File:Breeder and sportsman (1892) (19788465173).jpg

Title: Breeder and sportsman
Identifier: breedersportsma211892sanf (find matches)
Year: 1882 (1880s)
Authors:
Subjects: Horses
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : (s. n. )
Contributing Library: San Francisco Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: California State Library Califa/LSTA Grant

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^§^' TWENTY-FOUR PAGES to-tesd
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at This Great Trotting- Horse Has Done for California Under Adverse Circumstances. very shipment of horses to the East from California arouses of an interest among the breeders and horsemen, than meats from other parts of the United States. The ap- ance, conformation and " finish " presented by every one .ven rise to the inquiry: "Where did these Californians ;he foundation for this class of horses? There does not to be any trace of the mustang in them, and none s if they are the descendants of horses that have been in New England, or, in fact, east of the Rocky Moun. \V This question is quite easily answered. The pioneers itrht the best animals they could find to bring to California, monly the best of those selected survived the trip, either by ai or sea; then again, the horses were not inbred" and did n»U come from one part of the United States. The owners m not prejudiced in their views, and were quick to discover â act that there were other horses and mares in California â were as good if not better than the ones they selected, so I bred with a view to improvement; the result is that in- m of a foundation of mustang. Narragansett pacer, inbred ; Jtan, cart horse or American draft horse, to build upom â had the very best-formed roadstersâanimals that were j tffi for speed and endurance. Some of the early sires were Aughbreds, but they were good thoroughbreds. In looking â â the list of founders of the race of trotting horses which is : inaking this State famous, we see the names of Jack Haw- I M General Taylor, Rattler, Williamson's Belmont, Gen. Mc- i Man, John Nelson, The Moor, St. Clair. Winthrop, Skea- j «h, Signal, Echo, Whipple's Hambletonian. Speculation, â sneer, A. W. Richmond, Blackbird and other great stal- â , including the subject of this sketch, the dark bay stallion, M-ge M. Patchen, Jr., 2:27, a sire whose progeny has been, I if is sought for by all horsemen who have learned to place â â lonest valuation upon it. ilto. M. Patchen, Jr., or, as he is sometimes called, I "fcfornia Patchen," was sired by that " father of the 4hen family," Geo. M. Patchen, 2:23); his dam was j mm as Belle (from all descriptions a beautiful, blood- k mare), by Top Bellfounder, a grandson of imported j â bander, the horse to which the trotting horse interests of ' ftftrica are more deeply indebted than to any other horse , â ever crossed the ocean, excepting, perhaps, the gray stal- â Messenger. To fully appreciate the value of Geo. M. %ien, Jr.. it becomes almost necessary to give a brief ac- jmi of his sire and what his career on the turf was. The fol- I flig short history of him was published in The Horseman, ; ; Arill prove of interest. M history of George M. Patchen is that of the greatest horse of . ; A* rly clay line. He was a -rreat trotter and a great sire, and he â ed a notable family. He was foaled nearKeyport, X. J., in 1849, ; â¢â Atlied May l. I*;:;, after earning the fame of being the greatest 4M ig stallion of hia day. He was got by the original Cassius M- I â son of Henry Clay, the founder of tbc Clay family, out of a last -Xoare by HeadVm, son of imp. Trustee. Cassiua M. Clay was then 1 by George M. Patchen. Brooklyn. X. Y., and thus the young " tfBwas named. He was a rich bay, with black points, a small star. 