VOLUNTEER ABOVE PRICE. 183 



VOLUNTEER ABOVE PRICE. 



Would he oblige me? Let me only find 



He does not think me what he thinks mankind. 



Pope. 



Volunteer reached the zenith of his fame in 1879 

 and '80, when St. Julien, after reducing the world's 

 record to 2:12^4 at Oakland, Cal., in the presence of 

 General Grant, who was then returning from his trip 

 around the world, was brought east and made another 

 cut in the mark at Rochester, N. Y., on August 12, 

 when he and Maud S. each trotted in 2:11^4, and 

 finally made his record of 2:11*4 o n August 27 over 

 Charter Oak Park, Hartford, Conn. On the date of 

 this performance Volunteer was the sire of the cham- 

 pion trotters at one and three miles, as well as Uno- 

 lala, a sister of St. Julien, that had raced consistently 

 at two-mile heats, together with Gloster, Driver, 

 Alley and Powers, race horses which had no superiors, 

 as they had trained on from year to year ; racing up to 

 their records or a shade under them each season, and 

 on each campaign were asked to meet fresh fields 

 from every section of the country. 



William M. Rysdyk lived long enough to be con- 

 vinced that Volunteer's success as a sire of race 

 horses was assured, and when Hambletonian died, 

 on March 27, 1876, Lady Patriot's first foal was con- 

 sidered his best son. George Wilkes was at that time 

 entering upon his remarkable career as a stock horse 

 in Kentucky, and Electioneer was still in a paddock 

 at Stony Ford. 



Abdallah, the sire of Hambletonian, was for a 

 brief period in service in Kentucky, and Alexander's 



