The herald., 1895-02-24
Invasions of the British Turf By
American Stock
FORTY YEARS WITH HORSES
Notable Feats of Yankee Blood on
American Soil
Prioress' Deaf Head for the czarowitch.
Preakness' Brighton Cup Run and
Iroquois' Great Derby Victory
BY HIDALGo

foaled on Yankee soil-Pryor, Prioress
and Lecomte. The first two were not
brother and sister, as their names might
imply. Pryor was by the imported horse
Glencoe, out of sister of Modoc;
prioress was by Sovereign, bred by
King William ", and Lecomte by Bos-
ton, their dam being the famous Glencoe
mare Reel, at one time deemed the supe-
rior of Fashion. Nothing could be more
unlike than these two, Prioress being
very rangy bay mare without white,
while Iecomte was a compactly built
chestnut with q narrow blaze and the off
heel white. His four mile races with Lex
ington had given him worldwide repu-
tation, but his severe contests had rem
dered him lame before he left here. Pryor
was gelding and one of the most beauti-
full horses l ever saw.
The horses reached England all right
enough, but the trainer, William Browne,
was not well acquainted with the treach-
ery of English climate, and the horses all
had bad colds in a few days after landing.
Pryor was the most affected and died
shortly after his arrival. He started in
the Goodwood Cup, but finished no
where Prioress m ght have won had not
Gilpatrick who had ridden Lexington in
all his races, gotten "full as goat" about
an hour before the race and run on the
wrong side OF. the flags, for which he was
disqualified. Prioress was then taken
away from him and he returned to Amer
ica in disgrace. Nothing was seen of the
Yankee team until the Warwick meeting,
when Lecomte started for the Gold Cup
and came in last. Two days later he
caught another cold and died of lung fever,
Just as Pryor did. This left Mr.. Ten
Brock nothing but Prioress.
Most any other man would have thrown
up the sponge, but Ten Brock sent back
to his partners, Francis Morris OF
New York and James S. Watson of
Charleston, s. c., for more horses. They
sent him over two colts of Trustlu
three years old, and woodbne by Glen
coe, two years old. These colts arrived
too late and were laid over for the follow
ing campangn. Now came Ten Brock s
only victory of the year, and a memor-
able one it was. The Czarowitch handi-
at Newmarket, free for three-year-
olds and upwards distance about $50
yards short of three miles. Pryor and
Lecomte had both been nominated for
this race, but Prioress was the only sur
vivor of the two and was weighted at
ninety-three pounds, with Charley Little
field as her rider. She had opened at
forty live to one in the betting before the
race, and after loading himself up at the
figure, Ten Brock gave commission on
the day of the race to lay off against her.
SO that he stood to win over $50, 900 without
risking single cent. There were thirty
four starters, and as the flag fell it looked
like squadron of cavalry going into bat
tie. On they swept with the dark Ameri-
can mare away in the rear for a mile,
when suddenly she began to move up.
She had bad way of boring down with
her head, and young John A. Morris was
watching her AS she came to him at
the finish two lengths astern of Ell Hakim
and Queen Bess, he rushed out and
shouted, "D-n you, pull her" Little
field did as desired, and jerked her head
up. The favorites were beaten and the
American mare closed upon the two lead
ers. Out came the whips, but without
avail, and for the first time in the
worlds history there was a dead heat
betwteen three horses in a race of over
two and three-quarter miles.
Ten Brock now took advantage of the
occasion and secured the services of the
late George Fordham to ride Prioress in
the run off for this stake, which was
worth about SIS, 900 to the winner, aside
from the bets. Fordham got up and
rode her splendidly, winning the deciding
heat by seven lengths with plenty of
space.
Then the "talent'' declared that 'the
into the race and made a present of it.
Ten Brock returned to New York that
winter and returned to England with W.
Watson's br h. Charleston, by Sovereign
out of Millwood by Monarch brown colt
Rudbicon, 2-years by Lexington Bayleaf
chestnut colt Satallite, by Albion and two
untried two-year-olds by Revenue. Not
one of them did any good for the stable
and Charleston broke down and was sold
to France for breeding purposes. The
rest did nothing, but Woodburn and Baby
lon each won couple OF small races and
Mr.. Ten Brock won two matches with
Princess against Polestar, at two miles
and against Gladiolus at mile and Il
half. Alter these Two matches the defeat
ed horses were matched at mile and Mr..
Ten Brock won big roll on Gladiolus.
Next winter he remained in England and
had half dozen sent over to him, among
them a Lexington colt called Optimist
and year-old chestnut horse called
Starke, by Waner ouG of old Reel. With
the latter horse carrying 105 pounds he
went out and won the Goodwood stakes,
two and half miles, with consumate
ease. Next came three fairly good stake
events won by Satellite and then Opti-
mist raked OIL the Ascot stakes at seven
furlongs. The allowance hitherto made
all horses bred outside of England was at
once revoked, so far as America was con-
cened
Brock crossed the Atlantic and came
back to England with six colts, one of
which was the ch. C. Umpire, by Lecomte
out OF Alice Carneal, dam of Lexington.
He was very large colt and quite coarse
about the head and neck. The year 1858
will long be remembered for his victories,
for he won the Nursery Plate at Stockton
on-Tees and the Ham and Molecomb
stakes at Goodwood. Prioress, under the
pilotage of Fordham ran dead heat with
The Bewer for second place in the Caro-
witch, won by Rocket with very light
weight. bout the close of this season
Mr.. Ten Brock got into an argument
with the eccentric Lord Glasgow over the
merits of his horse Toxophilite latter
wards sire of the famous horse Musket)
and the result was match for $4,000 a
side at a mile and half. Fordham rode
the mare and 'Old Tox" gave it up at a
mile. The stable was now in ample funds
and the next years Derby began to be
talked Of.
Thomanby had won the Criterion Plate
as n 2-year-old, and the rich Middle Park
Plate had fallen to a horse called Cra-
nlond, but the public would hear of moth
ing but Umpire for the next years Derby
He opened at 100 to l in December and had
shortened to 80 to ] by the LIST of May.
Ten Brock had backed him to win half
million dollars at those long odds, and
adopted his old tactics of laying off when
prices shortened, SO that he stood on
velvet" to win over 5000 900. The colt
moved along like bird under the able
handling of Jack Minor, who brought
him over. Hope told fattering
FOL