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Maryland and the Thoroughbred i Second Installment. In England, as has been mentioned, the three great lines came from the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerly Turk, which in turn are the progenitors of Eclipse, Matchem and Herod. It was this blood that our ancestors wished to obtain, and did obtain. The great Eclipse line of England, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, flourished in the great horse and sire St. Simon. It had come down through King Fergus, Blacklock, Voltigeur and on down to St. Simon. The dam of King Fergus was Creeping Polly, by a good horse called Othello, known in English books also as "Black and All Black." Governor Sharp imported about 1755 a horse of the same name and of the same breeding. He was foaled the same year. Tauntons "Fortraits of Celebrated Race Horses" tells us that "though Othello served but few marcs in England, yet from his blood have sprung several valuable racers, stallions and brood mares." Volume 1 p. 382 of the American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine tells us this horse was imported into Maryland probably in 1757 or 1753. While there is occasional questioning whether this is the same horse, I can find nothing to deny it, and at all events the importation must be hailed as an outstanding one the best English blood of the time to Annapolis. Othello stood at Beales Neck, near Annapolis. A few years prior to this importation, in about 1750, Benjamin Tasker imported the mare Selima. She was by the Godolphin Arabian and when brought to this country was raced with great success. She was put in the stud at Belair. SKLIit IS GREATEST OF TIS DAT. When mated with imported Othello, which was standing twenty-one miles away, sho produced a horse called Selim, the greatest race horse of his day. Enough cannot be said of the value of this blood and of this mating, for their offspring are the progenitors of many of the most celebrated horses of our time. Selima is the female ancestor of .the great horse Hanover through her daughter Stella ; Calypso, her great-granddaughter, is the fourth dam of Enquirer. Had Selima not lived the great brood mare Aerolite, dam of Spendthrift, would not have lived. Spendthrift is the male progenitor of Man o War. Selima, through her son Partner, is in the pedigree of American Eclipse. Her son Artel was the sire of the sixth dam of Lexington. The great Commando line of the present day and all its descendants Colin, Peter Pan, Peter Quince, Celt, etc., and their descendants, Tryster, the best two-year-old of 1920 ; the fine mare Prudery, and Miss Joy of 1921, and many others would never have existed were it not for the blood of Selima being imported to Maryland. I hardly think it necessary to go further. One could mention names of great horses into the thousands ; for instance, Exterminator and Boniface, which ran- head and head for two miles and a quarter at Pimlico in 1921 in the Cup, neither one would have lived had it not been for Selima and the energy, enterprise and initiatie of the early Maryland men. These things happened in the days of Braddocks defeat. "After this time it appears to have been considered part of the duty of a Governor of Maryland to keep a racing stud ; as, succeeding Governor Ogle, the importer of famous animals, Governors Bidgely, Wright, Lloyd and Sprigg were all determined turfmen and supporters of the American racing interest. . . ." We find Selim, Selimas son, standing at the head of the turf and racing in 1762-1770, a great horse in his time. He had been sold by Colonel Tasker to Samuel Galloway for ,000 as a yearling in 17G0. He won at Annapolis and t all points up as far north as Philadelphia. At this . time Robert Eden was governor and the Maryland turf was fashionable. From 1771 to 1773 Colonel Lloyds imported mare Nancy Bywell, by Matchem, stood at the head of racing. She was undoubtedly the best of her days. She won for several years the Jockey Club Purse at Annapolis, beating among others Dr. Hamiltons Primrose, by Dove, destined to be an ancestress of Hanover. That was just prior to the Revolution and "when the fall races, at Annapolis, were about to be run, they were postponed by recommendation of Congress in consequence of a report upon the state of the country. All quietly returned to their homes." "On the renewal of peace, with the revival of its amusements, the Maryland Jockey Club, at Annapolis, was placed on it former respectable footing, when it was considered a distinguished honor to be a member of it?1 composed only of such