The late Mr. Pierre Lorillard (the only American who has attained the distinction of winning the classic event of the world, the English Derby, with a horse of his own breeding), was a patron of Hambletonian—the youngsters being raised on one of his Tuxedo farms. R. F. Galloway near Turner was a breeder to Abdallah and Hambletonian. Guy Wilkes cost him $500 at three years, at seven years he dealt this horse to E. W. Teakle, receiving the famous Princess, 2.30 and $3,500. Princess had been bred to Hambletonian and the next spring (1863), gave birth to Happy Medium, 2.32-1/2, that in February of 1871, was sold to Robert Steel of Philadelphia, Pa., for $25,000.
Near Newburgh, Mr. Jas. Hasbrouck bred horses, and on his half-mile track, Judge Fullerton, Mountain Boy, Music and others received their harness education and acquired great speed. Mr. Aymar Van Buren, always a horse lover, procured from Wm. M. Rysdyk, Molly, daughter of Long Island Black Hawk and Betsy by Imp. Belfounder, from Hambletonian and Molly, Mr. Van Buren bred Effie Deans, 2.25-1/2 and Lottie, 2.28, placing Molly in the great brood mare list. This was in the seventies and Mr. Van Buren is still breeding and finding pleasure with his horses. Mr. J. A. P. Ramsdell is breeding The Arab, that retains the beautiful type, great courage and endurance of his desert ancestry.
At Goshen in the early days of trotting horses were J. S. Edsall, owner of the famous Alexander's Abdallah, also breeder of Fleetwing (dam of Stamboul. 2.07-1/2). John Minchen, later owned a stock farm at Stony Ford with Young Woeful and Tom Mare for stud service. This John Minchen farm was later purchased by General Benjamin F. Tracy and called Marshland stud. It was stocked with trotters impotent blood: Advertiser, 2.15, sire of the world's fastest yearling trotter, Adbell, 2.23 and others; Lord of the Manor, by Mambrino King "handsomest horse in the world," and Kiosk, a son of Kremlin, champion trotting stallion of 1892. The brood mares were choice and it was a great loss to Orange County when General Tracy discontinued breeding at this farm.
Mr. Geo. S. Wisner bred Samson and other most excellent horses at his farm. Edmund Seely owned American Star, a horse that by his unique, open, stride, great courage, quality of endurance that served him through great hardship to the end of his days, without blemish, made the breeding on qualities of his progeny a wonderful contribution to our American trotters.
Parkway Farm, made one of the real beauty spots of Goshen by the late owner, Senator McCarty, takes the highest rank as a breeding establishment, with the great Joe Patchen (the iron horse), sire of the wonderful horse, Dan Patch and other performers. The form of Joe Patchen is such that his services are sought from every section in this country.
When Mr. E. H. Harriman paid $41,000 for Stamboul to place at the head of his Arden Farms Breeding establishment at Goshen, he became the owner of a champion, whether on the turf or in the show ring. When Elsie S. by Stamboul (bred by Mr. Harriman) defeated Mr. Marcus Daly's Limerick in the $5,000 match race at Goshen, 1898, the joy of Orange County breeders was complete.
Mr. Harriman's patronage has had a wonderful influence in uplifting and popularizing the sport of competition of the light harness horse in Orange County.
[CHAPTER XL.]
DAIRYING
For some seventy-five years past the most important crops produced on the Orange County farm has been, and is to-day, milk. This alone exceeds the combined value of all else the farmer produces. All other crops are gathered once a year only, but a new crop of milk is in evidence every day, Sundays and holidays included. Under existing conditions the producer has no difficulty in disposing of all he can make at a market so close at hand that it can be delivered within an hour from the time it is drawn from the cow. Thus it is a continual source of ready and regular revenue.