The Washington herald., 1910-02-20

nit speed because it has never been de-
Iveloped.
Some would-be witty person has re-
marked that there are three kinds of
lies-lies. d lies, and statistics. And
yet it is only through statistics that we
are able to approach in an ineligible
manner facts. We will Gull just a few
for the delectation of the readers of this
column, which. we are informed. and
which we hope is true, comprises a large
number OF persons located in the District
| Of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia,
Miss Russell stands as a matrOn Of 2:10
speed alone among brood mares. She is
represented by six generations In that
most exclusive list. She was never de-
veloped and, we believe, a harness never
touched her back. Flora Temple. 1884,
the greatest race mare Of her day, was
developed and raced TO her fifteenth year
She was bred several seasons and pro-
duced foals. She IS represented in the
2:3O list by but one animal, best record
2:29. Alma Mater, that renowned daugh-
ter of Membrino Patchin S., was never
developed.
She is represented in the 2:SO list by
seven sons and daughters, among her
sons being Alcantara. 2:23, and Alcyone.
2:27, both great sires, and the latter tho
sire of Mckinney, 2:l1i4, who IN turn
leads all 2:l0 sires, having twenty in the
2:1O list Goldsmith Maid, 214. at nine
teen years the greatest race mare Of her
FosaI 4 -
standing as a brood mare does not COM
pare with that Of the undeveIoped Alma
Mater.
Lady Thorn. 2IS. Goldsmith Maids
! greatest antagonist, was not only one Of
the greatest race mares Of her day, but
was highly developed. Green Mountain
Maid never had a harness on her back
! but once. and that proved sufficient for
her owner. Nothing could be done with
her, and she was put 20 breeding Among
her nine producing sons and daughters
is EIecuoneer, his only close rival as a
sire being George Wilkes. Green Noun
tain Maid seemed to get along very well
without development. Beautiful Bells,
2:29 was developed before she was bred
TO Elecuoneer She, Ike Miss Russell,
stands in a class by herself as a producer
OF early and extreme speed. She is, in
fact, the most illustrious example OF de-
velopment in the books. although her
racing days were few on account Of her
nervous and highly strung disposition.
There is doubtless some strength in the
! no Iv1o-g f-.,r4.rr,3+s,
Maid, Lady Thorn, and their contempo-
rary, Lucy 2:1S, were numerically raced
and their vitality slapped If so. the fact
I contains the warning that in racing
mares intended for brood-mare purposes
I there IS a limit beyond which It is dan
/ geroUs 10 pass. Mares. owing to their
more delicate organization and by reason
/ Of their more highly organized nervous
! organization. can be more easily injured
than the male animal. George Wilkes
among entire horses IS one example, at
least, in which extreme racing did not
seem to detract from his speed-giving
power and his power TO transmit speed
to the third and fourth generations.
On the other hand, George NJ Patchin,
2:23 cOntempOraneous with Flora Tenn
pie and the foe considered most worthy
Of the great Flora, is considered a partial
failure as a sire. His best daughter was
| Lucy, 218 and his best son George NJ
Patchin, jr., which he got while on his
racing tour in the later SOS on the Pa
cilc Coast George NJ Patchin, 2:23.
raced also against George Wilkes and
Goldsmith Maid. George NJ. Patchin, 2.23.
was bred in stout racing lines, as his sire
was Cassius NJ Clay, jr,. and his dam
the daughter Of a son Of Imported Trus-
tee.
The fashion Of the present day is to-
ward developed sires and dams Public
opinion among breeders has been drifting
/ that way for the past fifteen years. A
very few breeders and owners Of young
sters do not carry the fashion any farther
than 10 discover whether the animal
owned has speed or not, and in some
! cases do not take them to the races. Il
/ is a great satisfaction 20 most men to
! know that their stations and mares show
speed and racing qualities in actual con-
| tests. In this they are not to be
! blamed. The late Q. J. Hamlin. Of Au-
T0ra, \. Y. was one OF the few breeders
who was careful not to oyerdevelop his
stations or mares or overrace them. His
/ theory was that two or three good races
each season was sufficient. He kept sta
/ tistics Of results. and the results showed
| that as between stations and mares
hard-raced and those which were not the
percentage was in favor Of the last men
toned. OF course. none but stubborn
fools. butt their brains out against stub
! born facts.
| Having the statistics az hand. one must
needs heed the facts. Village Farm shone
/ as the brightest star in the turf firma-
ment for upward OF a generation and
nothing exists anywhere approaching its
/ brilliancy and glory, except it be Walnut
| Hall, in Kentucky. Mr.. HamIin bred
more 2l0 performers than any other man
that ever lived. The late John Bradburn.
/ his superintendent, Mr.. Hamlin said,
thought nothing Of stopping his men
from working his best FLIES and order
ing them 10 be placed in the harem. On
many an occasion. he says. have the VII
lage Farm trainers been actually sick
ened when prospective 2.10 trotters we're
taken from their strings and placed in
the brOod-mare ranks.
The most important horse transfer of
recent date is the sale by Mr.. William
Russell Allen. Of Allen Farm. Pittsfeld.
Mass. of Kavaln 90. 2:07s4, to Maj J. p.
johnson, Of Lexington. KY Kavalli. al
though strictly trotting bred, is a natu-
raj PAGER. At eleven years he is credited
with one trotter and three PAGERS that
have made records in standard time. His