BREEDING THE TROTTER 



SELECTING BROOD-MARES. 



Mr. Hamlin was not only a non-believer in tin- 

 cup records, but did not consider it necessary to 

 race a mare in order to make a successful brood- 

 mare. He thought nothing of stopping us work- 

 ing our best fillies and ordering them to be placed 

 in the harem. For that reason most of Village 

 Farm's fastest performers were stallions or geld- 

 ings. 



On many an occasion have the Village Farm 

 trainers been actually sickened when prospective 

 2.10 trotters were taken from their strings to be 

 placed in the brood-mare ranks. 



A PREDICTION. 



Mr. Hamlin took great pleasure in making pre- 

 dictions in his catalogues, almost all of which 

 were fulfilled. The most important one appeared 

 in his catalogue for 1891 : 



''While it is dangerous to make predictions, and 

 while I realize that the whole world is in compe- 

 tition, I wish it recorded that there are now on 

 Village Farm a number of youngsters that will 

 score lower marks in contested races than have 

 heretofore been made by any trotter, living or 

 dead." 



Several world's champions afterwards appeared 

 to fulfil this prediction. 



" THE PASSING OF VILLAGE FARM." 



Before leaving Village Farm to take up the 

 practical side of this book, I wish to call atten- 



45 



