In a personal letter from his son, Mr. Allen Campbell, who is also manager of Cleburne Farm, he writes that they have some of the greatest colts and Jerseys ever seen at that famous nursery. Several of their colts are showing extreme speed, among them being the young son of Brown Hal, dam by Bay Tom, that Cleburne Farm has reserved to take Brown Hal’s place. He is showing 2:10 speed as a three-year-old. Two colts by Direct 2:05 1/2, one out of the dam of Twinkle 2:06 1/2, are showing up very fast. Trainer John Walker has a dozen head of Mr. Geers’ stable training them at Cleburne’s famous mile track.
Speaking of John R. Gentry’s influence at Ewell Farm Mr. Geo. Campbell Brown writes:
“It is the aim of Ewell Farm to breed beauty and let speed stand as a secondary consideration, and for this reason it continues the use of McEwen, one of the grandest individuals in the country, as shown by his long list of showing prizes and of John R. Gentry, a horse of perfect conformation and unbeaten in the show ring.
“The Hal strain at Ewell Farm is being perpetuated by Hal Brown, certainly one of the most successful young sires of that breed.
“The brood mares at Ewell Farm are in proportion to the numbers owned there, the greatest collection of producers in the United States. No less than four have produced four each to beat 2:30, and ten are producers of 2:10 or better horses, while one has thrown a world’s champion.
“The blood of Sweepstakes, dam of Star Pointer, is better represented at Ewell Farm than at any other farm in the country. Two of her granddaughters, Mabel Best and Windsweep, daughters of Villette, sister to Star Pointer, being owned there, and both have foals by John R. Gentry.
“Of the dozen yearlings at Ewell Farm by John R. Gentry, only one has been trained, and he a trotter can now show a 2:52 gait. He will certainly make a great trotter.
“A three-year-old trotter by this great sire has beaten 2:20, and a three-year-old pacer, Gentry’s Star, can pace a mile in 2:10. The unparalleled beauty and speed of the youngsters by John R. Gentry foreshadows his future fame as a sire, and it is a safe prediction that he will more than equal his sire, Ashland Wilkes, that has for several years been the leading sire of new 2:30 performers. Analysis of records in John R. Gentry’s pedigree show him to be the fastest and best son of Ashland Wilkes. This horse is in turn the best representative of Red Wilkes, the greatest speed sire of all the sons of George Wilkes, whose strain has been preeminent in the trotting world for twenty-five years.”