--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - A. W. Ivins collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 7 number: 7 published: 1904-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'A. W. Ivins, "Kentucky Belle. II," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 7 (May 1904): 489–500.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0707unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0707unse start_page: 489 end_page: 500 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0707unse publication_year: 1904 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Kentucky Belle. II KENTUCKY BELLE. BY PRESIDENT A. W. IVINS, COLONIA JUAREZ, MEXICO. V.— FOURTH OF JULY RACES IN THE WEST- Thus the summer passed, and the frosty nights of fall had come, when, one day, Sandy came to the pasture to get a saddle- horse. Driving the horses into a corner of the pasture fence, Belle among the number, he swung his lariat, which shot forward with a hissing sound over the head of the horse he wanted. The horse stood near Belle, and the lariat, as it passed her, so fright- ened her that she jumped over the fence and galloped across the bottom to the house. Sandy noticed with what ease the colt had cleared the fence, a thing no horse had ever attempted before, and said to himself: "Why, that colt is a cracker-jack, I wonder if she can't run a little? Say, I would just like to beat the fellows up at the L. H. ranch with her; they think their horse is a world- beater." And Sandy looked serious, as he remembered how the L. H. boys had carried off all of the honors, and about all of the cash, at the Fourth of July celebration, at Carson City, that year. Sandy gave the colt more than usual attention that winter. He rode her out occasionally, and it soon began to be whispered around among the cow-boys that the orphan, as they called her, was the fastest thing on the ranch. "Why, she just makes a show of Humboldt Maid," said Sandy, referring to the powerful sorrel which had won the races at Carson the year before. The Fourth of July was a great day in Humboldt county. It was the one day in the year when people gathered at Carson City, from far and near to "celebrate." To use a western phrase, the town was "wide open," on the 4th, and the pent-up energy of hundreds of miners, prospectors, ranch-men and cow-boys, with a sprinkling of Indians, was released with a roar, like the escape of steam from a locomotive when the throttle is thrown open. The celebration of the national holiday, in 1870, was the most interesting since Nevada was admitted into the Union, in 1864. The great overland railroad had been completed, bringing the East and the West in close touch with each other; and, to the usual gather- ing of miners and ranch-men, there were added many men who had been employed on the work of construction, and who, when the work was completed, had remained to seek their fortunes in the West. Besides these, there were passengers who had been in- duced to stop over to witness a typical western celebration, the most important since the "Mormons" settled in the Carson valley in 1851. Salutes were fired in the morning by exploding deep blasts which had been put in the day before, a procession was formed showing Nevada as it was and as it is, and orators grew eloquent as they referred to the great future of the state, the patriotism of her sons, and heroism of her daughters, the wealth of her mines, and the importance of her ranch interests. The greatest feature of the day, however, was the horse- races which were to take nlace at three o'clock in the afternoon. Horses had been brought in from many ranches, and groups of cow-boys discussed with animation their favorites, and backed their judgment recklessly, as long as their money lasted. The boys were there from the L. H. ranch with their horse, still ready to back him against all comers. Humboldt Maid was there, and the Sparks people had a horse brought in from Cali- fornia which was said to be very fast. The most dangerous candidate was a bay horse, with a blaze face and white feet, belonging to Theodore Winters. Someone said he was a son of Norfolk, and that his mother was a thorough- bred mare, but as very few of the boys had ever heard of Nor- folk, or his father, the great Lexington, and did not know what the word thoroughbred really meant, they were quite as ready to bet against the white-faced horse as any other. KENTUCKY BELLE. 