Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-14
Worked Hard All His Life

Brandts early. life was much the same
as that of orphans--early to bed, early tc
rise, a round Of work, many hours OF
study, plenty of hard knocks, sufficient
food to keep flesh on the bones, but not
enough to satisfy growing. healthy lads
appetite, and no love or sympathy when
Trouble came. That was the portion of
the orphan lad.
n In Brandt's glimpses Of life as he saw
st in his daily walks through the streets
| and country roads of California-his
founding days were spent in the land of
nuggets, wine and blue-blooded thorough
/ breds-he was attracted to the many fast
| horses that roamed the fields of the stock
| ranches. The little foals, all head, legs
| and tail, romped and scampered at their
| mothers sides, showing dashes of the
/ speed that some later day would bring
| forth shouts of praise from the thousands
| on the race tracks of the country.
Brandt wanted a racing stable He had
heard that his father was known to James
B. Haggin, the multi-milionaire owner of
Rancho del Paso, the greatest horse
breeding establishment in the world and
he wrote him a note asking for job as
a stable boy for his fathers sake This
was In 1888. Haggin needed exercise boys
at the time and wrote to his trainer to
visit the orphan home and if the boy was
him. Brandt filled the bill in both re-
spects, was taken out Of the home that
had sheltered him, and was bound over
an apprentice lad to Haggin and his
trainer, Matt Byrnes.
Met Salvador and FrenzI
At the time there was sheltered in the
stable Salvador and Firenzi-horses that
two years later became famous, the for
mer as holder of the worlds record for a
mile and the latter as the greatest mare in
America over "a long distance.
Brandt worked as a stable boy for sew
eral years, but never gained distinction as
jockey.
Brandt's salary at this time was small
but he was frugal by nature and his
wants were few. He made up his mind to
buy horse. The lack of money in his
early boyhood whetted an appetite for it
Me. saw one path to successful become ar
Il Sner. He realized he would not be
Susted with a horse to train for rich
owners until he made good" His only
chance to show his ability was to buy q
horse and win races with him. Then offers
to train would come his way.
Got Draw Scot at Last
How was he to get horse? He hadn't
Iany money to buy one and no one would
lgive him one. This was a severe problem
He met it and solved it by working a year
Ito buy the horse Draw Scot. He had
noticed this horse and believed he could
develop him into a winner. With the
Savings of twelve months in his pocket
i($900) he went to J. Harper and bought
the horse.
This was in 1898. 1t marked a new era
lin Brandts life. 1t brought him from the
,obscurity of stable boy into prominence
as owner With Draw Scot he began to
"show EN- what he could do He won
-four races with the horse, sold him and
bought another.
Then Brandt met his first and only re-
verses in his career as trainer and
Owner His new purchase broke down.
The horse became such hopeless cripple
that he was useless racer, with his
ruptured tendons. Brandt's little hoard
of savings took wings. He was "broke."
But some good came out of the i'll luck.
Brandt had displayed so much skill with
Draw Scott that Barney Schneider, who
was in search of a capable foreman to as
sist his trainer, Dick Williams, hired him.
He worked for Schneider in various po-
sitions from 1896 to 1903 During that pc
Rod he broke yearlings and taught the
youngsters on the farm the elementary
part of their race track education.
Good Luck Began
III 1910 brdIlnt real good luck began.
With the Schneider horses he won sixty
five races. The following year he won
sixty-seven. The winnings of the horses
from the time he first took charge of them
until the end of last year amounted in the
aggregate to $250,000.
These winnings do not constitute all the
money that Brandts skill as trainer has
brought to Schneider. The success of
Horace b. early last spring caused J.
Paul Rainey to pay $4,000 for him. Later
In the year Big Tim Sullivan and Frank
Farrell bought DIR. Gardner for SIS, OOO
ana Boots" Durnell gave $4,000 for Nea-
Ion. This trio were deyeloped nv Brandt
ana they won some of the richest stakes
q the season for their owner before he