Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-06-17
GREAT TROTTINC
HORSES OF MADISON

morse DuSlIItSS dllu lCpOltCi
looked up ]. ]. Neale, the well
known horseinan of Richmond,
to get the facts. w. E. Luxon is
also a man who knows the good
trotting horses of the past and
present.
Mr.. Neale's eyes fairly danced
as he recalled the good old days
when Madison county was filled
with famous trotters. Among the
headliners mentioned by Mr..
Neale. were Susie S., who away.
back about 1888. made a record
Of 2:15 IA, which was very fast
for those days. She was Mad
ison county mare owned by Tray
nor and Mckee. who made the
trotting sensation of the season
| by winning over Hori belonging
to Col. Pepper. The story of her
discovery is like a chapter from a
novel. This mare was poor and
! unknown animal given to Mrs.
Traynor by Mrs. Todd. wife of
Captain William Todd. This bay
mare as a two year old, showed
no promise and Mr.. Traynor once
offered her on the square in Rich
mond for SIS. As three year
old. however. she made her sensa-
tional winnings and was finally
sold to Stokes of Hartford, Conn.
for S1O.05O.
High Ball was bred by Owen
Stagner, Of Richmond. He was
foaled in 1902. He was sold to
Tevis WilIerson of Lexington.
and later to barber in Philadel-
phia, who used him as a fancy
driving horse and entered him in
roadster races, winning one at
2 90. lie was next sold to Frank
Jones. Of Memphis. a banker, and
that year Won $4,000 in stakes
for his owner and brought, when
sold, $4,000. His only cornDeti-
tor in the year Of bis big win
nings was Sonoma Girl of Cali
fornia, and he won over her in
some occasions.
He was by Dir. Hooker 2 :23 "a
out Of Lena S., 2 ~ by Tom
z ernon. He was beautiful ha-
~olor and his trainer and drive
was the renowned Pop" Geers.
-o P~ool1s POS vas bred r.
David Chenault of Madison coun-
7-as NV Hoxrall
her dam was by Huguely Be-
Pa. She was most unpronis-
ing mare in her early years. Mr..
]. J. Neale tells the story Of how
he went Out to look at a.mule be-
longing of old man Mckinney, |
and while there Mckinney tried |
to sell the mother of the mule for
a very low figure. She was then
5 years old. Jep Chenault, how
ever, found the stuff she was
made of and started her on her |
career. She was bought by |
Traynor. This brood |
mare was the famous Nell, in trot |
ting horse history. She was the |
first mare to produce fiev colts
who made better than 2l0. 1t
was a marvellous record and it is
doubtful is it has been equalled |
by more than one other UP to the
present time. She was the dam
Of Belle Vera, who broke the
record as a vearling. and
who at four years old. broke the |
record at 2:0S 3-4. Her !
sire was Vatican. who sold for
S11,250, which was the highest
purchase price within Madison
county for any horse. He went
to J. Malcolm Forbes, of Boston.
Bermuda Girl, 2:16. was own
ed by B. II. Neale, father of ]. 7.
Neale. She won the Kentucky
Futurity in 2.21 IL, and went to
Europe ad established a new two
mile record. She was by Bermuda
out of Red Wilkes.
w. r. Letcher, of Madison
county, bred Harry Wilkes, one
of the greatest race horses that ,
ever ived who had a racing record !
Of 2:13 to high wheeled sulky
Of the old type.
Grafton was another famous
-rotter from Madison county.
Twenty years ago there were
many breeders of trotting horses
n the county but the industry re-
,eived serious set back just =
t has in Fayette and other blue
grass counties. Breeding of sad
the ohrses followed the period of
.rotting horse breeding. There IS
much of the old trotting stock,
however, still in the count, and
:hese give the county the reputa-
ion of a land of good driving