Aristocracy and Equines

As a follow-up to our listing of Pennsylvania’s thoroughbred farms in 1947, we discovered that one of them not only has a very interesting history, but remains nearly intact as it was 63 years ago.

Back at the end of World War II, Glencoe Farm – later named Doe Run Farm - was the breathtaking 350 acre estate in Unionville owned by Esther Driver du Pont Thouron and her husband, Sir John Rupert Hunt Thouron.

Lady Thouron, as she was known, loved thoroughbred racing, as did many members of the du Pont family – William duPont, Jr., Allaire du Pont, Marion duPont Scott, Jane du Pont Lunger, and Alice du Pont Mills. Among the horses Lady Thouron bred were Burma Road, who won the 1944 American Grand National, and Royal Vale, who won the 1953 Massachusetts Handicap, as well as Royal Governor and Ben Lomond.

Lady Thouron was known for her philanthropy and her sportsmanship. She helped build the clinic and hospital at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center, while in 1966 her contribution to the industry was recognized by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association who awarded her their Lady's Sportsmanship Award. In 1960, she and Sir John established the Thouron Scholars Program of student exchanges between the University of Pennsylvania and leading universities in the United Kingdom.

At Doe Run, located off Route 841 and Thouron Road, there is a magnificent main house that was built in the 1930s, plus five other homes, including an 18th century farmhouse. A bank barn and two stone stables with 28 stalls each, plus a smaller turnout stable with 12 stalls, housed Lady Thouron’s thoroughbreds, and there are acres of lush pastureland.

A passionate horticulturist, Sir John Thouron developed what were originally open fields and created a series of extraordinary gardens—an Alpine garden, a cottage garden, a water garden, various formal gardens, and extensive herbaceous borders. Supporting these gardens were two large professional greenhouses with many rare orchids.

The Main House at Doe Run

The stables at Doe Run

Pastures at Doe Run

According to his biography, Thouron was known internationally for Doe Run. “Uniquely, Mr. Thouron had a myrtle standard, grown from a myrtle sprig taken from the wedding bouquet of Queen Victoria, in whose wedding his grandmother was an attendant,” his biography stated. “A superb plantsman, Mr. Thouron was the first to produce a clear yellow clivia, described by White Flower Farm as ‘one of the holy grails of the plant world.’”

Lady Thouron died in 1984 at age 76, and Sir John Thouron died in 2007 at the age of 99. Upon his death, 220 acres of Doe Run, encompassing most of the original buildings and gardens, was offered for sale by Christie’s for $15 million.

The property was purchased by Richard Hayne, the founder and chairman of the Urban Outfitters retail empire. Hayne, who is listed as number 317 on the Forbes list of the 400 Richest People in the United States, is said to have an interest in horticulture and gardening, and earlier this year began making extensive renovations at Doe Run, including changes to the main house and to other associated residences on the property.

Interestingly, a nearly 60-acre parcel of the original Doe Run, located across the road from the main property, was purchased by Hayne last year from disgraced financial advisor and alleged Ponzi scheme mastermind Donald Anthony Walker “Tony” Young for $3.5 million. According to a report, Hayne may turn the acreage into a creamery.

(Thanks to Sheilagh B. for guiding us to the information on Doe Run).

A few laughs with Uncle Miltie

Last week, we listed some thoroughbred farms that were in existence in Pennsylvania in 1947, right after the end of World War II.  Thanks to the curiosity of one reader, Holly (see comment in previous post, "A Trip Down Memory Lane") we learned that the old Zimmerman Farm in Wayne could now be Rohanna's Golf Course.

Some other interesting facts were discovered by yours truly about Point-of-View Stud Farm in Yardley, Pa., which was located on 200 acres on Langhorne-Yardley Road.  According to the Lower Makefield Historical Society:

"Point of View Stud Farm was where million dollar winning race horse 'Uncle Miltie' was trained on a quarter mile race track. Uncle Miltie won the Champagne Stakes and Wakefield Handicap in New York at the age of 2 and the Lamplighter Handicap at Monmouth Park at the age of 3."


We looked up the pedigree and race record of Uncle Miltie, since his name did not ring a bell as one of thoroughbred racing's millionaires, and we found that he did not win $1 million on the track.  Uncle Miltie won 12 of 27 races and just over $85,000, but he did indeed capture the Champagne, Wakefield and Lamplighter Stakes, and was second in the Sapling and Choice at Monmouth Park.  He was foaled in 1948, a son of Heather Broom (by The Porter) and was out of Twink-Mo, by Mokatam, and bred by Point-A-View, which was owned by Joseph J. Colando.