491 Sandy Snyder took very little part in the conversation which preceded the race. He had obtained permission from Ryan to prepare Kentucky Belle for the races, and had intimated his inten- tion to enter her against the best horse on the track. The first race was a quarter mile dash, in which the L. H. horse, the Sparks entry, Humholdt Maid, and the Winters horse, which the owner called Patsy Duffy, were the entries. "I am just putting my horse in this race for exercise," said Winters, "to work her out for the half mile dash which is to follow." There was the usual delay in starting, each rider jockeying for position, but the starter finally got them off, and with a great rush the four horses dashed over the line. Humboldt Maid set the pace, and at the end of a hundred yards led the bunch by an open length, thus greatly increasing the enthusiasm of the boys from the Ryan ranch. At the end of the second hundred yards, the L. H. horse had closed up the gap and was running neck and neck with Humboldt Maid, but at this point the Sparks horse and Patsy Duffy, which had been running slightly in the rear, swept past the others, and engaged in a desperate struggle for the wire, the lat- ter horse finishing a neck ahead of his opponent, with the others "nowhere," the boys said. Interest now centered in the bay horse, as it began to be whispered that Winters had been to Kentucky where he had bought Norfolk, a thoroughbred son of Lexington, paying $15,000 for him, and that Patsy Duffv was one of Norfolk's sons, and his mother a thoroughbred mare. The Sparks horse had also been brought from the East. These two were the first thoroughbreds seen in Nevada, and this was the first lesson taught to the people of the state by which they learned that it required breeding to produce speed There were but three entries for the half mile dash, Patsy Daffy, Santa Clara, a mare brought from Virginia City by John McKay, and Kentucky Belle, entered by Sandy Snyder of Ryan's ranch. The form shown by the Winters horse in the previous race made him a favorite in the betting. The Virginia City con- tingent backed McKay's mare, while the boys from Ryan's ranch put up all the money they had on Kentucky Belle. When the horses were brought out on the track to warm up for the race, the superiority of the sorrel mare over either of her opponents, was clearly visible. All three were very fine looking horses, and for the first time in her life Belle saw horses that looked as she did in a general way. The same long necks, the same strong backs, the same powerful quarters, the same slender legs, with muscles standing out strong and firm as bands of steel, each horse, to one who knew, showed his superiority over the com- mon breed, which up to date had been the only kind seen in the state of Nevada, a superiority which was due to many generations of careful selection of superior animals in breeding. As the time for starting the horses approached, odds of two to one, and then five to one, were liberally offered on Patsy Duffy against the field. A quiet, unassuming man had been moving around among the crowd, taking a bet here and another there, but no one semed to notice that he was placing his money on Kentucky Belle. "Where was this mare bred?" he asked Sandy, as the latter passed up the track. "Down at Ryan's ranch," was the reply. "What is her pedigree?" "Don't know, she's just horse," and the boy rode on. "Strange," said the man, "she has the appearance of a thor- oughbred, and a very fine one, too; she must be well bred. It may never be known, she may remain in obscurity all of her life, but the fact remains that no mare ever looked like her, so graceful, and self-possessed, except a born patrician." He took a watch from his pocket, a watch different from any ever seen in Carson before, snapped the sweep-second, to see that it was in proper order, and taking a position at the outcome, asked the starter to please drop his hat when the horse crossed the starting line. As the three horses dashed over the line at the outcome, with Kentucky Belle an open length ahead of Patsy Duffy, and the Vir- ginia City mare far in the rear, a great shout went up from the crowd, while the boys from Ryan's ranch loudly challenged any horse in the state to run any distance, from one jump to ten miles. The stranger stared at his watch for a moment in wonder. KENTUCKY BELLE. 493 Was there some mistake, or had the half mile been covered in 48| seconds, as the hand indicated? He walked over to where Tim Ryan stood participating in the celebration which his employes had inaugurated because of their victory. "I understand the mare which won the race just run, belongs to you," he said, addressing Ryan, "where did you get her?" "Raised her down at the ranch." "What is her breeding?" "Don't know. I bought her dam from an emigrant, don't know anything about her sire." VI.— THE SALE AND JOURNEY EAST. The stranger turned away, and looked at the mare which was '' being led down the track by her rider. Strange," he said. "She looks like a thoroughbred, an exceptionally fine one, too; she ran that half in record time. I do not understand it. No horse but a thoroughbred ever ran a half mile in 48-§ seconds, and she looks all right; still, no matter how she looks, without breeding, she is of very little value. I have seen horses before that looked fine, but had no breeding, and when it came to the test, they always failed; on the other hand, some ordinary horses, horses which would not be appreciated by this crowd of men at all, because of their appearance, but whose breeding was good, have surprised the natives. This mare is a good looker, and the ease with which she went that half mile indicates that she can go any distance I'll do — it anyhow." He walked back to where Tim Ryan stood. "What is your mare worth?" he asked. "Well, I counted her worth about a hundred dollars," said Ryan, "but since she won this race I reckon she is worth about one hundred and fifty." "Will you rake that for her?" "Yes." The