The grand assemblage of so many great trotters at the Fashion Stud Farm, and all for the purpose of breeding, was the subject of much comment among breeders from one end of the land to the other, and not a few pronounced it all wrong and that it would be succeeded by failure. Mr. Smith lacked some of the elements that go toward making a man popular, and hence, in many cases, there was not much sympathy between him and his brother breeders, but he held tenaciously to the central truth that the way to breed high-class trotters was to mate high-class trotters. His experience has clearly demonstrated the soundness of this canon of breeding, and it has just as clearly demonstrated the unsoundness of the notion that high-class trotters can be bred from animals that never trotted and never could be made to trot. The law, as we have taught it for years, has been vindicated, and that by experiences so wide and so complete that it can no longer be controverted. Mr. Smith has achieved a great honor, and as a producer of high-class speed he stands at the head of all American trotting-horse breeders.
As we have now considered a great triumph, with the causes that led up to it and the lesson it has taught, it seems to be in order to give an example of a great failure and the causes which have produced it. For more than forty years Woodburn Farm, in Kentucky, has been breeding trotters, and up to the close of 1896 just four with records of 2:15 or better have hailed from that great establishment. During all these years, and until Palo Alto Farm was established, Woodburn was the largest establishment in this country. With thousands of broad acres of the most productive soil, with the possession and control of money without limit, and with the experiences of forty years in which to select and breed only to the best, it is the natural and reasonable expectation of everybody interested in the question of breeding the trotter to look to Woodburn as leading all other establishments in the whole world in the production of first-class trotters. And what has Woodburn done? With her experiences of forty years, with all her broad acres and boundless wealth, up to the close of 1896 she has produced just four trotters with records of 2:15 or better. Instead of leading all others, she is at the wrong end of the procession, and if we consider the proportional advantages involved, we find that “all others,” little and big, are leading her. By referring to the above list of breeders that have produced three or more with records of 2:15 or better, we find that Henry N. Smith has produced thirteen, that William Corbett, from his little stud in California, has produced nine, and that the late William H. Wilson, of Cynthiana, Kentucky, from his little band of mares, and without either broad acres or money, has produced eight within the past twelve or fifteen years, and all except one by the same horse. This places Mr. Wilson first among all Kentucky breeders. In the short period of its existence Glenview Farm produced six, and the quite unpretentious farmer, Mr. Timothy Anglin, produced five; W. C. France and Colonel R. G. Stoner produced four each—the same number as Woodburn—but they did not require forty years to accomplish it. Thus the breeding world, with “the little fellows” on top, has gone away ahead and left Woodburn to mumble over her “tin cups,” and exult in the many triumphs she has won against the watch in 2:30. The policy of Woodburn for years past seems to have been to hold the lead of Kentucky breeders in the production of 2:30 trotters, and to this end the youngsters are put in training in the early spring and kept at it till the frosts come, when such of them as are sure to win are brought out and started against the watch, for a “tin cup,” and these are the victories that Woodburn wins. Nobody has ever heard of Woodburn entering a youngster in a stake where he would have to win on his merits. That would be bringing him down to an equality with the colts of such people as William H. Wilson, Colonel R. G. Stoner, Farmer Timothy Anglin, and all the other “little fellows.” Woodburn has made a great deal of money out of these humbug tin-cup records, and as registration and the standard are now absolutely under the control of her manager, the 2:30-tin-cup still remains the evidence of a fast trotter, worthy of standard rank. True, everybody nowadays laughs at the idea that 2:30, with the “tin cup,” is any evidence of even reputable speed, but as they have given a certain kind of pre-eminence and made money in the past, the twins will not be separated, but will hold their places just as long as the standard is under the present control.
From this brief examination of the symptoms I think a safe diagnosis can be made. The trouble seems to be twofold, or it may be said there are two troubles, either one of which is dangerous, but the two together may prove fatal in the end. It is a well-known fact in veterinary science that there are certain diseases among horses that may be communicated to the men who have them in charge. There is one disease, vulgarly called “big-head,” that comes creeping upon its victim before he is aware of its existence or approach, and against the insidious steps of this destroyer the manager at Woodburn should be affectionately warned. Sham records of 2:30 for standard rank are no longer welcomed with enthusiasm in this country. The other trouble is not so much with the manager as with the material which he manages, which seems to be affected with what may be called “dry-rot.” This view of the non-productive character of the Woodburn breeding stock, when measured by first-class performers, seems to be borne out by the fact that the names of those gentlemen who have depended most largely on Woodburn blood do not appear on the foregoing list as the producers of first-class trotters. For about forty years the fame of Woodburn as the greatest of all our breeding establishments has been as wide as the boundaries of the nation. But notwithstanding the weight and influence which great wealth and an unblemished name may have secured, the records up to the close of the year 1896 have deposed her from the first rank as a breeder of trotting horses, and sent her away to the rear, where she now occupies her true place in the eighth rank. It is well known to everybody that, since the days of the first Mr. Alexander, Woodburn has never entered a colt in a stake nor started one against other people’s colts, prize or no prize. This air of assumed superiority is sought to be explained on high moral grounds against the evils of horse-racing. This is like the man who never tasted whisky for conscience’ sake, in view of the great evil it was doing in the world, and yet he was the chief owner in a large distillery. At the great local meetings in Kentucky practically all the breeding establishments of that region, except Woodburn, are represented in the stakes, and while they are being contested Woodburn will come in with a string of youngsters, between the heats, and win sham records in 2:30 for “tin cups.” Depending on this kind of test and this kind of development, it is not remarkable that all the small breeders of the State have left Woodburn in the rear. This shining example of failure teaches unmistakably the necessity of honest and full development of breeding stock in order to produce high-class trotters.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
HOW THE TROTTING HOUSE IS BRED (Continued).
