The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-07
STATIONS ON THE ROAD.
OLD-TIME TRoTTING sIREs KNoWE
TO NEW YORK ROAD RIDERS.

George wikcs's wonderful Record ~ n
nnco Horse and sire-w. n. van Colt Tells
or Grinneii's Champton-some Voted Races.
The appearance OF STEAMBOAT, 2:O7ia, as a road
horse In this city a few weeks ago gave rise to
some talk about well-known ~trotting stations
that have figured conspicuously on the road.
According to the popular notion about stations.
and particularly those which have seen service
on the track. they do not have tho qualihca-
tons which go to make a gentleman's road
horse. Old-timcrs, however, tell Of some nota-
bic exceptions to the general rule.
"Grinnell's~ Champion was tho grandcst look
ing stallion Of his day and a great road horse"
said w. II. Van Colt. "when 1 kept the old
Four.Mile House over on Third avenue William
X. Grinnell sent the horse from Cayuga county
down to my place TO be handled. That was
about 1850. Champion had been abused by one
OF his grooms up the State, and being a horse Of
the highest nervous organization, he became
sullen and terribly vicious. He was more like a
wild beast than a horse when l took him in
hand. There was not n man In town who would
risk his life In Champions stall. SO soon as he
learned that he was TO be kindly treated his tenn.
per improved, and l aftcrward drove him up tho
road to the Red House every day. No other horse
on the avenue attracted SO much attention as
Champion, and there were many good ones then.
~ "u' iuis 'iN'oth hahus hish' hioshih'cht
golden chestnut, with a coat like satin and a
name and tail as fine as spun silk.
when three years old, and unnamed. he
trotted u milo in 3:O5. and as this was the fastest
public performance then on record for a colt Of
his age. William 7. Porter. editor Of the Spirit
OF the Times, christened him Champion. l be-
licvc that he could have trotted better than ego
II he had been lifted and trained as the trotters
are nowadays. Flora Temple was in my stable
In 1880. the hrst year that she was trained In
this city. She then belonged to George r. Perrin.
The hrst time l ever knew Flora was a trottcr
was one morning when we had the mare and the
stallion out at tho Red House track exercising
them together. I found l couldn't beat her with
Champion. and told Perrin he had A trotter. She
,,ou hnr a., 80, -. I,nton go, h., ,au -
powerful thoroughbred. and he was not far from
pa,nnana 49, st.. .,.. 49, W.ua,r,un
and his dam was by Engineer, the sire Of Lady
smrolr tn. cr,nnc,i hors. i.f, a yoI,ahl. ,rih.
'""o.h. i"n' ~ iua'' :,
OF trotting stock In central New YORK during
the few years he was there. James Hardness OF
St. Louis bought Champion in 1854 and took
him 10 Missouri. Eight years afterward he was
stolen from a farm near Independence, Mo-, and
,,len IN Leavcnwortb. where he died iust before
'ah'" W ""''' Nv VIC" 'u'' "e'o'o
the close OF the war.
Contemporaneous with Champion on the old
rht,d arnpW ano"a,na - nras Eounh,a LAB.
i~hiru avenue speeding ground was heihoie jack
SON the greatest stallion OF MS day to wagon, hav.
1900 .annn rro,,,o1 oSo no,,as II. go
sh'icton wagons "c'ehoa zoo pounuS' hewas
marc Fanny Kemble. hence his name g, \.
p.r,oIa. uuuI,o,, n.ur.r ,,to or,od ,ho
grand looking chestnut horse. drove him on the
Jackson SSea %n %a. the the. T fr., h not tn to , Msnr ns oy sS%S,s
head check, now almost universally used on fast
~tro,ters. For many years after the device came
,r,o ns. :, 90 rnown - ,ha "EomhIo IL.