stranger drew a roll of bills from his pocket, and counted out the amount, at the same time handing Ryan a card. He looked at it and read, John Harper, Blue Grass Stud, Lexington, Ky. Sandy protested. He would give more than that for the mare himself; he knew that if Nora was at home she would never consent to the sale, but Nora was away at Oakland, in school, and her father had plenty of horses, he was glad to let the mare go. That night Belle was taken to a livery stable, the first she had ever been in. She had a box stall all to herself, with a clean bed of straw, and plenty of hay and oats to eat. It was a new life, but still she seemed to be entirely at home. Horses from adjacent ranches were put in the stable for the night, some of which made a great deal of noise and confusion, snorting and kicking, and the L. H. horse finally had to be taken out of the barn, and turned in an adjacent yard, he was so nervous and frightened, at what he saw inside. The sorrel mare, after eating her supper, lay down and slept. Although she did not know it, her surroundings were what nature intended, and unconsciously she adapted herself to them. The following morning, Belle was taken from the stable, and led down to the railroad station, and up on a platform, where stood a car with open door. She had often seen the cars pass along the valley near the ranch, but had never been so near them before, and it frightened her and made her nervous, but the man who led her spoke kindly, and she followed him from the platform through the open door into the car. The car was clean, the floor covered with straw, and in the manger, along the side, there was hay and oats. She felt lonesome when the man who had led her in took off the halter and closed the door of the car, as he went out; and a few moments later, when the whistle blew, and the car began to move, she was frightened; but, remembering that she had often heard the whistle blow, and that it had not hurt her, she was soon at ease. As the train sped past Ryan's ranch she looked out through the slats, on the side of the car, and whinnied, but no one seemed to see her, and the ranch was soon out of sight. The train frequently stopped, and each time the man who had led her into the car came and looked in and talked to her, and gave her water and feed, so that she came to quite enjoy her long ride. After six days of this kind of life, the train stopped one day at a station, and after backing and going forward, the car was stopped along side of a platform similar to the one she had entered KENTUCKY BELLE. 495 the car from, at Carson; the car door was opened, and the man who had accompanied her on her long journey came in, and putting a halter on, led her out on the platform and down an incline to the ground, where several men stood. Among them, she recognized the man who had bought her at Carson City. VII.— LIFE IN KENTUCKY. "Well, John," said one of the men, after she had been care- fully looked over, "she is a beauty, but what good is she without a pedigree? No matter how well she looks, if she has bad blood in her veins, it will crop out in her colts, and they will be worth- less; you know if there was a bad trait in her ancestors, it takes generations of careful breeding to get it out. I see no advantage in experimenting with mares of unknown blood, when we have so many at the ranch whose breeding is unexcelled." "I know, father, that you are correct," said the young man, "but cannot believe that this mare is inferior to anything we have. She certainly is the equal in appearance, I know she has the speed, and I hope some day to be able to establish her breeding." As the mare was led through the streets, she wondered where so many people came from, and what they did with all of those large buildings, and what made the people appear so different from those in Nevada. She noticed that both men and women stopped to look at her, as she walked along the street, and that many com- plimentary remarks were made, something she had never heard before. Finally the man who led her, left the city, and went out on a country road, with fields and trees on either side, and after follow- ing this for a short distance, went in at a gate, over which she saw painted in large letters, Blue Grass Stud. She was led down an avenue, past a comfortable homestead, through yards enclosed by tight board fences, past a large barn, and through a gate where the man removed the halter and left her entirely free. She was in a pasture such as she had never seen before, but very much re- sembled what her mother had described as her old home. The ground was rolling and covered with grass, with here and there a clump of trees which shaded a spring of cool water; there were no rocks to hurt her feet, and when she cropped the grass she was surprised to find it so much sweeter than the grass on the Humboldt. There were a number of horses in the enclosure, horses which did not look like those at the Ryan ranch: they were more like her mother, and she felt very pleased to be with them. She tried to be sociable; but try as she would, she could not get acquainted. They were not rude, like the Nevada horses, they did not bite and kick, but when she went to where they were feeding, they