Uncle Miltie was named after the comedian, Milton Berle, and trained in 1950-51 by Dr. Andrew Charles Colando, Sr., the son of Joseph and Esther Colando. Uncle Miltie had been the winter-book favorite for the Kentucky Derby, but was injured and never entered in the "Run for the Roses."  According to an obituary written by Dr. Colando's daughter, Caroline, Life Magazine had prepared a big spread on Uncle Miltie, but it was never published. 

In Time magazine, on April 23, 1951, Uncle Miltie's status among the nation's top 3-year-olds was acknowledged:

"It was a tough week for the experts, who thought they had the Kentucky Derby winner all doped out. When ten of the nation's best three-year-olds paraded to the post in New York's Experimental Free Handicap No. 2, the horseplayers, agreeing with the experts, made Joseph J. Colando's blaze-faced bay colt Uncle Miltie an overwhelming odds-on (7-20) choice to come galloping home with the $18,500 purse.

With Battlefield and Big Stretch unwilling to try again against the horse that had beaten them in a six-furlong conditioner five days before, the Colando colt seemed to be a cinch. But the mile-and-a-sixteenth Experimental was an entirely different matter. Starting in the outside post position, and carrying top weight of 126 Ibs., he never made it a race. Uncle Miltie finished eighth, five lengths (i.e., 4½ & a nose & a head) behind the winner, King Ranch's Sonic, which carried only a feathery 105 Ibs. The time: 1:44 2/5.


Even so, Uncle Miltie might well be a tough horse to beat on Derby Day. At Experimental No. 2)'s distance, 2½ Ibs. is roughly equivalent to a length; on that basis, the experts were still inclined to string along with Uncle Miltie. Next chance to clear the Derby's clouded crystal ball: Jamaica's Wood Memorial this week, when every entry (except maidens and fillies) will carry the same weight (126 Ibs.)."

While it never published that big feature, Life Magazine did cover Uncle Miltie's exploits on the racetrack, including the following excerpt from the May 7, 1951 issue:

"If you read the sports pages, you may have notice the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth this spring about a race horse named Uncle Miltie. It seems that Uncle Miltie, an unfashionably bred colt whose mother was worth only $600 and whose father was never even allowed to talk to the better mares on the farm, had turned into one of the more promising 3-year-olds of the season. The sportswriters were aghast at the thought that a colt bearing such a name as Uncle Miltie might win the Kentucky Derby. As a writer in the New York Times put it, great race horses are supposed to have names that 'ripple resonantly off the tongue' - and the case of Uncle Miltie was enough to set all bygone breeders of horses 'spinning in their graves.' Well, I note now that Uncle Miltie has been pulled out of the Derby.  Could this poissibly be because of his ugly name?" 

Here is a photo of Uncle Miltie from Life's archives:

Here's another photo of Uncle Miltie from Life Magazine:

Another little tidbit on Uncle Miltie - his dam, Twink-Mo, was one of the first broodmares acquired by Joe Giangiulio, who founded Castle Rock Farm in West Chester, and the father of Peter Giangiulio, former president of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.

Uncle Miltie wasn't much at stud, with his best being Our Hope, a foal of 1957 bred by Joseph Colando. Our Hope finished first in the 1961 Whitney Handicap, but was disqualified for "roughing" Kelso in the stretch.  From Uncle Miltie's 40 named foals, 36 started (90 percent!), 27 were winners (68 percent), and he had an average earnings index of 1.06.

It's not known what state Uncle Miltie was foaled in, since The Jockey Club only lists him as being bred in the United States.  However, there's a good chance that the Derby prospect was foaled right at Point-A-View Farm in Yardley, Pa.

As for Milton Berle, the comedian, he was known to have a fondness for betting the ponies ... and in some published reports, may have gambled away the bulk of his earnings at the track!

A trip down Memory Lane

The other night, I pulled the 1948 American Racing Manual off the shelf and began browsing through it. Back in those days, the ARM was chock-full of good information, great writing, and contained many advertisements – a far cry from the modern ARM, sadly.


As I flipped through the yellowed pages, I came across a section entitled “Thoroughbred Breeding Farms.”