INTO use II was known as tne hemo,e JACK,
son check, IA term that Is still commonly heard
among old-time horsemcn. Kemble jackson
anti rua ~ nirnctnatcs Nj ou unsd nmsiitf e" u'''e'
ar ns t ai PI ~ na,sb ms S TO, G ns tnams soon IN
,hv road IN the siHtiesi hoRs, unless IL
pa a noo. .tr'nH . . a,,ontto no" than E [k
Bakers handsome stations Ethan Allen and
n"mesI hIon, EInan ! sun neia up 70 ,d.nmap1
i1nng'r stnerainoh pd nors > : mn a. u aueSi
a,.l8n, ana aorihty, mm nh n We. c Ia h9 Mss = snn
sns u ~ uccn Tiuai.cu 'niS uaS. nas SUI,
poG,n,iar as the old horse; was nevertheless a
sa.i.lph ~ m"nueIiu, voaua. III SsSte,a ~ u
team. Roth horses were handy breaISrsDan
~ miI ~, III p" cnd !" " ip br,i h no , b road ,hs
Sr ,.I b "a OIL ni,i' ,o i ,n ~. m n,har an sau aIono 4 Lno .no
~, .n nr ~ y, ,h m". N ""urI in MAN. ~ ''o'
It vas aHa nfticr Ethan ihW aa b ,"n ri ven nm the road
~ ,,J az, e. .,,...I ,.a,. h,,h a., ,h,s a, a.
~ ~ ~ ,h"a.,'rni' GSr"tSSi vOtn III ,ni. thhS
~" n", 49,, ~ %. r. nn E,hnn
'h'it.nn 49,, ~ ii, "sa.ns 49,, 49,
mn,n 'TrE" in pUm",u hasmess viii [hhn.nS
h." had gnnn = ~ "nn,nictatY n az M he nuhiiic
,mirh |" 49, ph H. 7 io Somiruso,s vi VA tmo Smo nn'
,narcJ N, H. Eosbian dnnrsn 90 ID ~. !, n.y..
y, isr- 10 n,crot,o anoc,a,or nan ca ,n LnnS
,,'li', H. H. - T., Iii
,,"iJ ~, III nno ia hH, ia
Ell 1,au ma, 'oioo' PSrsohs saw .Mnh ,1hmn
,,n''"m Nv 80 ,na. Iay Wit ,no
sids lin Inv sn"h n unw thai he nu,isJ
I'll ,ha nhh, 49," ~! ,n rih
a. NJ. nr,Sn md IL 49, ~"S I, t ~ AZ y; II ~ hnti
~, y, $3.50 =, u,a ", ,unu ~ .hSoo.
Ing nt",v,mtrs 49, 5Jan' " ki,e un! ouason
Snc INTERPRETATIONS Eciuihe nealhst an! iro,,lns
h W. IA IA w H. TGnriu my 10y rsHrn, o onuhn ~
and aftcr con su,ntnr,tc Sinl"nacv and General,
~ II /" ~ anmi ~ ui1b,unn"SI "nt + non
hSnn'p M nj "bbt s 81 GG rh Worr r h hat fa ~,
- :, n a. t"5ts,u -, -, a., y nu
a,roo"oa w. " q, y - ~ u. !, ~ ~ " ,u"u .nv
winnin n.n 40 =" No wv ~ II, u, h Y \ W.. aodns, "o"S
AZ LA, ina bnrsannan Nc on,o hotS ,ho r.,,.
over Ethan AIicn M ths " roaS savs the, ne
% H.. ", A. 80 'n!n :" "
ano ~ ~ Jis :, = N,n,pt,uu ~ .nuvm nae'i ~
nc ~, ~ a ~ III ~ sAel.i9.' i,o
W. mpthm r a. du,, ~, H. ny H. A., ~ . ."hu"
upp !" Vail u m umgnru y, tnb bpn q o whinh 7 h. u nnr
nnuiirtconoTJ "r ~ n 'tar nnnrI ~ ny -. 'vo w.,
ITfiicr movinr ba1, " miic ~ = hh o vaniS a yir.