Star Trotters of the Palo Alto Farm, 1881-1895

California Farm's Horses Set Trotting Records

Feb 2, 2009

The Palo Alto Stock Farm consistently produced trotting horses that lowered records.

The first star nurtured at the Palo Alto Stock Farm to set a record was Fred Crocker. A foal in the spring of 1878, he was sired by the New York-bred Electioneer and Melinche was his dam. In late November and early December 1880, he broke the record for two-year-olds by trotting the mile, respectively, in 2:28 1/2 and 2:24 1/4. With these times, the Palo Alto System devised by Leland Stanford, the facility's s owner, gained enormous credibility.

Another early Electioneer-sired champion was the filly Hinda Rose. The thoroughbred Beautiful Bells was her dam. Contrary to the generally accepted practice of horse experts of the day, Stanford often bred standardbreds with thoroughbreds because he admired the stamina of the thoroughbred.

This was the era of match races, where trotter and pacer contests were usually the best three of five races. However, six to 12 heats were not unheard of. Stanford sent Harrison Covey, a high-level employee, to Kentucky to buy thoroughbred broodmares that showed "good trotting action," and "that were intelligent, tractable, sturdy [and] well-made."

Hinda Rose, Beautiful Bells, Palo Alto

And back to Hinda Rose. Stanford purchased her and her sire shortly after she was foaled in 1880. (At the time, Electioneer was standing at stud for a few non-Palo Alto Stock Farm clients.) In 1881 Hinda Rose set the yearling filly record by trotting the mile in 2:36 1/2. While making a tour of out-of-state tracks with other Stanford trotters in 1883, she set the record for three-year-olds trotting 2:19 1/2 in Lexington,Kentucky. Charles Marvin, Stanford's ace trainer and driver, was in the sulky. That year Hinda Rose won all of her heats.

Just as Electioneer was a productive sire, Beautiful Bells was a productive dam. At least 10 of her foals went on to trot the mile in 2:30 or under between 1880 and 1888. St. Bel, her 1878 son by Electioneer, ran 2:24 1/2 as a four-year-old. He was sold for $10,000 to the Prospect Farm in Pennsylvania.

Palo Alto was another champion product of Electioneer and a thoroughbred, Dame Winnie., At Stockton, California in 1889 as a three-year-old, he trotted heats of 2:16 1/2, 2:17 3/4 and 2:13 3/4, the last the fastest third heat by a stallion up to that time.

Sunol

The greatest trotter produced by the Palo Alto Stock Farm was Sunol, sired by Electioneer and born to Waxana on April 14, 1886. On August 5, 1888 Sunol competed against one horse in her first mile and won in a time of 2:25. On October 18 her result was 2:23. On October 20 at the Bay District track in San Francisco, she broke the record for two-year-olds with 2:18.

And as a three-year-old racing in San Francisco on November 9, 1889, Sunol trotted a blistering 2:10 1/2. On August 20, 1891, she scorched a record for five-year-olds with 2:08 1/4. This was also a record for horses of all ages. On September 5, 1895, Stanford had another recored-setter in Azote, who set the record for geldings with 2:04 3/4.

In 1893 Stanford died and over the years, the horse farm was gradually downsized. But Stanford's greatest production was not his horses, but Stanford University. Today it occupies the site of his horse farm. Stanford and his widow Jane Lathrop Stanford made possible the founding of this revered institution of higher learning.

Marvin, Charles. Training the Trotting Horse. 4th edition. Franklin: PA: The Marvin Publishing Company. 1893.

Tutorow, Norman E. The Governor: The Life and Legacy of Leland Stanford. Vol. 1. Spokane: Arthur H. Clark Company. 2004.

The copyright of the article Star Trotters of the Palo Alto Farm, 1881-1895 in Harness/Trotting Racing is owned by Linda N. Riggins. Permission to republish Star Trotters of the Palo Alto Farm, 1881-1895 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.