'f â¢flood fully 16 hands high. He was a very stoat and muscular ly- lorse with strong clean legs and soaud, good feet. His style is bed as having been "lofty and grand." As a two-year-old he â¢urchased by John Buckley of Bordentown, N*. J., for 5400, and Jocklcy sold a half interest in him to Dr. Longstreet. He was in nd from 1852 to 1858, (hough in 1855 he won a race at Philadel- nd another at the New Jersey State Fair the year following, g among others the now renowned John Nelson. In 1857, Oc- 10, at Newton, X. J., be defeated American Star and Woful in i858 Joseph Hall, of Buffalo, N*. Y.. acquired the half interest i I by Mr. Buckley, and in that year, October 28th, at Union . Rhode Island, he trotted his nrsrrace to Wagon against Ethan Allen for $1,000 a side. Ethan Allen was a seasoned horse ; Patchen was green, broke in the first heat, and was distanced. But Ethan Allen never saw the daj- that he could beat George M. Patchen again. Patchen had a busy campaign in 1859, his principal opponents being Brown Dick, Lancet and Lady Woodruff, and with them be had many a long-drawn battle, victory now being with him and now defeat. He began the campaign at Union Course. May 16th, in a race against Ethan Allen for 52,000. The _stallions were rivals. Excitement ran high, with betting heavily in favor of Ethan Allen. Ethan Allen shot away in the first heat, but Patchen collared him in the stretch and beat him home by half a length in 2:25. The next heat Patchen won easily in 2:21. Then the heart of Ethan Allen quailed, and Patchen easily won the deciding heat in 2:29. Again they met at the same course May ICth, for the same amount, to wagon. Patchen won with utmost ease in 2:27?£, 236 and 2:31. A third match was made, but the Ethan Allen party wisely paid forfeit. George M. Patchen was now the recognized champion stallion, and only Flora Temple stood between him and the kingship of the turf. And so the gauntlet was thrown to the little mare, and a race that created the wildest interest arranged. At Union Course, June 6th, the stallion gave Flora a rattlingrace, forcing her to trot in 2.21, 2:24, 2:21)^ and being at her neck in every finish. Next the mare was challenged to a race of two-mile heats,, and in this, at the same course. June 12th, Patchen defeated Flora Temple in 4:o31^. 4:57>£. Flora and Patchen then went on what looks in history a hippodroming totuyand trotted many races together. On August 2d. at the Union Course, he won a first.heat in 2:23J£, which was the fastest stallion record at that time. He was owned by William Waltermerci who had paid 320.000 for him after defeating Flora Temple at iwo-mile heats. He was not on the turf in 1861 or 1862. but in 1863 he vanquished the noted General But- ler and Harry Clay. There are other curious facts connected with this stallion that the writer has omitted: Geo. M. Patchen was the only horse sired by Cassius M, Clay thai ever (jot a record, making a mark of 2:23'. in 1860. He trotted some thirty-four heats in 2:30 or better. Cassius M. Clay, his sire, is noted as being the sire of eight sires of sixteen in the list. Geo. M. Patchen, his only campaigning son, made a splendid record while in the, stud for as a " developed " sire his game daughter Lucy, 2:18), as well as his other three in the list, Geo. M. Patchen, Jr. 2:27, Charles K Loew, 2:25) and Mary, 2:28, were all game trotters, but none of their dams were noted as producers of speedy trotters, and, according to the registration rules, none were entitled to the honor of being considered " standard " by breeding. Geo. M. Patchen sired twelve sires of forty-eight trotters and one pacer; he sired five dams of six trotters. Not one of these was by a home that is now recognized as fashion- able nor worthy of being spoken of as a building stone in the great temple of equine fame. Of the forty-nine performers by the sires above spoken of, forty are out of mares that were never celebrated for any thing else, neither were they by horses that are standard; eight of the trotters are out of mares that can be called standard ; only one is out of a mare that has a record, and that mare isBertrace Patchen, 2:2'.', out of Ber- trace, 2:27) ; she has another claim for that honor which is due Geo. M. Patchen, for the sire of the dam of Bertrace, 2:27'.^ was by a son of the old horse. It may, with truth, be ob- served, that it is not a very difficult question to solve regard- ing the potency of the paternal lines in these performers, for the blood of Geo. M. Patchen is found coursing in the veins of the gamest and most reliable trotters and pacers on the turf; it can be traced in Staniboul, 2:11 ; Hopeful, 2:14; : Globe, 2:19); Belle Hamlin, 2:12f; Roy Wilkes (pacer), 2:03) ; Gossip Jr. (pacerI, 2:13', and others. As an outcross for the blood of Harabletonian 10, it has been the means of bring- ing to our view its value, although none of the daughters of Geo. M. Patchen were ever known to be bred to the Hero of Chester, still there is little doubt but that a