Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-26
THE MAINE HORSE.
Dominance Of the Male as Shown in
Two Famous Families.

From the Horse Review.
The families that produced the great stall
lions are those which dominate the light
harness turf and stud, and in large meas
ure shape the evolution of the breed. This
has always been true, but never so true as
1T is today, when the undeveloped stallion
is steadily lessening in prominence and the
developed one rapidly increasing in favor
among breeders. This is only another ex-
ample of the universal application of the
rule that the fittest shall survive.
Few, very few, of the great trotting stall
lions-meaning those great IS turf perform
ers-haye failed progenitors But not all
those that succeeded succeeded as progeni-
tors of a family of males. Ethan Allen
2.2512 was the first stallion to trot in 2 80
or better; but he never got a son that
achieved any distinction as a race horse,
and has but one-Warwick, 29ik-in the
2.3O list George M. Patchen, 2 23A who
succeeded Ethan Allen the champion stall
lion, had no son that approached his daugh-
ter Lucy, 2.1sA, as a performer. Fear
naught 223A succeeded Patchen but his
supremacy was short-lIved, while his influ-
ence as a progenitor was practically nil.
Then came George Wilkes. 2 %, whose fam
lily today In numbers and popularity over
shadows all others. The treason why may
be confidently assigned as the family's as
sential masculinity. George Wilkes got sew
enty-tWo standard trotters, Of which but
twenty-five We're females The other fifty
were either stations or geldings, and no less
than thirty-four of them were stations
His three fastest performers were, respec-
tive, Harry Wilkes, 2.1312. a gelding, who
was kept as stallion in early life and has
numerous fast descendants, and the stall
lions Brignoi Wilkes, 2 lax, and Guy
Wilkes, 2.1oA.
1t has been the same in the succeeding
generations Of the family. Its productive
ness of masculinity is its distinguishing
trait. OF this the latest and most striking
instance has been furnished this year, when
a Wilkes horse, as a sire of stations, has
made the most remarkable showing yet re-
corded. This horse is Allerton, 209k, who
had out no less than five entire sons that
beat 10. The quintet comprised the trot-
tiers Redlac, 20Tk, and General Forrest
eos, and the PAGERS Locanda, 202; Alder.
son, 2.05k, and Charley Hayt 2O6A. The
last-named did not win heat faster than
200, but he showed himself able to 60 to
his record in losing heats
Allerton has been more prominently be-
fore the public as q sire for The past few
years than any other stallion. In the last
eight seasons 100 of his get have entered
the standard list and the achievements of
the tribe have carried Its fame into every
nook and corner of the trotting world But
never before has the true greatness of the
family been made shinngly apparent as
by the achievements of these five Allerton
stations In 1895
There is sixth Allerton stallion in the
2.10 list-Gayton, 2.08A, that grand race
lac, 2071s: General Forrest, 20s and Cay
ton. 2.oSA. are by considerable margin
the three fastest entire trotters ever got
by one sire. Baron Wilkes, 21S, is the only
other one with three 2 10 strotting stations
to his credit, but the fastest of them
Baron Bell. 209-has record three-quar-
ters of second slower than the s.owest of
Allertons three.
The extraordinary growth of the Allerton
family has excited the attention and inter-
est of breeders for a decade, but some have
been disposed to question whether 1t would
develop into family In the large sense
of the term-would breed on II It does
not, 1t will prove an anomaly unprecedented
in Htud history-for It comes of the domi-
nant male race, and Its own male strength
Is the intensest OF any branch Of that race