The New York herald., 1921-10-30
Delaney THE TORY
FATHER OF OUR TURF
Fitting Title Was Bestowed on
Sporting Son Of New York's
Colonial Governor.
IMPORTED FIRST RACERS
Bred Turf Champions at His
Farm on the Bowery and
Trained Them There.
ny GURNEY O. oUn.

by GURNEY O. CUE.
n ever you should 60 to Bath, that
izkerestins eighteenth century centre OF
fnshion, wealth and pleasure In England
seek out the ancient waicott Church II
your hobby 10 the race horse and look
upon the mural monument there to ''The
Father of the New York Turf Almost
century ago this fttinE title was be-
slowed upon James De Lancey by his
ifsnsman and fellow turfman. Cadwal-
lader r. Golden, whose long and inti-
mass Acquaintance with early racing In
xhis State qualified him above all others
- make the designation.
The De Lanceys were the social,
political ana financial rulers Of the col
any before the Revolutionary War.
Their family traced back to medieval
times IN France, and Stephen. the
Husuenot who landed In New York In
1eS6. amassed a fortune estimated at
100000 IN his store at the northeast
1osner Of Broad ana Pearl streets before
he married the Dutch heiress. Anne Van
Cegtlandt, daughter OF Stephen Van
cCrtlandt Lord OF the Manor Of Cort-
Iandt.
II was on . part Of the Van Cortlandt
estate, given to him In f7oi. that Ste
chen De Lancey built the historic struc-
ture afterward known aa Fraunce's
Tavern. where Washington made the
memorable farewell address to his
ofiicers IN 1888. This house was the De
Lencey home until 1852. when Stephen
end Anne moved uptown to the Broad
Way at Thames street. James, their
son, who became Chief Justice of the
colony at 80 and later presided as Lieu
tenant Governor over the first Congress
assembled in America, was born In the
cld house in 1903. He married Anne
Heathcote. the daughter of Caleb Heath
cote. Lord of the Manor of Scarsdalc
and Mayor of the city of New York.
Farm on the Bowery.
When James died in 1850 In the large
double brick house he had built on his
Bowery farm his son of the Same name
succeeded to the fathers very large
estate. which was materially increased
by his marriage In the same year to the
sister of Gov. John Perin's wife and the
daughter Of Chief Justice William Allen
Of Pennsylvania.
A gay blade was this young James De
Lancey. Like his father before him he
had been educated In England at Eton
and Cambridge, at time when the turf.
the chase and the road came in for more
attention than serious study received
among undergraduates at English univer-
stiles and he acquired the sporting habits
OF the country and period. It was the
boast OF his friends. however. that
while he likes horse racing, cock fight
ing and women. he wants hypocracy to
conceal his faults"
Soon after the young man came into
his great property and power he TN
rorted from England some of the first
thoroughbred horses seen I'm New York.
and II was doubtless this far seeing en-
terprise In sowing the seed from which
so many of the distinguished American
racing families OF later days sprung
that Influenced the founder Of the
United states Sporting Ndoasis,e TO
name him instead of his political and
sporting rival, Lewis Norris. Jr., as
''the father OF the New York turf"
On the Bowery farm. which embraced
about go acres. lying east Of the Bow
cry lane and south of Brooms street.
end having more than mile Of water
front along the East River. he laid ou-
half mile training course for his own
horses. built training barn near the
present line of Chrystie stnset, with an
exercising paddock near Forsyth street,
and In a few years assembled the
Of running horses in the colony. II not
In the whole country.
His Pioneer Importations.
Just when these pioneer fmportations
70 the Bowcry farm began. Just what
horses came over and whether they were
the first or only among the first English
race horses TO arrive IN the colony are
facts of absorbing interest and import
ance which are not known and probably
nsver will be known, for horse fanciers
end antiquarians have searched practi-
caily every page of every newspaper,
book and public record of promise In the
country without turning up the sought
for Information. Newspapers gave little
o. no attention 70 such matters In those
days. with the result that nearly all
early American turf history except the
fragments preserved here and there In
advertisements OF stud horses and race
meetings has slipped away into oblivion.
The earliest mention I have found Of
any De Lancey race horse Is in Alice
Morse Earle's Colonial Days IN Old
New York" She says that In 1884 the
Macaroni Club offered prizes Of f1oo
and ESQ for races at the Newmarket
Course on Hampstead Plains and that
cat those races James De Lancey's bay
horse Lath won" The author fails to
give her authority for this statement,
which Is disputed az TO late by John
J.. O'Connor Of the New York Electrical
School. who has made a most exhaustive
study Of the subject In Enslisb and
American records. He says De Lancey's
Iath was foaied In 1853. won races in
England IN 1857 and landed here In
1863. He was never beaten until 1878.
This horse was a royalty bred one bv
Shepherds Crab out Of a marc by the
famous English racer Lath. f~st son
os the Godolphn Arabian and Rovpna.
rThe rrandam Of De Lancey's Lath was
MISC the grandam Of the famous Tasker's
Selma
wfSdn'r Here I'm 1565.
wildair was certainly imported IN
1894 OF the following year. for he was
advertised as sire NJ the Bowery.
near New York" In June. 1895. This
rcrse had been quite famous on the
English turf from 1857 to 1861 and was
one OF those ridden by Jennison Shafto
I'm a memorable match against time az
Newmarket IN 1852 when the British
sportsman backed himself to ride fifty
miles In two hours. Unlike most or the
early ,rnportations wildair is In the
English STUD Book and Picks Turf Reg
istcr, where his pedigree Is given as by
Lord codoiphins cade, full brother tc
ne original Lath and from mare by
me Duke Of Devonshire's Steady. son OF
r1ysng Chiiders.
or his success In the stud Mr.. o'Con-