CHAPTER XXV 



MARCUS DALY AND BITTER ROOT FARM 



IN the fall of 1889 Scott Quinton was at Bay Dis- 

 trict with a draft of horses from Bitter Root Farm, 

 Hamilton, Montana. The previous year he had at- 

 tended the L. J. Rose auction in New York, and 

 astonished conservative people by paying for Marcus 

 Daly $26,000 for the yearling colt, Mascot by Stam- 

 boul, out of Minnehaha. The fastest that Mascot 

 ever trotted was 2.25!, and, when Mr. Daly let him 

 go, it was for one-tenth of his original purchase 

 price. Only three trotters have come from his loins. 

 In the Quinton training string were St. Patrick, who 

 proved a failure; Lord Byron, by General Benton, 

 out of May Day by Wissahickon, who trotted to a 

 record of 2.17; Yolo Maid, who paced to a record 

 of 2.12, and such fillies as Brown Silk and Nadjy. 

 Brown Silk was a grandly bred mare of 15.2, by 

 Baron Wilkes, dam Nannie Etticoat (dam of Red 

 Silk, 2.10) by Bellwood; second dam Soprano, the 

 producing daughter of Strathmore, and third dam 

 Abbess, the producing daughter of Albion. She 

 trotted to a record of 2.19^, and is the dam of three 

 in the list, including China Silk, 2.i6J. This mare 

 clearly illustrates the potency of a chain of producing 

 dams. Nadjy was a bay mare of 15.3 by Stamboul, 



246 



