The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-13
TROTTERS AND RACES.
Horses That Made Sporting History
in Lang Syne.
Men Who Were Inierested--The Achieve.
ments and Their Differences.

1t was on the Fourth OF July. 1870, that
my eyes first rested UPON Thorndale. This
grand place of six hundred acres In
Dutchess county, N. Y, fourteen miles
from Poughkeepsio, had but recently pas
sed into the possession of Mr.. Edwin
Thorne, and he had filled the stables
which formerly sheltered sborthorns
with trotting horses of rich pedigree.
The famous herd, one member OF which
sold under the hammer for s40,6 900, was,
in the presiding days OF Mr.. Samuel
Thorne, a feature of the grazing life Of
Tborndale. The strengt h of the Thorn
dale stud in 1870 WAS ninety. and at the
head OF it was Hamlet, a bay horse by
Volunteer. Lady Patriot, the dam OF Vol
unteef, was in the brood mare band, and
she attracted much attention. She was a
dark bay, with black points and blood
like conformation, and when MIR. Will
lam M. Rysdyk first saw her he admired
her so much that he bought her. This
was in 1859. Her dam had local repu-
tation for speed and endurance, and Lew
is Huise, who owned her, repeatedly Of
fered to run or trot her against any
horse in Orange county. Her sire, Young
Patriot, carried much of the blood Of the
race horse and in the stud he commanded
the insignificant fee OF six collars.
Lady Patriot when three days old was
injured in one OF her gambrels and was
bred to Hambletonian. The result was
nown as sire In the hands of Mr.. Allen
Goldsmith. When four years old Volun-
teer was sold to Richard g. Underhill OF
Brooklyn, for $1,000, who called him
Hambletonisn, Jr. When Mr.. Goldsmith
first saw Lady Patriot at Chester Mr..
pd.tlr 49, - ls...t a
mare In the State of New York." adding
that she was as s'near thoroughbred as
she could be and not be one." After Mr.
Goldsmith had bought her for $3.50 and
had purchased Volunteer and taken him
to Orange county as rival to Ham ble-
tonian in the stud, Mr.. Rysdyk's feelings
violently changed. He was man not
of rage stigmatised Lady Patriot as ''the
meanest mare" ever bred to his horse.
Mr.. Goldsmith kept Lady Patriot few
weeks and then sold her to Mr.. Thorne.
Through Sentinel. Marksman and Others
of her produce besides Volunteer the
blood of Lady Patriot is breeding on.
The second stallion In the Thorndale
stud in 1850 was the five-year-old bay
horse Thorndale, by Aexander's Abdall-
ha. tsire OF Goldsmith Maid) dam of the
famous brood mare Dolly, dam of On
ward, sire OF Beuzetta, 2.06a,, at four
years old, and OF. Director, sire OF Direc-
tum, 2.05i4 at four years old. Thorn
dale was the first foal of Dolly and he
acquired a race record of 2.22. Mr.. horne
thought great deal of him, albeit he
was a little rough gated. The two best
campaign horses from his loins were the
chestnut geldng Edwin Thorne, who
trotted to record OF 2.16l2, and the big,
slashing mare Daisydale, 10.
In 1870 Mr.. Robert Bonner's stable was
in Twenty-seventh strett. near Seventh
avenue, this city, and the first time 1
entered IL was with the celebrated TRACE
dian Edwin Adams, who Yves a student
of the trotting horse es well as OF Shake
speare. A high fence enclosed the stable
of brick, and a knock on the heavy oalSen
door brought one of the grooms to the
'front.' who admitted us on card signed
TX b. The occupants of the box stalls
we're Dexter, Peerless, Pocahontas, Lam
tern, Lady Palmer, flatbush Mald, and
Bruno. When not driven on the road the
horses obtained their exercise by BE- ng
led ,n the path " which enclosed tie stable
In November, 1870, | paid a visit to
Stony Ford, and while there saw and
heard much of a young mare by Ham
bletonian, out of Hattie Wood, by Harry
Clay, and she out OF Grandmother, by
Terror, son Of American Eclirse. On |
lul itAAAh W Nut CITY, Il NEOlc anu DuD-
lished the following:
GaIzelle was logged I'm her three-year--
old form, but her gait was SO mixed |
that she was turned out 20 pasture |
again. In her four-year-old form there
was scarcely any improve ment, and she |
res seiyod II tie handling. When taken up |
last spring she got over the ground with |
a discouraging hobble and pace. still ar. |
fackman was patient with her. In June |
: he could have beer bought for s2O0 In /
August she was given her first mile On |
The track az stony Ford, and the bs ST she |
could do was 3t3. But the mare tecan |
TO improve all az oace. She seemed TO |
get control OF her limbs, aud then she
,ettled down into the pure trotting gait, |
She was principally driven on the road |
double, and when she showed n disposi-
tion to go forward she w4s given her
head.
80 rapid was her Improvement that by |
November she could carry one so swiftly /
as 20 make the head swim. MIR. Back |
man has scale his lips In regard TO her,
but those who have seen the cay mare on |
the straight side of stony Ford track are
ready TO swear that size got over the
ground at the rate OF two mufnutes 10 the l
mile. IL IL eaid thst she has done her
qtsrter m thirty seconds. MIR. Backman
SAYS ~ ither yes nor no TO his. but /
q ietiy remarks that he has seen ter /
.l.ec iaster than he ever saw any horse