The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-13
TROTTERS WITH HISTORIES
-,,,rD BT THE CLOSING OUT OF
HSSo VOTED Blue GRASS STUDS.

80" u,s MARK and mis- owners Fortune
....,,,r Results OF AnElin's 1nbreedisn
S-..r,msnt.-Botty Brown ana meV PrsEsny
.,osinr out sale Of W.. L. simmons's trot
In.,nct at Lexington last week marked the
uns ono NJ the last OF the many big breeding
-. uhich dotted tho blue grass region Of Ken
i A.S In tho boom times Of eight or ten years
" ,tsn who went into the fascinating pursuit
S..,dipe ~trotters in those days, when choice
.aoI mares cost from $4,000 to $4,000 apiece
"a fashionable stations were changing hands
- nrices ranging from $4,000 to &l2o,oOo,
80 generally found results discouraging since
A.. manic OF 1893. After selling the OFFSPRING OF
.h.,r costly nurseries at rock bottom prices for
few Years most Of these breeders who are still
80 have either quit entirely or drawn In
~ lines to suit the altered condition Of things.
ti,houoh the Younger Of the Simmons brothers
Ia ont through tho period of greatest de-
ss..,ion until his breeding stock was, for the
r,o., mart. so old as to DO nearing the end Of its
s,,triness. no probably made as much money
40, -, bIs operations at Ash Grove as any other
sr..dsr that Kentucky has ever known. His
s.oa,s haye been estimated as high as 100000
~, conservative horsemen claim that half this
smount would DO nearer the mark. Simmons
vo, we'll known in sporting circles in New York
tventy.hve years ago. He went to Kentucky
.hor, that time and started q stock farm near
I.xinpton. with George wilkes, 2:22. at the
h..d NJ the stud. Wilkes was then nearly twenty
-oors old. having been foaled in 1856. He was
.,thout a single representative In the $3.50 list;
vas under size, had the reputation or being q
ouitter, and nothing was known about his dam
.,cent that Harry Felter had put her to breed
ING because she ran away with him once or
twice on the road in New York. rho Kentuck-
ions smoke of the little brown horse as "Bn
slmmons's baked.up pony" and fow OF them OK
oont w. II. Wilson had any faith in his future
=, , sire of ~trotters. Wilson, 1t is said. induced
simmons to take the horse to kentucky.
Among the first crop of colts that George
wilkes got in Kentucky was the great cam
nsirper Kentucky Wilkes, now owned by Gen.
+. F. Tracy. He came out as a two-year-old In
June. 1876, and In the first heat of his first race
~distanced q field which included Fanny
Witherspoon and Maud Macy. At Lex
inpton that fall in a race against Bell
Patchen, the dam Of Baron Wilkes, 2:1s. he
took a record Of 2:45la, then within o few sec
ends of the best time on record for two-year-
olds. These performances were followed In 1877
nv those of the sensational flly $3.50, who
lowered the worlds record for two-year-olds
from o;4Oa to 2:31, while Kentucky Wilkes
trained on and Just missed beating the record
for three.yearolds. Meanwhile, young Wilkes
and May Bird had como to the front on North
ern tracks, the marc beating everything in her
class, and Bill immons's baked.up pony" sud-
denly became one of the most popular horses Of
the day. But 1t was not until after his death in
1880 that he came to be recognized as perhaps
the greatest Of all trotting sires.
During the years of tho boom in ~trotters in
general, and the Wilkes family in particular,
Simmons had eight sons and ono or two grand
sons OF the old horse in the stud at Ash Grove.
1t was a Door horse whose fee was less than
500 in those days, and the owner of Jay Bird.
Young Jim. Jumps, William l.. Monte Christie,
Betterton, Prince Charles. The Clown. and Eagle
Bird took in thousands Of dollars q year at his
little office in the Phoenix Hotel at Lexington.
From the fifty mares on his farm, moro than
half Of which were daughters or descendants Of
George Wilkes. Simmons raised colts and sold
tnsm III tho ' SIUod P 81 sSo TO n S11ee e 5rostinT sire Tno
With so many sons and daughters Of George
Wilkes in his stud. 1t is a singular fact that
S With record a'a as fast ae as 2: I!su Others S,rst who s5G bred
to bis horses had better luck. For instance. c.