Breeding the trotter intelligently an industry of modern development—Plethora of turf papers, and their timidity of the truth—The accepted theories, old and new—Failure of the “thoroughbred blood in the trotter” idea—“Thoroughbred foundations,” and the Register—“Like begets like,” the great central truth—Long-continued efforts to breed trotters from runners —New York the original source of supply of trotting blood to all the States—Kentucky’s beginning in breeding trotters—R. A. Alexander, and the founding of Woodburn—The “infallibility” of Woodburn pedigrees—Refusal to enter fictitious crosses in the Register and the results—The genesis and history of the standard—Its objects, effects and influence —Establishing the breed of trotters—The Kentucky or “Pinafore” standard —Its purposes analyzed—The “Breeders’ Trotting Stud Book” and how it was compiled—Failure and collapse of the Kentucky project—Another unsuccessful attempt to capture the Register—How honest administration of the Register made enemies—The National Breeder’s Association and the Chicago Convention—Detailed history of the sale and transfer of the Register, the events that led up to it, and the results—Personal satisfaction and benefits from the transfer, and the years of rest and congenial study in preparing this book—The end.
All that American breeders know about producing the trotting horse they have learned in the past twenty-five years. In that short period this interest has developed from practically nothing into a great national industry that has placed this country in front of all the nations of the earth in the character, quality and speed of the light harness horse. It is true we had the “raw material” out of which to build up this new breed, and this had been in our possession we may say for generations, but we didn’t know how to use it. There may be some apparent indelicacy in making the remark, but I think every intelligent man who is acquainted with the subject will sustain me in saying that, had it not been for the compilation of the “Trotting Register” and Wallace’s Monthly, with the facts, statistics and reasonings which were developed through them, we would know no more about the trotter today than we did thirty years ago. The trotting horse, therefore, as we contemplate him in his position of superiority to all others of his kind, is simply the result of great labor in collecting the facts and sound reasoning from the lessons taught by those facts. With all the facts placed in his hand, any breeder of intelligence, if he were honest, could not fail to reach the truth; but, unfortunately, all breeders have never learned to divest themselves of their prejudices, and to accept the plain teachings of the facts, just as they are.
To be able to think intelligently and honestly and to reason soundly, is the first requisite to success in breeding the trotter. It is a seeming paradox, but it is nevertheless true, that many men who are able to think a little are not able to think honestly. It is easy to understand why a man may act dishonestly, for there is the hope of gain to impel him; but why he should think dishonestly is not so apparent. Let us illustrate this matter of thinking dishonestly. On an occasion a correspondent asked a breeding journal to give a list of the thoroughbred horses that had sired trotters. A list of horses, represented as thoroughbred in the reply, was given, embracing some ten or twelve, about half of which were either unknown or dependent upon the most flimsy kind of representation as to their blood. It is not with the actual misrepresentation of the blood of most of the animals named, but with the use that was made of the list that I will now speak. After accepting the list as true and genuine, the correspondent comes before the public with his conclusions. He shows that these dozen performers from about as many horses made an average record of 2:24 and a fraction, and then triumphantly raises the question whether any single trotting-bred sire can show as many performers with as low an average record. Having satisfied himself that all the running-bred sires, real and imaginary, put together could more than equal any one trotting-bred sire in the average high rate of speed, he reaches the profound conclusion that the way to breed the trotter is to go to the runner. This is a real and not an imaginary instance of a few years ago. No doubt this man thought he was thinking when he reached this conclusion, and that he had solved the problem of breeding the trotter; but, poor man, he was simply trying to advertise a half-and-half-bred stallion he had in his stable.
I have no old scores to pay off against the breeding and sporting press, for I generally managed to pay them off as we went along, and the triumph of the views I advanced and sustained has become sufficiently complete to satisfy the most fastidious. It seems to be a real misfortune that there are so many weekly journals in this field and most of them leading a precarious existence. It may be observed in most directions that the management of these journals is hesitating and timid, as though afraid that somebody might be offended and a five or ten-dollar advertisement lost thereby. It is all right to make the advertising patronage remunerative, but it is all wrong when that department is placed in control of all the others, from the fear that somebody may be offended if the truth be told. In the present depressed condition of the breeding interests, and indeed of all interests, the horsemen of the whole country feel that they are carrying too heavy a burden in supporting so many papers, and the question of the “survival of the fittest” is already imminent. But, whatever the present financial and intellectual condition of the breeding and sporting publications of the country may be, a number of them have had their part in the discussions and wrangles that were naturally coincident with the progress of the revolution on the question of breeding the trotter, which finally brushed everything out of its way and fully established the truth of the laws of inheritance. Twenty-five years ago there was a good number of intelligent and capable writers on the horse, and they were either engaged in editing horse papers or contributed to them, and one and all they were handicapped with the idea, inherited from their fathers, that whatever of excellence that was found in the American horse came from the English race horse, and that all the speed, at any gait, that he was able to show came from the same source. From this absurd fallacy, it naturally followed that speed at the trot was merely the result of accident or of the persistent skill of the trainer. This was, substantially, the view of the general public at that date.