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| OVERNOR SPRAGUE was bred by the Hon. 

 Amasa Sprague, of Providence, R. I. He was 

 foaled February 24, 1871 , and was got by Rhode 

 Island (formerly Dan Rice), who has a trotting 

 record of 2:23}, out of Belle Brandon by Rysdyk's Hamble- 

 tonian. The fall this colt was a weanling he was sent, along 

 with other stock, from Providence to the Kansas Stud Farm 

 of Messrs. Sprague & Akers. He ran out with the other 

 youngsters of the farm until July 1873, when he was taken up 

 and broken to harness, but was not trained. In the October 

 following he was sold for $1500 to the Higbee Brothers, of 

 Canton, 111., and showed at the time of sale a 2:45 gait. 

 He was a natural trotter from the start, requiring no artifi- 

 cial appliances whatever to make him go squarely and fast. 

 The price at which he was sold was, at the time, considered 

 very low by Mr. Akers, but he knew that Morrell Higbee, 

 one of the purchasers, was an excellent horseman and an 

 experienced trainer (he having brought out Flora Bell and 

 other good ones), and it was a part of the consideration 

 that Higbee was to train the colt, and develop and exhibit 

 his speed. After the purchase Mr. Higbee took the colt 

 home, turned him into a large box-stall, and never put 

 harness on him until the next spring, when he was three 

 years old. During that season he allowed him to serve 

 eight mares, out of which he got seven foals. His work 

 that season was very light, and consisted merely of a fair 

 degree of exercise, with a view to accustom him to harness, 

 and could not be termed work as trainers use the word. 

 During the year he was never driven at speed a full mile, 

 except on one occasion, when he showed 2:27, and he had 

 two half-mile trials, each in 1:12, all on a half-mile track. 

 During the winter of 1874-75, he was not in harness more 

 than three or four times, on which occasions he was driven 

 double with Mr. Higbee's celebrated gelding Little Fred, 

 on the road. About May 1st, he was put into regular train- 

 ing the first regular work that he ever had. His first 

 mile trial this season was given hyn under a heavy load, and 

 he showed 2:27. His work was very moderate and rather 

 irregular ; but, previous to his appearance at Cleveland, 

 where public attention was first directed to him, he had 

 been given five trials of one mile each, and on the last one 

 he showed 2:21} on a half-mile track. He was jogged two 

 miles by the side of Preston, at Cleveland, and was then 

 driven a third, without stopping, in 2:26}, showing no signs 

 of being urged at any time, and coming out as though it 

 was merely an exercising gait for him. At Buffalo, on the 

 last day of the late meeting, he was jogged once around 

 the track, and was then sent a full mile the first time he 

 was ever speeded on a mile track in 2:21}, making the 

 last half a half a second faster than the first one, and 

 finishing the third quarter in 34 seconds a 2:16 gait. On 



the last day of the Utica meeting he again made a public 

 trial, in which he scored 2:21 f. There can be no doubt of 

 the time of either of these public trials, as hundreds of 

 watches were held upon him in each case. The time made 

 in these trials was taken by the official timers of the course, 

 and was announced from the judges' stand ; but as it was not 

 a race, it does not constitute a technical record. He made 

 his first appearance in a race at Dexter Park, Chicago, July 

 20, 1876, in the $1500 Purse for horses that have never 

 beaten 2:35, defeating easily Mambrino Kate, Edward and 

 five others, in 2:27} 2:29 2:30} ; and on the succeeding 

 day he was sold to his present owner, Hon. Jerome I. Case, 

 of Racine, Wis., for $27,500, cash. At Rochester, Aug. 8th, 

 he defeated Mambrino Kate, Hattie R. and Rose, in 2:24 

 2:2H 2:23. At Poughkeepsie, Aug. 22d, he lost the 

 first heat to his old antagonist, Mambrino Kate, but won 

 the remaining three and the race, in 2:20} 2:24} 2:21}, 

 Irene, Carrie N. and Big Fellow being behind the pair. 

 At the Point Breeze Park, Philadelphia, Sept. 16th, to the 

 astonishment of all, he lost the Free for All Race to Elsie 

 Good, the fast daughter of Blue Bull. Governor Sprague 

 was evidently off in this race, for in the first heat he was the 

 very last, and the time was slow throughout. At the Breeders' 

 Centennial Trotting Meeting, at Suffolk Park, Philadelphia, 

 he appeared in the Independence Race for five-year-olds in 

 such poor condition, that his withdrawal before the race 

 was asked for and refused. He won in the three straight 

 heats, over Blackwood, Jr., Elsie Good and Lady Mills. 

 The race is thus described by the National Live Stock 

 Journal, for November 1876: "The Independence Race for 

 five-year-olds attracted a good deal of interest, from the fact 

 that upon this occasion the great black stallions, Governor 

 Sprague and Blackwood, Jr., for the first time, were to try 

 conclusions. It was generally known that the former was 

 out of condition, and among the betting fraternity Black- 

 wood, Jr., was made a favorite on the evening preceding the 

 race ; but the result upset all of their calculations. On the 

 first heat Blackwood, Jr., took the lead, closely pressed by 

 Governor Sprague, and kept his position, trotting rather 

 unsteadily and breaking often, until they entered the home- 

 stretch, when Doble sent Governor Sprague to the front and 

 won the heat by half a length. In the remaining two heats 

 Governor Sprague took the lead from the start .and kept it 

 to the wire. Blackwood, Jr. appeared very unsteady through- 

 out the race, while Governor Sprague appeared perfectly 

 unconcerned, and never made a break." At the same 

 meeting he trotted several trials for the National Stallion 

 Cup against Sam Purdy and Blackwood, Jr. ; but his want 

 of condition told on him, and Blackwood, Jr., won the 

 coveted trophy. This was his last public appearance; he 

 then was put to the stud at Racine, Wis. 



