The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-24
HARNESS HORSES.

sible that values of harness horses can
ever again reach that pitch of imitation
which characterized the decade before
the memorable panic of IS and made
tnat panic doubiy disastrous TO breeders.
|. is a fact that their present upward
tendency is remarkable. Nothing Illus
trates this fact more completely than
three recent offers for trottirg stations
all made within the last few weeks. all
authoritative. all refused. and any one OF
which would have been impossible five
years ago.
The first one of these was an offer of
$4,000 made Colonel Jacob Ruppert. of
hudson River Farm. Poughkeepsie. N
y, Ter his sensational young sire Oakland
Baron t2:os1O- Not quite one year ago
IL January. 1So2-Colonel Rupert paid
sl5,lp for Oakland Baron at public auc-
ten This was the largest auction price
Tor trotting stallion paid in years. but
III tweive-month the son of Baron
| Wilkes has more than doubled in value
OF course the explanation is easy. Dur
! ing lSO2 three green trotters sired by
/ oakland Baron took faster records than
any other trio that sprung from the Joins
| OF common sire These were Rhythmic
! Cos. the phenomenal blind horse, Baron
de Shay (2:0S&.), and the best 3-year-oid
OF the year. Gail Hamilton (2:11S.D.
| Rhythmic was the heaviest winning trot-
ter on the Grand Circuit, and the three
between them won no less than 81 .525.
! This was an astounding showing. espe-
| cially as Oakland Baron was but 10 years
| OF age and had very few of his get in
training. Still, with all these facts in
view, any man who would have offered
or refused $4,000 for him, say half a
dozen years ago under like circumstances.
would have been deemed almost crazy.
A second $4,000 offer, which. il is said.
! came near being accepted, but finally
vas refused. was made for Virgins
t2:1s1z). and was to include his wonderful
daughter, Katharine a. (2:11. the cham
pion 2-year-old of 1902. and several others
of his get. Virgins is owned by James
z. Clay, of Marchmont Farm. Paris.
/ Ky, who also bred him. He is a year
younger than Oakland Baron. and il is
entirely safe to say that a year ago $4,000
"a tenth the present offer-would have
| caused him to change hands in a hurry.
| Virgins was great colt-trotter as
| 2-year-old. but went wrong afterward.
and his turf career ended that season.
! Mr.. Clay. who had bred trotters many
l years, had lost Aberdeen, Virgins sire. 4
| few seasons before, so when the colt
] broke down he placed him in the stud
( But as he had few mares of his own.
and still fewer public ones. sought Wig
! gins court. Mr.. Clay decided TO sell.
About two years ago he consigned the
I
ton sales AS in the intervening years
his turf reputation had become dimmed
by later performances, as none of his get
had shown anything, and as his breeding
was not ultra-fashionable. when he was
led into the ring no one wanted him, and
Douglas Thomas. who manages Mr..
Clay's horses for him, bid him in for less
than 81 600 and took him back home.
Back in the boom days" Morris Jones.
the owner of Alix (2:03-s). the trotting
queen, formulated the breeding maxim
that fashion follows speed The direct
Inspiration of this no doubt was the fact
that Alix herself was not fashionabiy
bred. but her performances made as good
market for her relatives. which Mr. Jones
was breeding.
Virgins case is another in kind. lie
IS we'll bred, but the craze for Wilkes
Eiectioneer and Nutwood strains of late
had forced the Aberdeen-Stamboul cross.
which he represents, into the back
ground. 1t was damned with the faint
praise, Good. but questionable" To
day however, Mr.. Clay might take Nor
rs Jones motto and print it on his sta
tionery, so well has Virgins indicated
its truth. For where two or three years
ago no one wanted him at any price. now
SAC 600 is offered without avail for him
and one or two of his colts.
1t is. of course, what his colts have done
that is responsible for this. His fashion
is indeed the contingency of their speed.
In 1902 he furnished the turf the three
fastest 2-year-old trotters of the year
and the three fastest ever got by one
sire in any season-katharine A. t2:l4
Hilgar G:1524). He WAS also represented
by the good 3-year-old Wigwag, that
trotted in 2:16h an sold for $500 for
export Today everybody is talking about
Virgins and the excellence of the blood
Of Aberdeen and Stamboul
The third big offer referred tO-lately
made and refused-was one of $4,000 Il
s. de Ridder of India (2:13L4). He. like
Oakland Baron, is a son OF Baron kilkes
whose family has come TO be called the
"Futuriay family from the fact that
some one or other Of its members has
won almost all the important Futurities
of recent years
Prince of India was good race horse,
but not by any means a sensational one
He is the same age as Oakland Baron
and like him, seems to possess the rae
ulty of getting the most dazzling speed
carly. The past season he was repre-
scented by that extraordinary green tr0t
ter. Prince OF Orange (2:07l5). who won
FIVE fast races anu was second in I'VE
others one of which was the record
breaking Pennsylvania.
AS Prince of India himcelf retired from
the turf as late as 1899. these perform
ances by the few first of his get Taiseo
n furore Hence. the 10000 offer. on its
refusal il was intimateG that an in
crease might be made. but Mr.. de Rid
der stopped all negotiations by declaring
that the horse was not for sale at any
price.
Taking such figures as these. together
with the $50 600 paid Tor Dan patch lasi
month INTO consideration. leaves no doubi
tbat the upward tendency OF harness
values is immense. Horses Of all sorts
are worth money" JUS now, and the
good ones are surely worth al kinds
OF money" The buying and selling
them IS a lottery. aud it's fascination IS
irresistible to 4 great many men. II re
mains TO be seen whether the future VII
iustifv the refusal OF the three offers
mentioned. or whether any or al OF the
owners will live to regret their action
In the case OF ColOle. Rupert. the
contingency is remote. as ne IS several
times a millionaire. and could arord :
buy an Ormonde. Flying Fox or Arton =
he so desired. Messrs. clay and De Rid
der are gentlemen Of means. bat no. 81
such wealth as the PougSkeepsie brewer.
Fashions currents IN breeding are as
variable as the wind. They do indee'
follow speed. They turn re new vein
Ike the magnet 20 the role. bot n tn
vein happens 70 run dry early or there
comes a period % apparent unpToGuci.ve-
rese fashion deserts IL with Seeming fck-
ieaess. but really in the operation Of a.
irresistible lax Of attraction Ard presto,
The saddest words q tongue or pen are
simply these, It might hare been''--tfe.es9
Had Forgotten II.
From tire Chicago tribune