There is some background to the column on the mating of Bret Hanover. Though I wrote it in a straightforward manner without even the hint of prurient smirking, it disturbed sports editor Ed Comerford. He was a terrific guy, a friend, but he was somewhat straight-laced in the matter of sex. He chose not to run it. This was the one time I went over a sports editor's head to insist that a column should not be rejected. Managing editor Bill McIlwain, another wonderful guy, took one look at the column and agreed it should run. Comerford was happy to have the decision made by a higher-up. The column ran and occasioned little comment or incident. Since then I have seen several pieces about the activity in the breeding shed at thoroughbred farms. April 23: Down on the Farm with Bret Hanover The word that Dark Mirage.the champion 3-year-old filly of 1968, will be bred to Dr. Fager, the 1968 champion racehorse of them all, is the equine equivalent perhaps of the recent Jackie Kennedy-Aristotle Onassis marriage. Things are done matter-of-factly around the horse breeding sheds, so Dr. Fager and Dark Mirage will be spared the fuss and phoomfah that humans subject themselves to.. The cool professionalism of breeders was evident on a recent trip to the Lexington, Ky. breeding country and a visit with Bret Hanover, the magnificent harness racehorse who, in his time five years ago, was the Dr. Fager of the harness tracks. Bret Hanover won 62 of 68 races. He was never out of the money. He was 24-for-24 as a 2-year-old, 21-for-24 as a 3-year-old, and 17-for-20 as a 4-year-old. He earned $922,616 before he was retired. When a horse does that well, he is entitled to live happily ever after. Bret Hanover, now 7, is down on the farm at Lexington, sending little Bret Hanovers out into the world. Driving through the ribbons of white fences recently, I passed big mares, swollen in the belly, almost ready to drop their foals. April and May are the height of the breeding season. These mares give birth and then are taken back to the breeding shed to begin again the miracle of producing a new life. Bret Hanover is at Castleton Farms, quartered in a huge stall in the big barn at the top of the hill. The stall is the equivalent of a bridal suite for horses. It is three times the size of a racetrack stall,well downed with straw, cleaner than the rooms in public bathhouses used by humans. On a recent Friday Bret Hanover had been fed his breakfast of oats and prepared food at 3 AM. He was turned out into the field at 7:30. He romped there with the other stallions until noon. Among the 16 stallions at Castleton are Speedy Scot, Dartmouth, Victory Song and Speedster; their progeny earned $5,426,630 last year. Shortly after 1:30 PM the grooms brought two mares into the breeding shed, a high-ceilinged square-shaped area about three times the size of a boxing ring. The mares had been made ready for breeding by an old stud horse who had, in the breeding phraseology, "teased" them, meaning he had sniffed the mare to help her come to heat. There is no self-consciousness about the breeding process among the farmhands. Bill Brown, the farm manager, said, "This is the most natural thing in the world. Some people from the big city get a little embarrassed about this, but we take things more naturally on the farm. I think a kid growing up on the farm who is exposed to all this has a healthier attitude about things." He said, "The stud teases them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday when the mare is at the height of her cycle. A mare generally has a heat cycle of from 16 to 22 days. We examine them and when we determine that the follicle is ready to erupt, or ovulate, we judge them ready to be bred." On this day a maiden mare named Fox Fire was to be mated with Bret Hanover. They had been mated two days earlier; the procedure would be repeated to enhance the possibilities of conception. It was costing Fox Fire's owner $10,000 for this match. Brown said, "Bret has been a good stud horse. This is his third year. His get will be racing for the first time this year. He has no mean traits; he's pleasant to work with; he settles his mares real well; his sperm count is high. He's stopped some 78 to 80 percent of his mares.The average is 70 percent. It usually takes an average of two services to stop a mare", i.e. bring about conception). Sons of Bret Hanover are so valuable that the breeding process becomes a production-line operation in order to bring about more services to mares. Brown said, "If we put the horses out in the field, it would take much longer to bring about a mating. That's called pasture breeding. Some people feel that a stallion is more likely to stop a mare that way. That may be more natural, but you just couldn't breed him as often that way." Fox Fire stood quietly as Bret Hanover was brought out of his stall to the breeding shed. He was led on a short rope by a stud man; he had a muzzle on his head to prevent his biting the mare. He was brought over to the mare to tease her, and when she was judged ready, a groom steadied her, holding her left foreleg up so she wouldn't rear back and kick the stallion. The stud man led Bret Hanover over to the mare. He helped lift the stallion so he could mount, or cover, the mare. It all took less than a minute. It was all antiseptic with medical charts and instruments nearby. Brown watched the horses. He directed that the procedure be repeated. He said, "You'll notice that Bret didn't swish his tail. It means there was no ejaculation." The action was repeated within five minutes. This time Brown nodded assent. Fox Fire was led back out to her barn and Bret Hanover was taken back to his stall. In the course of the season Bret Hanover is expected to cover 80 mares.
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Will the Jim Dandys Inherit the Earth? 
