The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-14
SWEET MARIE AN
ACCIDENTAL FIND
World Famous Trotter Once
Belonged to Poor Negro
in Los Angeles.

me oFeeulllS OF sweet Marie, posi-
bly, the greatest campaigner of all
times. was an accident.
AS a general rule the stars Of the
light harness world are the result of
desirable intermixture OF blood lines
That the breeding or a campaign trot-
ter is good deal of lottery is en-
pfasized in the case of Sweet Marie
This wonderful mare-the grandest
ever hitched to sullky-was bred by a
poor colored man. who knew abso-
lutely nothing about blood lines or
pedisrees.
One March morning i'm 1889 Charles
Dlrfee. the Well known driver and
breeder. left Los Angeles for the east
for the purpose Of purchasing young
etlllion. He was accompanied by
tnarles Lockhart. who was about to
secure the nucleus of a breeding farm
Which he was about to start near Bur-
bank Los Angeles county. Durfee
purchased the then 2-year-old McKin-
ney. by Alcyone. a son of George
Wilkes and Cannon Ball, 3-year-old
stallion by Simmonds.
Sire Has Great Record.
Everyone posted on light harness
topics knows that Mckinney has be-
come the greatest sire of speed in the
world, having more 40 trotters TO his
credit than any other stallion living or
dead. Among the brood mares pur-
chased by Lockhart was Lady Rivers,
by Cars Mambrino. dam Susie by
Vermont. He secured this mare from
ID. h. Edwards, who bred her when a
resident of Salinas. Susie was used as
buggy mare.
Lockhart did not make q success of
his breeding venture. owing to the
drop In the value of all harness horses.
and Lady Rivers was sold to z. *.
Benchly of Los Angeles. She proved 20
be very balky mare and of no use
for driving purposes. Consequently
Benchly consigned her to the sales
ring. where she was acquired by John
schumacher. the Los Angeles photog-
rapher, for $3.50. Schumacher could do
nothing with the mare, as she abso-
lutely refused to be driven. After she
broke a couple of carts, Schumacher
determined to get rid of Lady Rivers
al any cost But no one wanted the
high strung mare.
Gives Her Away.
The Schumacher family owned prop
erty on Spring street. Los Angeles. and
employed colored man named Billy
Smart TO cart away the refuse at 81
per week. Frank Schumacher told
Smart shat he would give him Lady
Rivers if he continued to take away
the refuse. Smart refused the PROPOSE
ton. but said that ne would take the
mare provided that she be bred 10
some stallion. AS Schumacher had the
privilege of breeding to Mckinney.
who was then an unknown quantity,
the bargain WAS contaminated. Smart
got Sweet Marie, as that was the re-
suit of the mating of Mckinney and
Lady Rivers.
Smart kept Sweet Marie in pasture
until SIZE was 3 years old at which
age she was broken. In the fall Smart
turned her ever to a Colored trainer
named Sam Washington. she showed
a mile in 2:26z and was purchased by
Milo " Potter, the well known hotel
man. He drove her at the matinee
races held at Agricultural park for
couple of years. Potter finally decided
&c sell all his light harness horses, in
Guiding Sweet Marie Garland. the
present owner, was the purchaser of
Sweet Marie, paying $3.50 for the
daughter of Mckinney
Potter Developed Mare.
Sweet Marie was Zig gated mare
and slow to get into her stride at that
time. and Potter is entitled TO the
greatest credit for the development of
Sweet Marie. 1t required six months
OF hard work after she could trot a
mile i'm 2:15 before she made the first
quarter better than 80 seconds Potter
had her worked with Primrose t2:1O,
and before the sale she could get away
I'm such good style that she showed two
miles in ZIP and 2:12A. That is the
early history of Sweet Marie. the
queen of all harness mares. and who
has been invincible on the Grand cir