“More than 1,000 Thoroughbred breeding farms are now in operation in the United States,” the opening paragraph began. “Of the forty-eight states only two, Maine and Vermont, report no farms. The amount of money invested in the breeding of thoroughbreds in the United States – in land, buildings, stallions, mares and equipment – cannot be accurately computed, but it is a tremendous sum. It ranks high among the country’s leading industries.”

I went to the section for Pennsylvania farms, and herein follows the listing of the farms in operation in 1947. As you can see, only one – Erdenheim Farm – has survived. Perhaps others still do, but under different names and ownership. Most interesting to me was the fact that Yardley contained a stud farm – Point-a-View Farm – a 200 acre operation with a training track and two stallions. If any readers know where Point-a-View was once located, and what occupies that land now, please drop me an e-mail. I would also be interested in the history (and fate) of the other farms in Pennsylvania, too.

AVONWOOD FARM – Wayne, R. D. 1; owned by Charles E. Mather II; Igino Petrondi, manager. Three mares.

BLUE STONE FARM – Paoli; 176 acres, owned by W. Ellis Johnson. Five mares; stallion, Robespierre. One-half mile training track.

CHESTERBROOK FARM – Berwyn; 730 acres, owned by Mrs. J. Packard Laird. Ten mares; stallion, Constitution. One mile turf track and four mile steeplechase course.

ERDENHEIM FARM – Chestnut Hill; 450 acres, owned by George D. Widener. Five mares. One mile training track.

FAIR ACRES – Westtown; 300 acres, owned and managed by Crawford L. Twaddell. Ten mares; stallion, Wizard’s Play.

GLENCOE FARM – Coatesville; Route 4; 350 acres, owned by Mrs. E. DuPont Weir; J. E. Ryan, manager. Six mares.

HAPPY HUNTING FARM – West Chester, R. D. 2; 170 acres, owned by Thomas McKelvey. Twenty-seven mares.

HENRY FARM – Devon; 135 acres, owned by Dr. Charles F. Henry. Twelve mares; stallion, Pasteurized. One-half mile training track.

HILDACY FARM – Media, Palmer Hill Road; 50 acres, owned and managed by Cyril G. Fox. Two mares. One-half mile turf training course.

KILTALGARTH FARM – Ambler; 103 acres, owned by Mrs. John Cadwalader; Henry Cadwalader, manager. Five mares, stallion, Modest Lad. One-half mile schooling course.

MAPLETON STUD – Malvern, R. D. 2; 171 acres, owned and managed by David Dallas O’Dell. One mile turf training track; hurdle, brush and timber courses.

POINT-A-VIEW STUD FARM – Yardley; 200 acres, owned by Joseph J. Colando, Stephen G. Colando, manager. Twelve mares; stallions, *Vejete, Heather Broom. One-half mile training track.

THORNCROFT STABLE – Paoli; 180 acres, owned by Edwin S. Dixon, Jr. Ten mares; stallion, The Clown.

VALLEY FORGE FARM – Valley Forge; 300 acres, owned by Mrs. J. R. Tindle; R. M. Tindle, manager. Four mares.

ZIMMERMAN FARM – Waynesburg, Route 2; 118 acres, owned by George L. Zimmerman; James B. Zimmerman, manager. Seven mares; stallion, Lancework.

A picture of Erdenheim Farm today.

Of Pa.-breds and PARX

     There is good news for owners and breeders of Pennsylvania-bred horses.  In addition to the restricted races being currently carded at Penn National Race Course, there will soon be restricted races added to the next condition book at Philadelphia Park, according to Brian Sanfratello, newly elected president of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.

     Sanfratello, who worked closely with the racing office at Philly Park as well as the head of its horsemen's association to bring this development about, said the restricted races will be written for 3-year-olds and 3-year-olds and up, while in the latter part of the year races for 2-year-olds will be written.  The purse structure will be the same as that for "open" races, with the main difference being that the owner bonus is not paid.

     This positive news is not only good for the state's owners and breeders, but for those who sell Pennsylvania-breds at auction, as a restricted program only enhances their value.

