The New York herald., 1922-08-20
FAMED STONY FORD
AND ITS TROTTERS
What John Splan Said When
Invited to Breed a Mare to
Messenger Dur0c.

Announcement that the famed Stony
Ford Farm in Orange county is again
to be devoted to horse breeding will be
gratifying news to all followers of trot-
| ting. Established by Charles Backman,
soon after tne civil war, it was for a
quarter of century or more the best
known nursery Of trotters north Of Ken
lucky.
Its prestige and success were largely
due to the little brown mare Green
Mountain Maid, whose grave Is marked
by an imposing granite shaft on one of
the hills where she grazed half a CEN
tury ago. Its decline and ultimate fall
ure resulted in great measure from Mr.
Backmans selection of Messenger Duroc
instead of Green Mountain Maids great
son, Electioneer. as stallion to head
his stud.
The late Spencer Borden once charac-
terized Messenger Duroc as 'lym-
phatic bull" And John Splan, when
asked whether he would not like to
breed mare to him, sagely said: Il
might II I had mare that was good
| eIOuSH, ana cOuIQ De sure the COLI
would take after the mare" Electioneer
was first neglected and then sold to go
to California and found family which
helped to put Stony Ford in eclipse.
When the catastrophe came and the
horseman who had been a genial host to
two Presidents of the United States and
other powerful ones of the earth found
himself in financial straits something
happened which merited another lasting
monument of granite on the hills OF
Orange county. Reversing Grover
Clevelands celebrated and cynical def
milton of gratitude, a group of wealthy
New York horsemen who had enjoyed
Mr.. Backman's hospitality formed a
syndicate and financed Stony Ford as
long as he lived.
When he died the assets. consisting
chiefly Of remnants from a wine cellar
which had few rivals in America were
divided among members of the benevo-
lent syndicate. This was many years
| ago, yet there is to-day at least one
distinguished New York breeder who on
rare occasions sets before his horsewise
guests the priceless nectar drawn from
a barrel that was aging in the cellar OF
Stony Ford long years before Gen. Grant
lit his last cigar in the smoking room
of the old white Colonial farm house
which was Mr.. Backman's home.
| The Importance OF Mr.. Backman's s
pioneer efforts as a breeder is exempli-
fed in the performances of Media,
/ :59l4, and host of other great trotters
of the present day. The first and only
mare to make record OF 200 or better
without the aid of a wind shield traces
back in the direct male line to Artillery.
2:2ila, a son Of Rysdyk's Hambletonian
that was foaled at Stony Ford in 1873.
4 .lan
Ford. got Expression, 2:12h, the dam Of
Nedda's sire. Atlantic Express, 2:o7st.
while Cuyler. the sire of the dam Of
Prodigal, 2:l6. who got Nedda's dam,
was foaled on the same farm in the
same year.
Artillery. the great grandsire OF Ned
da, passed from Mr.. Backman to Hugh
Downey of Dobbs FeWy N. ", who
often used the son OF Hhmbletonian and
Wells Star in his work as a builder.
The stallion was virtually buried, and IL
was only by chance that he attracted
the attention of w. Il. Dickerman, who
bred his great son. Belini. 2:13A, ard
his grandson, Atlantic Express, the sire
of Media.
Artillery was ten years old when Billy
Brooks, one OF the old time trainers at
Fleetwood Park, hurriedly fitted him TO
compete for a purse of $500 at the old
West Side half mile track on he mead
ows back of Jersey City in October,
1883. He won the first heat in 2:42k,
but was beaten in the race by a mare
called Maggie g. Brooks He trained the
stallion again the next year and the
writer saw him win a hard fought race
In splendid style at Fleetwood in the
early summer of 1884. He made his
record Of 2:2ih at Providence soon after
ward convincing many horsemen that
he was far faster than his best time
indicated.