278 A HISTORY OF THE PEECHEEON HOKSE 



He was as honest as the day is long, modest, and 

 courteous in his speech and manner. His personality 

 soon acquired for him the confidence and close 

 friendship of the leading breeders in France — M. 

 Fardouet, Pere Caget, Ernest Perriot, Sr., the 

 Tacheaus, and the Avelines. He was an idealist in 

 judgment — ever looking for the perfect horse — and 

 he never asked to see any but the best. His estimate 

 of the real stock horses, the sires, is amply shown 

 by the fact that he bought for Mr. Dunham many 

 of the great sires which made Oaklawn famous. His 

 first purchases were made in company with Mr. Dun- 

 ham ; his later operations were on his own responsi- 

 bility. It is no reflection on Mark W. Dunham to 

 say here that L/eonard Johnson was a far better judge 

 of breeding horses than was the master of Oaklawn. 

 It has ever been characteristic of great leaders to 

 surround themselves with men who are skilled be- 

 yond themselves in certain lines, and in no one thing 

 did Mr. Dunham show keener judgment than in his 

 selection of trusted lieutenants, of whom Leonard 

 Johnson was one of the first. 



Founding Maple Point Stud.— Mr. Johnson really 

 began in 1874 by purchasing imp. Magnus 290, a 

 rather massive horse for that time, weighing about 

 2,000 pounds. In 1875 he bought Superior 454 (730) 

 and Vidocq 483 (732). Vidocq was subsequently re- 

 sold to Mr. Dunham and was used at the head of the 

 Oaklawn stud for several years. He has already 

 been described. Superior stood about 16.2 hands 

 high and weighed between 1,800 and 1,900 pounds in 



