Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-07
BY ROBERT B. PHILLIPS
Contributing Writer

Ry RODEhA ~ ELhLLAL .
contributing Writer
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y,
Aug. Virginia thoroughbred
breeders moved up fast on the
turn this year to overhaul the
Kentuckians, who have DOM
mated the Saratoga yearling
sales here for many decades.
The Virginians are down as
consignors or agents for 125
out of 256 yearlings to 60 un-
der the hammer here beginning
Monday night.
Moving forward faster than
any Of them has been 45-year-
old James L. Wiley Of Middle
burg, who started his career
as q saddle horse man, sent
his first yearling to Saratoga
lin partnership with the late
Robert Clark. jr.. in 1945, and
this year has handled as agent,
owner or conditioner So of the
glossy youngsters to be sold.
Wiley was born in Salem,
Va. graduated from Episcopal
High School in Alexandria and
attended the University of Vir-
ginia for one day-"long
enough to see they didn't have
any standard courses in horse
manship."
Favored Gated Horses
From 1884 to 1941 he was
active on the horse show circuit
with gated horses, an addic-
ton commonly believed incur
able or at least malignant
enough to disqualify legitimate
interest in hunters and thor
oughbreds.
To Wiley, this was merely a
starter. Through a job at
Llangollen Farm near Upper
vile, he became interested in
hunters, the race track and the
excitement of the yearling
sales.
Today he is not only the man
who has fitted most horses for
the 1859 Saratoga Sales. but
one of the leading hunter
judges in the United States, a
member Of the board of di-
rectors of the crusty old Up
perville Horse Show and a
serious follower Of the U. S.
Pony Clubs, via his daughter
Langhorne's membership in
the Orange County Middleburg
Pony Club.
At one time not long ago,
Saratoga could dispose of the
Virginia breeders with a single
Virginia night" This year
Wiley alone will have an in
terest going in horses sold on
Monday, Wednesday and Fri
day nights. .
Offspring Of Noted Mare
Each of the three groups rep
resents a special phase of his
present career. On Monday
night he will sell Is as agent
for other owners. The lot in
cludes a roam 11lly by Solar
Slipper out of the mare I'm
Ipulsive, dam of the $685., 900
winner Glen and a producer so
fabulous they only had room
for the first dam on a whole
page" as Wiley points out. I'm
pulSive is also the dam of two
other stakes winners and five
winners of lesser races.
On Wednesday night, Wiley
has two potential block-busters
in his own barn. These are a
colt by Nashua out of the
Bimelech mare Dainty, and an
other colt by Heliopolis-one
of the great sires of this gen.
eration-out of No Strings, dam
of the famous Nail, who racked
up $250,000 in winnings. Wiley
has the only Heliopolis in the
sale and also the only produce
of Tom Fool, a fllly out of the
mare Margiana.
Completes With Self
On the same night he will
compete with himself by selling
as agent four home-breds con.
signed by Blue Ridge Farm Of
Upperville. and on Friday night
he will find his Nashua coli
matched by another from
Mereworth Farm, a major
breeder in Kentucky whose in.
terestS are also Wiley's, since
he has been paid as a consult
ant in fitting Mereworth's batch
! of "a for the sales.
While the Gilplns of Boyce
Va. are selling Is of theil
home-breds to their own &C.
count and another 10 as agent.
for other interests, their 81
does not top Wiley's % to hi.
own account and as agent, plu'
the "a where his hand ha!
added sales value to the Mere
worth produce.
In general, the Virgins
breeders this year are coming
up with many of the choice
big money prospects. Mrs
George Greenhalgh of Boyct