grand type Of horses would result from such a union. To speak of his son George M. Patchen Jr., that was brought to this country via the isthmus of Panama in 1 362, is indeed a pleasure. In the preceding month of October at Mount Holly, New Jersey, the place of his birth, he had won a stallion race while being driven by Budd Doble, and this was the first race that driver ever won. He defeated his opponent easily and got a record of 2:39. His owner, Joseph Regan, shortly after sold the horse for $2,500 to Win. Hen- drickson of this city. He showed that he could trot fast as soon as he landed and J. L. Eotf, who was then in the zenith of his glory, induced Mr. Hendrickson to take him back East. He made a match race with the great trotting horse Commo- dore Vanderbilt for $1)500 and at the famous Fashion Course Long Island, May 23, 1S66, the gallant bay from the golden shores vanquished his opponent in three straight heats. Time, 2:301, 2:30, 2:27$. A return match for §2,000 was then made and a year after at the Union Course, Long Island, he de- feated the horse with the great title. He trotted one dead heat with this horse in 2:28. Patchen was then taken to Michigan and on August 23, 1867, he defeated the gelding Fearless after losing the first heat. He was then taken to Milwaukee and defeated Molly and Dolly Dutton in three straight heats, best time, 2:27, his record. Back to New York he journeyed, where he was matched against Gen Butler and Fearless. He won the three last heats easily. Time, 2:41, 2:34) 2:32^ and 2:30), Fearless being distanced. The conquering hero met another field of horses at Newburg, New York, and came off victorious, this was his last race in 1SG7. He was becoming famous when a match was made for him at Dia- mond Beach, New York, this took place July 22, 1S6S, and again the "son of Old Patch " won the purse. A challenge was sent to his owner to trot the horse against Henry Clav Sept. 16, 186S, for §1,000, which he won easily in three straight heats, in the slow time of 2:44', 2:30) and 2:ZS). He trotted in four other races and won them and was then taken to California in 1S69. He made several seasons in Santa Clara county, changing owners several times, and was pur- ; chased in 1S77 by P. A. Finigan, who presented him to J. B. i Haggin, in whose possession the horse'sired a number of fast ( ones although he was over twenty-one years old. He was bred to a number of mares and even at the age of thirty he sired one coltj; he died the following year in 1887. A remarkable circumstance in the career of Patchen in California was his falling into the hands of John Mackev, who had just arrived in California, and was not troubled with much of this world's goods. William Hendrickson, while talking with him and seeing that he was very bright and an enthusiastic horseman, gave him charge of Patchen at once, and his great trot against time in Sacramento, also his two matches against Filmore immediately after i mile and two mile heats), which he won in a hollow fashion, brought John before the public as a master hand. Mr. Haggin immediately secured his services and the public knows what has since grown out of it. In appearance Geo. M. Patchen, Jr., was a very large type of a trotting horse. He stood about lb* hands in height, his color was a very dark mahogany bay, the skin and hair were very 1 fine, the veins could be plainly seen on his arms and gaskins. 1 Here^embled the Bellfounder family in conformation, having heavy quarters and strong shoulders; his neck was not of great ' length, it was crested ; his head was long, clean and bonev, wide ; under the jowlsand well set on the neck. His ears were wide apart and rather long. He was large around the girth measur- j ing more than most horses of his height. His legs were well set under him the joints large and straight. His hocks were as ; clean at the time of his death as they were when he was a four- year old. Mis cannon bones were short and bis feet wore per- fect. In disposition in his early career he was kind and gentle-, but long campaigning and old age soured him, and at times : he became very ugly. Inaction, he was perfectly pnre-gaited. He never needed boots, and was what is called a line trotter. The following is a complete list of his 2:30 performers, and . many a breeder would like to trace their stock to one of them

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