained TO n record of 2:20 or better
no vrould have fetched a much larger sum.
Five wears ago. when the boom was at
tic height. a young trotter OF such lash
tonable blood would have gone ciOsc "
s9o ooo whether ne could show any speeu
or not. The ~extravagant price OF s-o'VVV'
Maid for Mascot in 1889. was the most no.
table piece Of folly in this me. anu
taught the fanciers a lesson '"dt "a
sfood them in hand ever since. ALONG
,,i,b tho general slump in the market mas
come a more business-like policy or e%-
aiming the goods before purchasing, anu
to-day the public sales are on a sQunner
and more lasting basis than ever. Inc
breeder who sends to the auctioneer ohiy
that portion Of his stud which he does not
care TO keep must expect to hnd the
same condemnation that he himself mas
put upon it.
Of sales very successfully at ,ieNo'
before he came here to take charge or
ths trotting department for the latter
sals company. discussed the present situ7
alton a few days ago as follows:
DEVELOPED ANIMAL.
.Tbere is no doubt that the developed
animal is what the large percentage OF
Luvers want to-day. My experience is
that the most difficult thing to sell Is an
old brood mare. after her an Old s~talllon'
and then Youngsters that are unframed:
The reason that we cannot nave Il speeu
sale pure and simple, is that after a man
has barred or bought something that turn
"a ont fast. he holds on TO his prize as
as he can afford TO keep II. lie
would not think Of sending his crack per-
former TO a sale. and when a private
offer Is made is pretty sure TO reject IT,
II asked to name a price he sticks II up
TO a point that drives the prospective Gus
TONER away at once, and then. too late,
that he has let the golden opportu-
nifty pass. This is perhaps even more
true in the Western States than along
the Atlantic, and the average man out
there is less able to own a horse worth
5000 or more than in the East, where
r%1Ilionnires are more PLENTIFUL
Probably the most striking case OF n
comparatively poor man refusing to en-
tertain a liberal offer for a trotter was
when c.. W. Williams declined to put a
figure on Allerton just after he had Sc
cured the stallion championship in 1891.
Marcus lpdlA. Tic (OIitt litNpN+oN
Montana, fancied the stout son of Jay
Bird. and would, 1t is said. have paid
s125 OO for him. Williams figured That
Allerton could earn close TO $5O,cW In
the stud for the next two seasons, and
enough more on the turf 10 balance the
sum he could realize from a quick sale,
and he would thus have the money and
the horse as we'll. The good fortune that
had attended the Iowa turfman up to
that time no doubt was an addltiohai
reason for his failure 10 take advantage
OF the chance that comes TO few breeders;
but the tide turned against him in 1892.
and Allerton, though stil in his FIJI ne,
would not command more than a tithe
OF the amount he might have brought
TO his owner when he was monarch or
his kind.
OF all the record breakers that nave
appeared. from Dexter's day to the pres-
emit, Alix has been the least sought after.
famous old white-faced Selilng,
along with Goldsmith Maid. Narus.
Maud S., Sunol. and Nancy HANKS. all
changed hands for more than 10000, lut
the fastest trotter Of all time lacks a
purchaser at those figures. When ak
first came into prominence by her mile
In 2:16La, at 3 years. Morris j. Jones,
who owned a ~half-interest in the hlly,
said that she was for sale. Neither he
nor his partner. Hayes, a Chicago
banker. cared to be on the turf. prefer
ring 10 devote themselves to their breed
ing establishment. then situated at Keno
sha. wis. More than one New York
fancier heard of this fleet young mare.
and inquired her price. yet, strange TO
say, not one of them took advantage OF
II. though the figure was by no means
exorbitant.
2:l0.
In 1892. when Alix reduced the record
for her age. 4 years. TO 2lO, Mr.. Jones
was still ready to dispose of her. ana
$500 would doubtless have satisfied. w.
X. Allen, the wealthy breeder. who Is
best known as the owner OF kremlin.
saw the mare at Lexington n Nash
Vile that season. and consulted with
his trainer, Bither. about purchasing her.
This usually astute driver, who mad
brought out J~ay-Eye-See and Phalias,
both champions Of their kind. could not
see the ripening greatness of this later