The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-11
Butte Department.
FAST ARAB HORSES
Next Seasons Notable Races Against
Russian ThOroughbreds.
A TEST OF EQUINE BLOOD
Grand Duke Dimitri Sends over
BooIatsky and Stepniak Tor
Honors on the American
Turf-Their History.
A TEST OF EQUINE BLOOD

The attention of horse breeders and rae
ing men in Europe as well as America, AZ
the opening of the racing season TINS
wear will be directed to two z-year-oia
Russian horses that will be sent TO Amer
lea for honors on the American turf.
Both of these animals-Boolatsky and
stepniak-were bred by grand duke.
were presented to a New Yorker and are
now the sole property of the latter Whe'
a young, rich and very beautifui society
woman, whose ambition IL is to possess
the fastest trotting horses In the world.
The grand duke was Dimitri, OF Kussla'
and Mrs. w. Z. ID. Stokes of West Sew
enty-second street, is the owner of these
Russian horses, who were the best two
yearlings in all Russia
w E. D. Stokes is a breeder OF horses,
but has acquired most of the stable at MS
large stock farm near Long Branch by
purchase of colts of famous sires. lie Is
especially devoted to trotters and thor
oughbreds. especially of Kentucky bred
stock. A year ago Mr.. Stokes and Miss
Rita Hernandez de Alba de Costa were
married. Mrs. Stokes love for blue-blood :
ed horsefiesh is not less pronounced than
her husbands. She hopes some day TO
own the fastest trotters and PAGERS of any
woman in the world.
At the horse shows Mr.. Stokes has ex-
hibited a number of Arab and Russian
prizes. These horses have been sent to
Mr.. Stokes by the Russian government.
which has immense imperial stables and
stud farms. Members of the imperial fam
lily possess private studs, and in all the
emperor's domain there is no more sue
cessful breeder than the Grand Duke d.
mitri He has bred Grand Prix winners
and thoroughbreds that have defeated ev-
erything in their classes on the continent.
a 1mDGT1al
purses at st. Petersburg have been won
by his stable. The grand duke has long
been looking towards America and has
aspired to win some OF the prizes here
with horses bred in his private stud. He is
thoroughly informed on American method
of raising. breaking. training, riding and
driving race horses.
Among the most prominent owners of
stud farms in Russia there is a great de-
sire to prove which is the superior trot-
ter and runner, the Russian or the Ameri-
can horse.
A year ago last summer two colts APP
peared in the private stud of the grand
duke which he had bred with American
experiments in view. They were Bool-
atsky and Stepniak. Their pedigrees were
long enough to satisfy the most exacting.
and when Mr.. Stokes presented these ped
igrees at the custom house written in full
blooded Russian, as he had received them
from the grand duke, the custom house
officers were awed and gave up translat-
ing the pedigrees.
Boolatsky and Stepniak were aristocrats
even among the horses of the grand
dukes stables. Both were descended from
the original pure-blooded Arab stallion.
Smetanka. imported in the year 1775 by
Count Orloff. They had descended by
crosses through English trotters and
Russian thoroughbreds and represented a
distinctly new breed of horses.
Both are brothers of a number of cham
pions. Stepniak is a full brother of a win
ner of the Grand Prix in Paris. Another
derby in 1894 as a 3-year-old.
Boolatsky's valuation was placed at SIS,
900 when he was sent over TO this country.
and he was only a few months old at the
time. This is the first time that Russian
horses have been sent for such expert
ments under such conditions. other Rus
sian steeds have been sent for exhibition
and breeding purposes. but they were not
bred TO race against purely American
fields. Senator Stanford had several Rus
sian stations and mares at Palo Alto
farm.
To a World reporter Mr.. Stokes said
Those horses belong to my wife and they
are to be raced this coming season. 1t is
pretty generally known that they are
TO let IL be known that they are being
prepared for the coming season. They
have just gone to California with Orrin
Hickok. the famous trainer. and are al
his farm below San Francisco. We don't
want them criticized too much at present
because they are very young and hardly
broken.
II haven't the ghost of an idea what
they Will accomplish or what chance OF
bein winners they will have next year
know the strains they have i'm them and
that they were considered the finest year
lings of the "a season in all Russia. They
are sent here purely as an experiment 10
determine what the highest-bred Russian
trotting stock and thoroughbreds can ac-
complish under American methods OF
training and against American horses
They viii labor under one disadvan.
tage, but this can't be helped In America
horses are foaled at least three or -four
months earlier than I'm Russia. This Is
probably due to the seasons But IL will
work against these horses. who will have
10 race against 2-year-olds while they will
be three or four months younger Those
two months might make all the difference
in the world. IL they had less endurance
than they are expected to develop they
wouldn't stand any show at all, and II
would be almost folly 10 enter them. But
endurance is their strong point, and or
this reliance can always be placed
"Boolatsky is a standard Orion trotter
He is a blood bay stallion, with black
points. and the difference between I'll,
Russian and the American of the same
age can be seen very clearly by compar,
ing the picture OF Boolatsky with that o.
a yearling. Kentucky bred. that will com
pete in the same heats with the Russian
They are practically of the same age, al
lowing for the difference l spoke of Yot
can see how much smaller the Russian Il
than the Kentucky horse.
Stepniak is a dark chestnut. built yer,
much like Boolatsky. and probably by thi
time has somebody on his back You Sc,
Hickok had entire charge OF them, ever
10 breaking them. Stepniak has a run
ming trainer. No. haven't any idea VIII,
will ride him or who will drive Boolatsky
but we shall get the very best jockey a
Stepniak's weight.
IF he turns out all right I think he vii
be seen at Gravesend and Morris park an,