The Washington herald., 1911-10-08
TROTTER AND PAGER
K. Scores Brilliant Victory-Laurel and Lex
ington Tracks Afford Horse-lopers -
Plenty of Sport.

ity. The colt was foaied at famous
Patchen-Wilkes Farm, KY, and was pur-
chased by Mr.. Coke when a yearling.
At that age he trOtted a quarter in 20 1-2
seconds. and a tull mile early the present
season in 2:l5 over a half-mile track.
At Readville. Peter Thompson stepped
a mile in 200 Ia, which was his record,
until he lowered 1t at. Detroit, and 'es-
tablished new worlds record for three
year-old geldingS. Peter the Great,
2:O7 Ia, sire of Peter Thompson. was
also a futurity winner over the very
track his distinguished son trotted, on
Tuesday and Wednesday last. But one
other sire, living or dead, now leads
Peter the Great, as a sire of 2:1o per-
formers-McKinney, 2:11 II. The son OF
Pilot Medium and Santos has up to date
ten 2:10 performers, while Mckinney has
up to date, thirteen. AS Mckinney Is
an aged horse, IL is more than probable
that within the next two years. at least.
Peter the Great will lead all sires OF 2:lO
performers.
The annals Of the turf present here
and there brood mares that have es-
tabllshed families quite as distinct as
those established by stations. We, have
the Betty Brown family, for instance,
which runs in the maternal line to Mann
brlno Patchen. We have the Leyburn
family. from which many great trotters
have descended materially. The latest
to attract general attention Is the
Thompson family, to which Peter
Thompson. Eva Tanguay, and other good
performers trace. Three sisters comprise
what is now known as the Thompson
family" and all three are owned at
PatChen-Wilkes Farm, Lexington, KY.
The Thompson mares bark back to old
Minnehaha (dam Of eight, by Stevens
Bald Chief. and Minnchaha is immortal
lied by being tire dam of the celebrated
Beautiful Bells dam of eIeven), four OF
whom We're at different times world $
champions. To the cover of Sultan son
of The Moor. an inbred Clay, Minnehaha,
in 1878. produced the brown flly Sweet
heart, who was the first two-Year-Old to
beat 2:30. which she did at Sacramento,
Cal, in 1850.
The next year after the birth of Sweet
| heart came another bay fIly from the
| loins of Minnehaha, named Eva. She
| became the property of the late John
w. Mackay. the bonanza king" and
was named for his daughter, Eva, after
ward the Princess Colona Eva took
two-year-old record of 2:33 and one
against time of 2:26. Eva was raced in
/ the East by the late Orrin Hickok, we'll
| remembered as the man who drove st.
Julian to his record, and a master reins-
| man in his day. Subsequently, Eva
passed to Edward S. Stokes. of New
| York City. she being a gift to him by
MIR. Mackay. Eva was raced while the
property of Mr.. Stokes with more or
less success, and finally found her way
4
Rose. Of California. Eva was then put
to breeding. FTt she was bred to
StambouI. 2:07 IA. and later to Guy
| Wilkes, 2:15 IA, to whom she produced
| among others, three fillies, now known
as Lydia. Tilly, and Madam Thompson
! Tilly Thompson produced to the cover
! of Peter the Great the one. two, and
three-year-old record breaker. Miss
Stokes Another sister produced to the
cover of Peter the Great was Eva Tan
quay two-year-old race record, PIG -
Peter Thompson. 2:O7 1-2, the champion
! three-year-old gelding. 1t is doubtful il
| there is in turf history another case
| quite the parallel to that just narrated
where three full sisters have produced
so much early and extreme speed.
The history OF the Clay family, tc
which the Thompson family in the ma
| ternal line traces. reads like a romance
| Early in the nineteenth century, an
| American commodore in the good graces
of the Bashaw of Tripoli was presented
with a black barb stallion (half-bred
Arab, which animal, when the nava
! officer returned to his native country
he landed at philadelphia. The stallion
was known during the remainder of his
| life as Grand Bashaw: also as The
Tripon Barb. He stood for service neal
| Philadelphia and begot a son called
Young Bashaw out Of a mare by Bonds
| Consul, that had for a dam a daughter
of Imported Messenger. Bred to a mare
of unknown breeding, Young Bashav
sired Andrew jackson, who, in turn. bred
/ to a trotting mare called Lady Surrey
| became the sire of a black horse now
known as Henry Clay. founder Of the
| Clay family of trotters. Henry Clay's
best son was Cassius NJ. Clay. who sired
among others, Neaneo Cassius NJ. Clay
who in turn sired American Clay 20, and
| American Clay 20 got Clay Pilot, sire
| of The Moor. The last named sired
Sultan, the sire of Sweetheart, the lat
ter being the ancestress of what, is now
known as the Thompson family. The
| CIays, Bashaws, and Patchens (those
descended from George NJ. Patchen
2:231- are Of the same blood in the
paternal line, and trace direct to The
Barb of Trfpoli. The animal carrying
| the most Clay blood in the District is
n. ]. McCarthy's Virginia Lass, whose
dam, Virginia Maid dam Of Mosue
2:O9 Ia, traces through Sam Purdy
2:22 1-2, to George NJ. Patchen, jr., 2:S
son of George NJ. Patchen, 2:2S 1-2.
II there are any more rich stakes thai
Thomas Murphy, the New York trainer
and driver, thinks he would like to an
mex before he retiTes frcm the racing
season of 1911. it is to be hoped that he
will speak out On Thursday he won the
much coveted Transylvanfa, with Char
ley Mitchell, at Lexington, worth SOS
in which the fastest heat was 2:O7 l.
and the slowest in 2:07 3-4 Not since
Geers toured the country with the Ham
| lin horses and Hector was pup, has
there been seen on the American trot'
/ ting turf a driver who has won so many
rich stakes as has Murphy. 1t is DIM
| cult at this hour to differentiate between
Murphy's luck, Judgment in buying, anc
skill in craftsmanship. Each were factors
In his remarkable success. When mar
succeeds in any enterprise of moment
| It is a common saying that he Is lucky
| 1t Is true that the element OF chance
enters into every project in which max
engages but back of It all is con-
trolling power that compels luck sc