. Breeder and sportsman. Horses. THE BREEDER AND SPORTSMAN [Saturday, December 27, 1913. PLEASANTON DRIVING PARK I R. J. MACKENZIE, Proprietor. PLEAS ANTON, CALIFORNIA i. MAY MACK 2:08i/2 and CHAS. L. DeRYDER. When one mentions Pleasanton it recalls the exist- ence of the historic racetrack there. For almost twenty-five years it has held a prominent place as the home, or the training ground, of some famous cham- pion trotters and pacers. In early days this oval course was used by the Mexican herders and cow- boys for their Sunday races between their quarter horses and cow ponies, for prizes of
. Breeder and sportsman. Horses. THE BREEDER AND SPORTSMAN [Saturday, December 27, 1913. PLEASANTON DRIVING PARK I R. J. MACKENZIE, Proprietor. PLEAS ANTON, CALIFORNIA i. MAY MACK 2:08i/2 and CHAS. L. DeRYDER. When one mentions Pleasanton it recalls the exist- ence of the historic racetrack there. For almost twenty-five years it has held a prominent place as the home, or the training ground, of some famous cham- pion trotters and pacers. In early days this oval course was used by the Mexican herders and cow- boys for their Sunday races between their quarter horses and cow ponies, for prizes of all kinds. Then, when trotting and pacing races replaced these sprint- ing affairs, the condition of the soil was such that those which were trained over it did not "sore up" and Monroe Salisbury's attention was called to it. He saw that in all his travels there were none to compare with this portion of the Livermore valley for location, soil and climate, and immediately nego- tiated for the purchase of this track and about one hundred acres surrounding it. With Director as his premier stallion he went east and bought a number of mares to add to the few he had and established the Pleasanton Stock Farm. Mr. Salisbury was one of the old-time frontiersmen who would sooner keep his horses in little structures made of rough unplaned lumber than more imposing buildings, and he kept adding to the few that were there when he purchased it. He followed out the same line of architecture; as a result, in comparison with buildings on other tracks, the ones at Pleasanton were held up for ridi- cule. Time passed, and it became the "Kingmaker's" boast he could lead more speed out of these old shacks than any man in the East could out of his brick and stone stables. Mr. Monroe Salsbury never tired of praising Pleasanton as the greatest winter track in the world and his enthusiasm caused many leading trainers to bring their horses there. Year after year he left in the early
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjecthorses, bookyear1882
