Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-27
Rock Island County the Home of Many Famous Horses

~O~~~-~-~~-~~~~~-~-~ ~-~Y~~~~~~~~~~S
Hayes ranch, about 20 miles below |
Rock Island, in Buffalo Prairie town /
ship, now owned by Charles ]. searle |
of this city.
Pactolus is now owned at Humboldt. /
Iowa, and is known as the great Iowa
sire, ranking, as sire of extreme
speed. with Peer the Great, Ed Custer
and General Watts. Had he had the
handling in his early life that he has
had in the last few years. he would
have undoubtedly been the greatest
sire.
A striking incident in connection
with his sale by Mr.. Hayes. as a year
ling: One evening Mr.. Hayes regis
tered at a hotel in Omaha. Neb., and
shortly after, while at dinner, was in
/ terrupted by a man who introduced
{ himself as Mr.. Jones, and said that he
was in The market for a fancy bred
( yearling colt, and wanted TO know
what Mr.. Hayes. had left. Mr. Hayes
| told him about Pactolus, the only one
not sold. saying he would take $500
/ for him, the price he had sold another
| yearling for. Immediately arose the
question from Mr.. Jones. that if this
colt was as good as the others, and
worth as much, why other prospective
buyers had not taken him.
Perhaps" said Mr.. Hayes, cit is be-
cause | have told them all he is my
best colt. but they chose to rely upon
their own judgment"
After asking a few more questions
concerning the colt, Mr.. Jones wrote
check for the price, and never saw the
animal until the latter arrived at Be
atrice, Neb. This Mr.. Jones, who is
the renowned Morris J. Jones of trot-
ting horse fame, was so well pleased
with this bargain that one year later
he bought Alix of Mr.. Hayes, as else
where stated.
A few facts taken from the Christ
mas number. 1911, of The Horse Re
view"
HAS 4 GOOD HOME.
Pactolus. 2:12%, is the property of
II. S. Folk, Humboldt, Iowa, and has
been owned by the Folk family for sew
eral years. If the reader IS not IA
miliar with the place, the reminder
that 1t is the home of Frank Gotch,
worlds champion wrestler, will be suf-
ficient Pactolus has a good home at
the Folk farm, and thither many high
class mares are sent to him every
year, not only by Iowa breeders, but
from all parts of the west.
The very good reason which is ad-
duced by students of the breeding
problem accounting for the phenom-
> email success of Peter the Great as a
, sire, namely. that the son of Pilot
, Medium is such decided out-cross for
almost all present day mares, also
serves in the cases of such horses as
Prodigal PIG. Pa-ron 2:14A and Par
, ole 2:16. and will apply to Pactolus
who is also member of that famous
Pancoast tribe that gave the turf a
worlds champion, Alix 2:03&.
DID NOT HAVE CHANCE.
In early life, Pactolus did not have
, the best OF chances to get started as
, sire. He was owned by the late
Morris J. Jones, then a resident OF
David City, Neb.. later at Kenosha
Wis, where there were scarcely any
trotting bred mares at the time, when
$ though in training and raced for sew
/ cral seasons, he should have begun his
5 stud career. Then the panic of lS9;
q. simply "knCcked the bottom out'of tn,
' harness horse business, and Mr.. Jones
s who had removed in'o Iowa, had no
e enough resources left to carry on the
/ breeding industry, which he loved
] along the lines dictated by his gooC
& judgment. PactClus was soon thereat
ter sold by him and taken back to Da
f vid CRY by c. d. Aldrich, now COVER
@ nor Of Nebraska, the latter being thel
{ ambitious as trottinG horse breeder
e but much more ambitious to succeed
Il politically. But, despite all thes
II handicaps Pactolus had been s.riui
Il speed prolifcally. and such extra 600
/ winning trotters as Izetta 2:13la twin
5 ner of two $4,000 stakes), Tons
Il 2:14A, The Pacolet 2:14H, etc, an
/ attracting the attention of all western
IS breeders. Then. about the time he wa
4, purchased by the Folks, there cam
e upon the scene those big winning wes
IS crn trotters, The Pickett 2:134. Lou
Use 2:13i4. Belle Tolus 2:l14, Twin 6
d 2:16%, and many others, it being ar
e parent that each and every one C
e them could have been 2:10 or bette
ir trotters had they been given tn
L. chance. AS 1t was. all of them wo
n heavily, from $4,000 to $1,000 each i
IS a single season.
FINALLY SECURED SPEED.
II Still, while the get of Pactolus wer
clearly the leading money winnin
- trotters of the central west, year afte
II year, some of the knockers" entere
X. the criticism that their sire did No
lea L. l.