gentlemen as His Excellency Governor Paca, Richard Spriggs, Hon, Ed Lloyd, Hon. Benjamin C. Stoddert, the first secretary of the navy ; Colonel Stone, afterward governor, Hon. Ch. Carroll of Iarrollton ; Colonel John Eager Howard, afterward governor, Benjamin Ogle, afterward -governor; Hon. George Plater, afterward governor; General Cad-walllader, Messrs. Tilghmans. Steuarts, etc. In 1791 Col. John Tayloe of Mt. Airy, Virginia, came upon the turf. One might say that his importations, which were animals of the highest class, were closely related to those of Maryland. While he made many importations, his greatest horses were not imported. One was a son of Diomed Sir Archy and the other Belair a great-grandson of Selima. He did import a fine English mare, Castianira, by Rockingham, in 1799, and having mated her with Diomed, which was standing at Colonel Seldens, below Richmond, she produced in 1805 the great Sir Archy. Sir Archy was easily the greatest of our stallions of that time. He did not run many races, but beat all the best of his day. He was a Herod horse. He sired: Timoleon Gohanna Virginian fEoanokc " Rertrand Pacific I Janus Ercd by Hon. - Y Jo111 Eandolph Lady Lightfoot irqrk Anti.nnv. Sir Henry I Mianrak,J0"tIl0ny Virginia. S.OVmiam J creeping Kate Mucklejohn sir Arthur Tecumseh and many others It is necessary to refer to Mr. Tayloes importations and breedings, for it was the interweaving of the Maryland horses with the Virginia horses that is seen in the early pedigrees. Selima had a daughter, Black Selima, that became the granddam of Tayloes famous gray horse Belair, best son of Medley. Selimas other daughter, the famous race mare Ebony, was the granddam of Tayloes great gelding Xantoaka, by Halls Eclipse. Bellair beat the best horses of Virginia and Maryland, but, when out of condition, was beaten twice. Sir William Mucklejohn, Henry, Betsy Ransom, Trifle and other of the best early horses were descended from Bellair, whose blood was held in the highest esteem. Nontoaka won ten races, distancing the field, four mile heats, at Annapolis. Colonel Tayloe was then at the head of the turf in Virginia and Maryland. GABItlELS rTI3IELY DEATH. About 1799 Gabriel, imported by Colonel Tayloe, stood one season at Belair. He died the next year. It is said that he was kept by an English groom, who was not famiiiar with the Christian names of his patrons, but there still exists a list of those who sent mares to him this year. In the "Sporting Magazine" we find the following letter : "I believe, Mr. Editor, that Fabriel, which died in a year or two after he was imported, was equal to any imported horse we ever had. When he stood in Maryland one year only he was bred to few mares, yet in that season he sired three first-rate racers Postboy, Oscar and Harlequin." In ISO! Postboy came into repute and was a great performer and for several years beat the best horses at al! distances. Ogles Oscar was a good race horse and we find him throughout the pedigrees of later generations. He should certainly be regarded as a foundation horse of high degree. Again the well-known and respected Lee Boo. "This distinguished horse was bred, raised, owned and run by Osborn Spriggs of Maryland. He was by Craggs Highflyer and his dam was a little mare of pure blood belonging to Captain James Belt. "This was the so-called golden age of the Washington City Jockey Club 1S01-G, composed of Governors Ogle, Bowie, Wright, Lloyd and Ridgely of Maryland and other of the most respectable gentlemen of that vicinity and abroad being at that time the central arena for the North and the South." And so the years rolled on. But we find the blood constantly cropping out throughout the next fifty years. Virginia, however, from this time on imported more new blood than any other state. SIIAltK HAD SPEED AXD r.OTTODL Among those not already noted was Shark, imported into Virginia in 178G by Benjamin Hyde. In England it was said he was "the most capital horse of his time, beating all his contemporaries at every distance, clearly demonstrating his superiority, whether they run for speed or run for bottom." He won in England between 1774 and 1777 upward of 00,000. He died near Alexandria. Hon. Judge Duvall, an associate of C. J. Marshall on the Supreme Court bench, stated that "Shark was beaten by Dorimont, the sire of Gabriel and grandsire of Oscar and Postboy in 177C ; in 1777 they had another trial, with the same result ; in 1778, when they carried nearly equal weights. Shark beat him. He was one year older than Dorimont." Shark was to be the sire of the dam of Lady Lightfoot. To Be Continued.
