The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-09-12
Costliest Horse on Earth
Sum Paid for Famous Racer Enough to Mount
Troop of Cavalry.

feet pedigree and wonderful stamina,
and this had much to do with the
record price fetched for him. When
Aboyeur started off for such a take
you.off-your-feet race, it was only the
heart and speed of such colt as
Craganour that could hold A. P. Cum
liffes entry and beat him almost at
the last gasp.
Bred in Ireland by Major Eustace
I-oder, he was sold as a foal to the
late Sir Tatton Sykes. Craganour
was then six months old. He went
at once to the Sledmere stud with
his handsome mother, yeneration H.,
and started to train.
81 ought never to have allowed such
fine animal to get out of my pos
session" bemoaned Major Loder, a
year later, when Craganour was ship
ped along. He was easily the best of
even such collection of yearlings as
Sledmere always sends UP.
Get Craganour by all means" ad-
vised w. 7. Robinson, one Of the best
judges of horseflesh in all England,
and Mr.. Ismay, his employer. snapped
up the fine colt for $4,000.
Robinson soon found that in Craga-
nour he had find for MI Ismay. At
the Ascot meet last year the English
public first saw the colts PAGES His
maiden race was for the New Stakes,
and Craganour easily beat the great
Shotgun by three lengths. But this
was only beginning The rest OF
the season proved triumph for Crag-
amour He won every race in which
he started save one, and he lost that
only by fluke.
Best three-year-old in ali Eng
land" was the opinion of nine-tenths
of the fancy this year.
Craganour started too soon, how
ever, and lost the classic two thou
sand guineas, in which he started
favorite, to Louvois. His owner and
trainer knew what was the matter
and put a new jockey on his hack for
the great Newmarket Stakes. The
result was magieal--Craganour was
first; the rest nowhere. That re-
soureeful young American. Danny
Maher, knew how to ride his mount.
Experts saw then what a great
horse Mr.. Ismay's three-yea-eld real
ly wes- and is. Not such a big colt.
for his size GragaHeur shows exeep.
tional depth and remarkable action.
Hard or soft ground seems to make
no difference to him; he can keep HIS
extraordinary speed on anything
Craganour's pedigree is as good as
there is in all England. His great
sire was Observation-Disclosures winning
sire so far this season, and sire. too.
of Abeyaur, to whom the Derby fell,
after all. Desmond died only few
days ago in his prime So the two
fleet-footed beauties are half broth
ers. Desmond was the Irish-bred son
of the great st. Simon, Craganour's
dam, Veneration II, has just as great
a sire in Lavene, and Argentine is
perfectly certain that it is not buying
a pig in poke for its 100000.
Never before but once has such a
price heen paid for a horse-or any
other animal-except once. Years ago
W. OBJ Marlborough, OF California,
gave S150.000 for the great Ormonde,
winner of the Derby in 1886, horse
that was first in every race in which
he started But Ormonde has been
dead these nine years and Craga-
hours present worth stands nohal-
lenged.
But he'll never race again. And in
a few days he will be lost to John
Bull and his island forever.