Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-15
CoIumet's Powerful Bull Lea Dynasty Dotes|
ToEx- Trainers 1896 Bid of ST., 900 for Colt
By John J. FitzqeroId

thoroughbred dynasty in mod
ern racing history was laid at
Saratoga Springs one cool Au-
gust evening in 1885 when Frank
Kearns, then the Calumet Farms
trainer successfully bid $4,000
for a yearling colt by Bull Dog
Rose Leaves.
Racegoers came to know the
colt as Bull Lea and under the
banner of the late Warren
Wright's establishment he proved
a substantial stakes winner.
However. it remained for his
sons, daughters and grandchil-
dren to gain him his greatest
fame, through their remarkable
achievements in stakes competi-
ton from the Atlantic to the
Pacific.
Mated with choice mares at
the Calumet Farm, Bull Lea
sired Citation, worlds greatest
money winner with a grand to-
tai OF $1,085, 760; Bewitch, whose
gleanings of $462, SOS made her
the top all-time woney winner
OF her sex, as well as Armed.
Coaltown, and many other big
earnerS.
Bull LEAFS success in stud is
almost unbelievable. During
four of the past seven years
he has topped all rival stations
In money winnings, and in the
other three he was second on the
list. Over that stretch, his sons
and daughters gathered $780,
sos in prize money And, during
those same seven years his
yearlings. sold at public auction.
have commanded a total of ST.
O33, 300. Records show nothing
to compare with either of these
marks.
Proud of Purchase.
Trainer Kearns, the man re-
Sponsible for acquisition of Bull
Lea, has been wintering here.
having been in charge of the
H. c. Freuhof horses at Hialeah.
He looks back on Bull LEAFS pur-
chase with great pride and fol-
lows with the keenest interest
the doings of the great sire's
progeny.
Mark-Ye-Well's sweep of the
big ones at Santa Anita, where
this Bull Lea 4-year-old won
$l99,O5O during the recently
closed meeting, was being dis
cussed by horSemen at Gulf
stream Park and the talk, ma
turally, turned to his sire.
Bull Lea has sired so many
amazingly good performers"
kearns said" that it wouldn't
surprise me a bit to see Mark-Ye-
Well prove another 'million-dol-
lar horse like Citation. He's not
for from the half-million mark
right now. and big as stakes are
today, he could make it, pro-
vldlng, Of course, that he stays
sound.
Wasn't Good looking.
I can't claim full credit for
Calumet getting Bull Lea, for
Charlie Kenny, then with the
Coldstream Stud, who bred him,
was his first booster. He rec
commended him to me and, after
careful check, I decided the
tip was a good one. Bull Lea as
a yearling wasn't a good-looking
colt. though later he developed
into one, but he was sound, we'll
made, and had fine disposition.
las a two-year-old he was
moderately campaigned, start
ing only nine times and winning
a pair of overnight events"
Kearns continued. Originally
it was intended to winter him at
Hialeah and there prepare him
for the Kentucky Derby, but a
laSt-minute switch held him at
the farm instead. Mr.. Wright
wanted to win the Blue Grass
Stakes at Keeneland and q
hurried prep for that event, plus
the gruelling effort required to
whip Menow, in track record
time of 1:4925 for the mile and
furlong, knocked him out.
Unplaced in the Derby. he did
not come to himself again until
midsummer.
Il believe he would have won
the Arlington Classic only for the
light rain which came up shortly
before the race. There he was
beaten by Nedayr. Still, he
managed to win five stakes
that season before shipping to
Hialeah. with the Widener as his
main objective. He won the
Widener, but a tendon was giving