224 OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 



the bay horse was sold to help pay the expenses of the journey, 

 which was then continued with the two sorrel mares. On his 

 arrival at the old homestead Wright Travis needed money, and 

 so to his stay-at-home, well-to-do brother Philip he sold this 

 mare, under consideration. Philip owned and occupied a large 

 farm near by and concluded to raise a colt from this "Virginia 

 mare so highly esteemed by his brother Wright, so he sent her 

 across the Hudson to be bred to the horse before mentioned, — 

 Cassius M. Clay. The result of this was that in May, 1862, she 

 dropped the worst-looking, crooked-legged filly that ever was 

 foaled in that vicinity ; at least as far back as the memory of 

 " the oldest inhabitant " went. 



She was so loose-jointed, weak-gaited, and queer that in her 

 foalhood she was valued by her owner (at weaning time) at 

 $10, although good horses were in demand at that time at very 

 good prices. 



About this time Philip's son, Eugene, enlisted for three 

 years in the cavalry service commanded by General Kilpatrick ; 

 when he returned home, after these three years had expired, 

 he found that the big, awkward filly of three years was the 

 " boss d*f the ranch," and utterly refused to be ridden or driven. 

 His father told him that if he would break her he could have a 

 half interest in her ; he accepted the offer, and, being a cavalry 

 man, quietly went to work to break her under the saddle. 

 After a hard struggle he finally succeeded in doing this. At 

 this rate of going she could trot a 2.45 gait after a few weeks' 

 handling. After this she was hitched up with the best horse 

 in the neighborhood and could beat her companion quite easily. 

 Then she was matched to go under the saddle in a race against 

 the Odel gray mare to a sulky ; the big, green filly captured 

 the race quite easily. 



After this she was sold to Cyrus Travis and Henry Odel,— 

 the owner of the gray mare, — for $1,500. They sold her that 

 fall to Henry Mason, Morris Dykeman, John Carey, and 

 Philip O'Brien for $3,500. When put in training by these 

 parties she soon became the Queen of the Hudson, and her 