quietly moved away and left her alone. This made her very sad, for she felt that these horses were far superior to any she had ever known before, and greatly desired their friendship and society. One day a very fine looking mare came over to where she stood, under a tree, and said, "My dear, we can all see that you are unhappy, and we surmise that the reason is you are lonely, and wonder why we do not admit you to our society; I have come over to ask you regarding your history, and what guarantee of good breeding you bring with you." Belle related her history, as well as she could, and when she had finished, the mare said: "You know there is not a horse in this pasture which is not a thoroughbred. Our names, and the names of our ancestors, are all recorded in the National Thoroughbred Register, and each of us has a certificate setting forth the achievements of our ancestors. We regret very much that we cannot admit you to our circle, for we admire your appearance, and your conduct, since your arrival, has been all that we could demand; but you yourself see how dangerous it would be, for if, after taking such great pains to keep our blood pure and uncon- taminated, we should admit horses of unknown breeding, our race would soon degenerate. If your breeding could only be estab- lished, we would take pleasure in acknowledging you as our equal." And so Belle was left alone to enjoy the changed condition of life as best she could. She felt very happy, were it not for the fact that she wanted company, and she could hardly understand why her new companions, which seemed so much like her in tem- perament and appearance, should be so exclusive. Thus a month passed, and then she was taken from the pasture to the barn, where very nice quarters were provided. A man kept her stall clean, and rubbed her down every day, after which a boy KENTUCKY BELLE. 497 put a very light saddle on, and rode her out, through fields and towns, along shady lanes, and broad, smooth roads. She greatly enjoyed these outings; she saw so many new and interesting things. At 'first the boy rode her very slowly, then he would gallop her, and after a couple of weeks of this kind of exercise, he would sometimes allow her to run for a short distance, as fast as she chose. One day, instead of going over the usual route for exercise, the boy rode her out to a field where there was a broad, circular track, very smooth, and soft to her feet, and galloped her round the circle several times. This was repeated every day for several weeks, until one morning, when they went out earlier than usual, they found Mr. Harper already there. He gave some instructions to the boy, and then, taking a watch from his pocket, the same as he had used at Carson City, stood under the wire which was stretched over the track, while the boy rode her back a short dis- tance, and then, turning her suddenly, urged her toward the wire at full speed. She felt very strong and supple, and dashed away under a strong pull on the bit. As she sped along, the boy gradu- ally urged her till she was running as fast as she possibly could, and so continued till she had finished the circle to where Mr. Harper stood. He rubbed her neck and seemed very pleased, as she came walking back to where he was, and said something to the boy, who took her back to the barn, and that was the last day that he rode her. Her stall was kept cleaner than ever before, and she had more attention. Another boy rode her out every day, but there was no more galloping, he just walked her round a few hours, and then returned her to the barn. VIII.— THE DERBY— BLOOD AND BREEDING TELL. The Kentucky Derby of 1871 has gone down to history as the most sensational and remarkable since the great classical race was inaugurated. Thousands of people had gathered at Lexington, from parts of the Union, and many horses had been different brought in which had been declared candidates for entry the year before; but, as the day for the race approached, the superiority of six horses had become so evident that all others had been with- drawn. Charles Reed had brought Long Taw, the celebrated son of Longfellow, over from Tennessee. Hindoo was entered by Col. Bruce, of the Elmwood Stud; Spendthrift, by the Breckenridge Stud; Lorillard Bros., of New York, were represented by Bonnie Scotland, while John Harper had two entries, Luke Blackburn, a horse which as yet had not been beaten, and Kentucky Belle. At one o'clock, on Wednesday, June 7, 1871, a great con- course of people began to pour into the enclosure, near Lexing- ton, where the Derby was to be run. Merchants, tradesmen, breeders, planters, and men without occupations, all seemed im- bued with the same enthusiasm, for, to be born in Kentucky was to love horses, and the Derby was the event which decided the equine hero that should be referred to as king for the ensuing year. No less celebrated for handsome women than for good horses, the beauty and chivalry of the state were assembled in the grand stand which presented an animating appearance, for not only Ken- tucky, but the entire South was represented, and the scene was an inspiring one. In the field were hundreds of carriages, filled with eager, enthusiastic people. Boys distributed