W. Williams, q country produce dealer of INDIE
breeding to Ash Grove in 1885. One was bred
TO, William l. and foaled Axtell. 2:l2. Tho
S tSn' a Was Dfe so 70 Gay sSlt s'F1 1iv Snd p to loTer ni tse
worlds record for %trotting stations. and when
i've years old each commanded Q stud fee of
ceived $lO5.O 900 for Axtell, and it has been said
that he refused $l25.O00 for Allerton.
William L.. the sire of Axtell, was sold last
week for 1925. He was a full brother to Guy
Wilkes. 2:l54, but he never ranked with that
horse as q trotting sire. Axtell, being the only
h%igh-class performer to his credit. At sixteen
years OF age he is the sire of six trotters and three |
PAGERS in the 2:30 list. Betterton, tho brother to
Jumps 2:2l. brought only 1925 at the sale last
o SSsk Of a the T best e's sons ~ ye Gess 9lS' Wiik wss n Hs
got no fast ~trotters except George st. Clair.
2;lo4. and Nora B., 2:l7le, but he has also to
George st. Clair, 2:lO4. and Tony Wilcox.
2:lll9. Monte Christie. another full brother to
Jumps, brought $500 at the closing-out sale. |
sentative, in the 2:20 list-Christo Queen. a
PAGER with a record of 2:l14. Prince Charles.
@ Sy Ge S5osk wdilk Sox out to of Sue ss, stout by Surplus.
x:lot2. Is the only trotter to his credit at Is
Jay Bird. Eagle Bird. and Young Jim were
the only sires of any real note in the Ash Grove
collection. Jay Bird is 20 years old and is now
RIrS As the sire OF Allerton. 2:O9l+: Early
Sayhawker, 2:l4A: Birdie Clay. 2:1ia, and
more Than ffty other ~trotters in the 2:3O list,
~ BRO ranks as one of the best sons Of George
IN spite O.. his age and his blindness he was con.
tElaered 8 remarkably cheap horse at s 2 1000.
i hAs Closely SlFd inb; ed to the Goo son Of w, Lay BIRD nth
Me a -. 'lFhOO "
MS sire and his dam being by the old horse. His
greal grandam was n mare that Dan Mace used
10 a running mate for ZONE Of his old time trot-
LET'S Az ~ years OF age Eagle Bird has twenty
Two trotters to his credit in the 2:3O list.
11nnohg them are such good ones as Atlantic,
a:i0t2; Monbars. 2:1lt,; Eagle Flanagan.
jE;iI4; and Margaret. 2:l5. Eagle Bird is small
~ slZe ana roam in color. He brought only 300
~ iast weeks sale. Young Jim is looked upon
~ oelhE one OF The handsoInest and best formed
sons o. George Wilkes. His dam was by Lears
Sl w i.iam. a runninR-bred horse, and she pro.
SSneol me old-time trotter Jim Irving, 2:23.
tUung Jim was foaled in 1874. He is one OF the
NV = tpotling sircs having three of their get In
~ i5'h ~ iist; These are: Ire william, 2:OSl4;
DTaviu D., 2:O9i4, and Dandy Jim, 2:Oyat, Young
IN Is credited with thirty.two ~trotters and SIX
p penels ~ me $50 list. Not a few horsemcn eX-
tSSe'eu mat he would sell for more than any OF
ny SSsner summons stations, but he brought
va, 20; None Of the sons OF Young Jim has
~. SaIhea any distinction as a sire.
nnosher notable breeding establishment which
H. . y a M OF existence at the sale last week was
sa -" " liulOlhy Anglin. Something like twenty
in""t .s ago, Whcn Anglin was n milkman in Lex.
u nc came into possession of a mare called
tSs Drown. She was by Mambrino Patchen,
ba hay sGn OF Mambrino Chief, out OF a mare that
a. p s,hGe been designated In the record books
q daughter of Mambrino Chief.
RroS,Sv'rn u DAY sent a cOlored boy with Betty
law over TO the ncighboring farm of DR..
the donn,ulr, iRstructing the lad to request
H. IuJetoFt 10 breed the mare to his best horse.
other" etr owned Mambrino Patchen among
stailions. and not recognizing Anglin's
no u daughter of that hnrGa brad horto