Five Great Modern Progenitors In John Hervey's The American Trotter
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The following paragraph appears in a book, written by John Hervey in1947 called, ‘The American Trotter’, that will illustrate the magnitude of the story of Charles Warren Williams. This paragraph appears in chapter thirteen, ‘Five Great Modern Progenitors’, it gives you an idea of how compelling the story of Allerton and Axtell is.
Throughout the entire range of horse history of all times and countries, no series of episodes is at once so striking, so unique, and of such enduring interest as those in which C. W. Williams and his two stallions Axtell and Allerton played the leading roles. A sweeping statement, perhaps, but one which examination will uphold, as a “success story” in its own department it has no parallels.
In the late 1800's Charles W. Williams a man that had business interests in the surrounding area around northest Iowa. He travel from town to town to oversee his business, using the main mode of transportation, the horse. His interest in breeding better horses for this type of travel, prompted him to purchase the best mares he could afford and breed them with the best stallions he could afford. He personally raised and trained his first two colts named Allerton and Axtell.…show more content… During Axtell’s first two years on the racing circuit, he astonished the country by breaking records. Offers to purchase Axtell were frequent and generous. Mr. Williams was offered $100,000 for him at one time. He responded by stating, “Many men have on hundred thousand dollars, but there is only one Axtell.” When Axtell was three in 1889, at the end of the second racing year, he stunned the world by breaking the world stallion record for trotting horses. When he was offered $105,000 for Axtell after his record breaking trot, he finally