226 LIFK uITH TlIK TKOTTKMS. 



early on the day of the sale, but when Kentucky Prince was 

 led out the first bid on him Avas $5,000, and in a little while 

 he was struck oif at $10,000. Mi-. Thomas took one o-ood 

 look at the horse and Avent back to Kentucky, and it was a 

 year later that he first mentioned the circumstance. 



That Kentucky Prince must have impressed his present 

 OAvner, Mr. Chas. Backman, of Stony Ford, N. Y., in the same 

 manner that he did Colonel West is shown by the fact that 

 when the stallion AA^as put up at auction sale in New York 

 seA'eral years ago, and at a time AA'hen the depression in all 

 values had affected the horse market to a marked degree, 

 Mr. Backman uas j)i'esent and paid $10,000 for him, fully 

 believing there was a great future for the son of Clark Chief. 

 At this time the ^3 render stallion of Mi-. Backman\s farm 

 was Messenger Duroc, a horse of marked success as the sire 

 of trotters, and in addition to him Mr. Backman had numer- 

 ous sons of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, and a band of brood 

 mares of the American Star, Mambrino Chief and (jtlier 

 fashionable families, Avhose rex)utation AAas knoAvn in all 

 parts of the country. It is under Mr. Backman' s manage- 

 ment that Kentucky Prince has attained a foremost place 

 among the stallions of America, and Avith the exception of 

 Electiorweer there is no stallion to-day Avho so completely 

 fills the public mind. In addition to the 2:12 of Guy last 

 season, Kentucky Prince had another notable rei)resenta- 

 tive on the turf in the black gelding Spofford, that Avon the 

 $10,000 stake at Hartford, beating a large field of the best 

 horses, and making a record of 2:1S|. Spoftbrd is faster 

 than his record shoAvs, as I have seen him go lialt' a mile in 

 a race better than 1:06 and timed him a mile in 2:1 Of. Lilve 

 Woodburn, the farm at Stony Ford, of Avhicli Mr. Back- 

 man has long been the OAA^ier, has an important effect 

 on the trotting interests of this country. Animals bred 

 there are reiDresentative ones, the strains of blood from 

 which they come are those that have been tested in the 

 fire of the grand circuit races, and they have not been 

 found wanting. Green Mountain Maid is, in the opinion of 



