The Washington herald., 1907-04-24

way 70 Sheepshead Bay and Brighton
Beach. and the new era of metropolitan
racing was born. In 1854. the first Subur-
ban at Sheepshead Bay was captured by
General Monroe, and IN 1888 the first Flu
turlty was won by Proctor Knott, with
Salvador second. The Suburban is the
only great event of the New York race
courses which has remained unchanged
from the first, no alterations I'm distances
or conditions having been made.
The effect of the American love for
horse racing upon the horses of the coun-
try has been marvellous. The racing thor
oughbreds and the standard bred har-
ness horses have been improved from
year to year and with their improve
ment and development. the domestic
horse has been brought 20 a state of per
lection not dreamed OF iii the days gone
by In the civil war the superiority OF
the cavalry from Virginia, Kentucky, and
Tennessee responsible for the fame Of
Forrest and Stuart and Morgan. has been
universally credited in large part to the
bloOded horses with which these troops
were equipped. Even the Kentucky and
Missouri mule owes his superiority 10
the line of thoroughbred dams from
whence he spraug.
While breeding farms that produce
great horses are to be found in many
parts of the Union. particularly in New
York. Pennsylvania, California. and Ten
nessee. the Commonwealth of Kentucky
leads the world in the number Of breed
ing establishments and in the high class
Of their product. In Kentucky, Wood
ford County leads all the others. Indeed
the history of the horse cannot be written
if WOOdfOrd County be left out, with its
great names of Alexander, Harper Blu
ford, Blackburn. Swigert. and Kinkead
In the neighhoTiug counties there are
the mighty seats of the families OF blood
ed horses known by the names of Nc
Grath, Haggin, Whitney, Belmont, Keene,
and others of their kind Lexington, IN
Fayette County is the metropolis of the
Bluegrass. and the capital of the Realm
Of the Thoroughbred. The Bluegrass
country comprises about i, 100 square miles
OF territory. a rolling country, covered
with the very king of grasses.
OF its stock farms, Woodburn, in Wood
ford County, is perhaps most famous. For
more than a century the Alexander fam
the land The original Alexander was a
friend and protege Of Benjamin Frank
lin The farm was bought from Gen
Hugh Mercer, of Revolutionary fame, in
1890. The place originally included 200
acres. but IL has been increased now 20
800 acres. all of which Is brought to the
perfection OF an italian garden by intel
ligcnt care and Improvement From here
Ia1 winner rf a
the English classic races, also the Paris
ian Grand Prix. WOODBURY. was also the
home Of the mighty Lexington, who held
the fOur-mile record for nineteen years,
and whose descendants stood at the head
of the list of winners for seven cOnsecU-
tive yeaTs-a record never before or since
touched From W0Odburn came also the
great trotting mare. Maud s, whose rec
ord was the unattainable goal of all trOt-
tiers for many years, and which would
have doubtless remained the top notch
except for the improved conditions in
suIkies and race tracks.
Adjoining Woodburn is the Harper
place. founded by three brothers. John
Jacob. and Adam Harper. From them II
came to Frank 3. Harper, who died re-
Gently at an advanced age. Adam Har-
per was killed by guerrillas during the
civil war, and Jacob and an aged sister
were murdered in their beds one night
in the seventies. John was away from
home and escaped. Frank Harper. like
his uncles. never married, and lived foI
years alone in the old house. about
which so many tragic memories chung
The Harper farm was the home of tn,
mighty Ten Brock and the invincibl,
L0ngfelOw-tWo heroes Of the turf whose
names viii not perish as long as the Low,
OF the sport lives in the breasts oil
Americans. Over the grave Of Longfel
low is handsome stone bearing the leg
end. Here lies the King of the Turf
Seventeen Starts-Fourteen Firsts." Thi!
stone and that over the grave of Tel
Brock are la front OF the old Harper
residence. Inside the house the walls
are hung with oil portraits of the great
Harper horses. and among these, old mar
Harper dreamed away the declining years
OF his life. These are only two of the
300-Odd stock farms which have made
the name Of Kentucky famous.
In passing It is interesting to note tina
the Blue Grass region Of Kentucky anC
Tennessee was the first national park anC
game and forest reserve in America.
was so set apart, before the white mar
had come with profaning foot and con
qucring firearms, by the great IrOquoi
tribes Of Indians the Six Nations They
forbade any settlement or agriculture il
all that great region. and it becam,
known as the hunting grounds Tht
Iroquois on the north, the Cherokees OF
the east, and the Chickasaws on the ives
were bound by treaty 20 keep these hunt
ing grounds neutral territory. There wa!
a perpetual truce that the arrow Nigh
be sped only when aimed at the gam
and fowl of the wilderness. The ston
monuments put up by the Iroqu0is [,
mark the boundaries Of this first nationa
park are still to be traced, and few o
them are now standing
The Pacific Coast has contributed mucl
TO the American turf. Racing began il
California almost as soon as gold dig
ging. and has been kept up ever since
There the old-fashioned long races con
tinued years after they were abandone
in the East About thirty years ago, tn
famous Lucky Baldwin started the SAINT
Anita ranch. Leland Stanford founde
Palo Alto at the same time. Then cam
the names OF Haggin and Keen still in
sepaTabie from the story OF the turf
James R. Keene went TO California as
poor boy, and set up in life with Foxhal
Daingerfield, a poor boy from Virginia
as his partner. Daingerfield had rtc
brother. a judge of the court, and in tim
pretty Miss Daingerfeld. from Virginia
came to California to visit.
Her rich and powerful brother soon SAY
that Keene was paying court to his sister
He was made furious by the presumptio
of the impecunious youth. and forbad