score cards among the crowd, while book- makers cried the odds offered on the different horses. The people discussed the chances of each candidate, and backed their judg- ment recklessly with cash. A rumor was circulated that Hindoo had developed great speed, in his trials, and he was made the favorite in the betting, with Luke Blackburn a close second. The Tennessee contingent backed Long Taw, without limit; while the New Yorkers, who seemed to have money to burn, were equally loyal to Bonnie Scot- land. The only horse which had no friends was Kentucky Belle. The breeding of the others was so well known that it needed no com- ment. The score card read, John Harper, Blue Grass Stud, Luke Blackburn, by Imported Leamington, Dam Hypathia, by Lexing- ton. Kentucky Belle, breeding unknown. Cheers greeted each candidate as he came from the paddock, Hindoo and Luke Blackburn receiving the greater applause. They KENTUCKY BELLE. 499 were both Kentucky horses, and Kentucky enthusiasm was there to maintain the prestige of the Blue Grass State against all comers. Kentucky Belle was the last to appear, and as the mare walked past the grand stand, her head up, ears erect, and widely dilated nostrils, her velvety coat mirrored in the afternoon sun, and her magnificent proportions displayed, for the first time on a Kentucky race course, a momentary hush came over the multitude, then a great, spontaneous cheer went up, as the mare passed down the track. Breeding, obscurity, all was for the moment forgotten, they only thought of the beauty of the horse before them, to a Ken- tuckian, (except his wife, daughter or sweetheart), the most beau- tiful object on earth. It was noticed that John Harper's leading ."jockey, Murphy, was mounted on the mare, a fact which created no little comment and surprise. The course was oblong in form, and measured a mile around, but as the race was one and one-fourth miles, the horses went back a quarter of a mile from the outcome, to start. They were soon away, and presented a magnificent spectacle, as they dashed past the grand stand closely bunched together. At the end of the first half mile, Long Taw was running slightly in the lead, with Bonnie Scotland a very close second, the other horses were close up, with Kentucky Belle slightly in the rear. As the horses swung into the last half mile of the race, Hin- doo and Luke Blackburn had moved up, and were running on equal terms with the leaders. Gradually, they forged ahead, and the shouts from the assembly showed that Kentucky prestige was safe for another year. Interest now centered in the struggle of the two favorites, and shouts of encouragement were heard from the supporters of each. But now an unexpected thing occurred! The horses were only a quarter of a mile from the wire, and were running neck and neck, when Luke Blackburn gradually fell back, greatly to the disappointment of his many admirers. Another unexpected occurrence took place. Kentucky Belle had been running slightly in the rear, but now she passed Bonnie Scotland, passed Long Taw, passed Luke Blackburn, and was slow- ly but surely gaining on Hindoo ! The latter, apparently realizing the new danger, lengthened his stride, and responded nobly to the encouragement of his jockey, but to no purpose; he could not shake the mare off. He saw her at his saddle girth, then at his shoulder, then the two appeared to run on even terms for a mo- ment, and the wire was passed. The great crowd was speechless. Was it a dead heat? But when the sign board was hung out, upon which was written, Kentucky Belle, first; Hindoo, second; Bonnie Scotland, third; time, 1:59^, the pent-up enthusiasm was given full vent. It was pronounced the greatest Derby ever run. A few days later, in the issue of the Courier Journal, the following appeared: The unprecedented result of the Derby, which was run last Wednes- day, and in which Kentucky Belle, a mare of unknown breeding, beat the best horses in the state, in the classic event, is now explained. Among the spectators in grand stand was John Marshall, who the formerly lived with his father, near Lexington, and who moved with the family to California, in 1866.Old timers well remember Col. Marshall, and his mare Kentucky Belle, which won both the Oaks and Derby in 1860. When Mr. Marshall saw the mare on the track Wednesday, he was struck with her resemblance to the mare owned by his father, and by the further coincidence that she bore the same name. After the race, he called at the Blue Grass farm, and learned that Mr. Harper had bought the mare from one Ryan, of Carson, Nevada. Mr. Harper was delighted to learn that the mother of this colt was traded to Ryan by Col. Marshall, while on his way to California, and that before leaving Kentucky she was bred to the great Longfellow, which at that time be- longed to Mr. Harper. Her mother was by Lexington, out of a mare by Stark. Thus the fact is again vindicated, that a descendant of Derby winners, whether born in the Blue Grass pastures of Kentucky, or the sage brush plains of Nevada, is a thoroughbred still. Good breeding, whether it be among horses or people, will manifest itself despite the efforts of mongrels, whether they be human or equine, to prevent it. (the end.)