The New York herald., 1922-03-05

If asked to name the greatest mare in
/ the American Stud Book not few horse
men would unhestatingly say Reel
| AS n daughter Of imported Glencoe and
imported Galopade, as the conquerer Of
! Miss Foote Luda and everything else
! she met at four-milc- heats before she
broke down. and, above all, as the dam
OF Lecomte. Prioress, Starke. War
Dance and other great racers and pro-
genitors OF race horses, the gray mare
whose portrait by Troye hangs in the
/ board room OF the Jockey Club was
pretty nearly the Pocahontas Of Amer
I lea.
| Like Pocahontas, the queen Of Eng
| lish broodmares, Reel was unsound.
and singulariy enough. both Of these
renowned producers Of speed were
daughters OF the same sire-Glencoc.
He got Pocahontas in England in the
spring of 1885. just a few weeks before
he was sold for $4,000 to James Jack
son, of Florence, Ala. and in his first
stud season here. in the following year
lie got Reel from Mr.. Jackson's inn
ported mare Gallopade, by Cation, the
sire OF imported Trustee. From Gallo
pade through her great daughters Reel,
| Cotillion and Fandango came a galaxy
\ OF noted performers and producers
which includes the present day families
OF Domino and Hamburg.
1 Poca hontas Never Won Race.
| Pocahontas was q roarer and never
won a race, but this did not prevent
her from producing in successive years
! the great Stoclswell, Rataplan and King
/ Tom. Stockwell won the st. Legcr and
\ the Two Thousand Guineas and was
one OF the greatest sires OF the breed
~.
1 Sand and all their remarkable de-
sccndants his line is almost as prom
inont to-day as it was when his three
| Derby winners and six winners OF the
ST. Lcger were on the turf.
| Reel broke q leg when she was a
yearling and II has been said on the
doubtful authority of Jefferson Wells.
who was about the same age as the
mare that she went blind toward the
close of her racing career. In view OF
the prominent place she has taken in
American turf annals IL IL rather sur
prising that no account of her appear
ance and her races hrs ever been pub
lished. except I'm fragments to be found
In the weekly issues OF the Spirit Of the
/ Times almost a century ago.
| w. ". Gochcr says jefferson Wells
recently told him Reel was ono OF ten
yearlings purchased by Gen. T. J. Wells
Of Alexandria, La, from Mr.. Jackson.
The statement shows how unsafe II is
| to accept the recollections OF q mono
genarian as authority for entries IN n
stud book. even Nhen the witness has
not made two or three diamctrically
opposite declarations about the same
incident OF his childhood days. Tho
Spirit OF October 90. 1S3S. reports the
sale Of one-half interest in Reel "A
i few months after she was foalcd. to-
getber with her older half-sisters.
Fandango and Cotillion, and three
other filies. for $1,000 around. which
the editor of the Spirit intimates was a
record price for young things.
| Raced After breaking Leg.
When the gray filly started In her
first important race for the Jockey Club
Vase at the Louisiana course in New
orleans as a three-year-old the Spirit
said OF her
| "Reel is dark gray. with strip OF
white running down her face. 1913
hands high. her back somewhat reached.
fine broad hips and ribs. shoulders In
clined we'll back. finely tapercd fore
arms, with the exception of small
lump upon the cannon bone Of her off
| foreleg in consequence of having broken
| II when n yearling. several pieces hav-
ing exfoliated and worked out. which has
fully established the fact that the Glen
Goes can win at two-mile heats even IL
| their legs have been broken"
| Tn this race Sarah Morton, a filly by
sidi ITamet out OF Rowena. the future
| grandam Of the great Lexington. won
| the only heat Reel ever lost until she
broke down in race over the Metairie
course two years later. At the meeting.
| where she defeated Sarah Morton. Dun
can r. kenncr's bay mare Luda caused a
sensation by outrunung Colonel a. l..
| Binramlns crack colt John ". Grymes
at three milo heats, and then taking tho
| measure OF the noted four miller Sarah
\ Bladen, backed at 100 to 20 against tho
4 field.
I Ludas fame was at its zenith when
\ she met John II. Grymcs and Reel one
Il week afterward In the Jockey Club
! stakes at four mile heats over the
Metarie Course. The gray flly. a three
year-oid. had never started at that dis
tsnce and she had little or no support
in the betting. But she bounded away
| like stricken deer" the Spirit said,
kept M the dance without n partner
| from cnd to end and won by six lengths
In T;A0. never having been locked or
iapped during the heat which rhs fin