* * * *

     I was pleasantly surprised this morning to see horse racing being advertised on the large video boards at Parx Casino in Bensalem.  The three large boards, which were designed to catch the attention of passing motorists on Street Road, were touting Philadelphia Park's upcoming Happy Hour racing, which begins tomorrow with a first post of 4 p.m.  Last year, Happy Hour racing was well attended, but the crowd did drop off when the track instituted its new policy of not allowing patrons to bring outside alcoholic beverages into the Picnic Grove. 

     The simple fact that horse racing was advertised by Greenwood Racing on the Parx video boards seems like a major victory, and may be in response to Pa. Racing Commission chairwoman Corinne Sweeney's recent directive for Greenwood to acknowledge and publicize that racing is conducted on the property.  Let's hope they continue this trend.

The Serpentine Barrens

This past Sunday, on a trip to Oxford, Pa. to visit my yearling Baby Chips, I learned a little bit about the land that he grazes on in southern Chester County. 

Located along the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, the area is known as the Serpentine Barrens, one of only three such occurrences in the Eastern United States, the others being in Oregon and California.  According to the Nature Conservancy, which owns and/or assists with managing nearly 2,000 acres in the area in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, the Serpentine Barrens contains some of the last major remnants of serpentine grassland in eastern North America. Thin soils cover a light green, soft bedrock, which is comprised of magnetite and chromium, and was mined up until the late 1970's.  Here is a picture of the Pocopson Train Station just off Rte. 926 (near Maui Meadow Farm), built of Serpentine rock:

(photo credit: Rick Ziesing)

There are several sites in Chester and Lancaster Counties where the Serpentine Barrens are maintained by the Nature Conservancy, including Goat Hill Barrens, located in the extreme southwest corner of Chester County, which includes the Oxford area.

Vast acres of wildflower meadows, cliff outcroppings and pitch pine forests that regenerates after fire are prime habitat for the many rare species of moths, butterflies and birds in the 600-acre Goat Hill Barrens preserve.  If you are interested in seeing the flora and fauna of the Serpentine Barrens at Goat Hill, you can drive to Red Pump Road in Nottingham, Pa., and spend an afternoon hiking and enjoying this rare enviornment, especially in this beautiful spring weather.

While on our afternoon journey to see Baby Chips, we noted that he is growing fast, and was sticked at 14.3 hands.  It is hard to believe that only one year ago he was a compact little foal, staying close to his mother, Malibu Miss. 

Here is a photo from Sunday:

2010 Preakness Stakes Media Selections

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If you're betting tomorrow's Preakness Stakes, then you'll want to check out the expert selections as posted on Horseraceinsider.com, featuring the top handicappers and turf writers in the country (we were graciously asked to contribute our picks!). Just click on the link!

Follow-up on Penn National

An issue with the main track yesterday morning, not related to two breakdowns on Tuesday night’s card, was the reason for the cancellation of the live card last night and training hours this morning, according to both track management and horsemen at Penn National Race Course.


The addition of new material to the racing surface, which is in use year-round, to more of a “summer mix” of sand/silt and clay, was done on Sunday and Monday, but rain on Tuesday night, after the card had already been completed, made evident several areas that were problematic, according to Todd Mostoller, the executive director of the Pennsylvania HBPA, which represents horsemen at the Grantville, Pa. oval.

“There were a number of spots that were soft, with no texture, what I would call a ‘milkshake’ consistency,” he said. “Horses could run down to the base in those spots.”

After about 17 horsemen walked the track at 11:30 yesterday morning, it was decided that the surface wasn’t entirely safe, and the card was cancelled.

The surface was worked on today in order to let it dry and additional sand was put down, to allow tonight’s card to go on as scheduled.

“We tested the mix being used on the surface in advance and feel it is appropriate,” said Penn National’s vice president of racing Chris McErlean. “I really believe the issue we ran into Tuesday evening was the track could not get sealed up quickly enough after racing, and we got hit with close to 1" of rain in an hour’s time, which saturated the track and put us behind the eight-ball, especially with the weather Wednesday that afforded no way to dry out the surface.”

Both McErlean and Mostoller stated that the two breakdowns that occurred during the running of Tuesday’s seventh race, involving the horses Artist Moon and Half Moon Beach, were not connected to a surface issue.

“We have our veterinarian reviewing the tapes and interviewing people associated with the horses to get more information, but it appears there may have been some contact between the horses that caused at least one to take a bad step and be injured,” said McErlean. “We have adopted a procedure of a full breakdown review with the trainer after such incidents, and we plan to do that for these two incidents from Tuesday night.”