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History of American Thoroughbred i i j ; : : : : : : ; . i 1 : i . s i t u - i ; - t - 3 i J t 5 r Thirty-Third Installment. Rather a long catalog is here presented of 1 the best race horses of England and America ! up to the middle of the. nineteenth century. -Of those furnished, who will agree as to the j pre-eminence of any two of them, at least to place any six above the rest? 1715Childers , 171SPartner . , 174SMatchem 1749Regulus 1749 Mirza ; Ry the Codolphin Arabia 1749Spectator 1750Snap 175 1764Ediise, by Marske 1771Sharke, by- Marske 1 1773PotSo, by Eclipse ....Saltram, by Eclipse 1777tDiomed 17S2tTrumpator ; 17S4tSL To tor , " 1790tWaxy 1792tIIamblctoitian 1790fSorccitr 179SfEleanor 179StOrviIIe i 1807fWhalebone 1S1C Sultan 1S22 Camel - lS27tPriam, by 1 Em Hi us - ,. ISSIf Plenipotentiary, by EinlHtis - r- ; ISSltTouchstone ....Queen of Trumps tltay Middlcton jFIying Dutchman .... Harkaway .tDon John tSir Tatton Syke . ...1West Australian .... Kingston lSOlFIorizel 1812 Potomac lM3Sir Arehy lS12Lady Lightfoot, by Sir Arcliy 1S12 Vanity, by Sir Arcliy 1813 Reality, by Sir Arcliy 1813Timolein, by Sir Archy 1S14 Virginia, by Sir Arcliy 1815 Sir Charles, by Sir Archy 1820 Rertraml, by Sir Archy 1S01 Maid of the Oaks 1801 Floretta lttl Postboy, by Gabriel -1801 Oscar, by Gabriel 1S01 Hickory 1S0S Duroc . Sir Solomon 1S14, American Eclipse 1S20 Flirtilla .... Mon-icur Tonson Sally Walker .... Ariel, by American Eclipse .... Medoc, by American Eclipse Fanny, by American Eclipse Lady Clifden Doubloon, by Margrave Blue and ISro.vn Dick, by Margrave .... Wagner, by Sir Charles IS. ISoston 1S37 Fashion 1S39 Peytona Trifle, by Sir Charles Andrew, by Sir Charle Grey Eagle Ronton ancestors. tDerby and St. Leger winners. Another view of the comparative merits of thoroughbreds that were not contemporaries is presented by time on the same course and with the same weight or the relative weight for age. On the Charleston course, at three and four-miie heats, the races won by Nina, Highlander, Jefferson Davis and Frank Allen were accomplished in nearly the same time. On the Union course, New York, the fastest four-mile heats were as follows: Fashion, 5, 111 lbs., and Roston 9 120 Hm 7:32-7:43 Tallv-ho, 4, 101 lbs., and Rostaua, 5. Ill lbs 7:33 7:43 Fashion, aged, 123 lbs., and Peytona, 5, 117 lbs 7:33 7:45 Eclipse, 9, 120 lbs., and Sir Henry. 4. 10S lbs 7:377:49 Red-Eve, S, 120 lbs., and One-Eye Joe, C, 117 lbs 7:52 7:39 Ladv Clifden. 4, 101 lbs., and Pic-ton, 3, 90 lbs 7:447:437:50 It would seem that there was no great difference in the speed and bottom of the horses that have acquired the most renown on the Union course. Renowned sons of Boston have run the fastest races of four miles and four-mile heats upon the early American record. That was settled at New Orleans by Lexingtons race of four miles in 7:19 3-4 and that one by Lecompte in four-mile heats in 726 7 :38 3-4. Next in the order of time comes the race won by Fashion, beating Boston in 7 :32 1-2 7 :45 ; then Bostons son Tally-ho, beating Bostona in 7 :33 7 :43 at New York. There were several fast races at New Orleans as between George Martin and Reel in nearly the same time as Tally-hos first and second heats. Miss Foote and Grey Medoc ran heats in 7 :35. Other heats by Louis dOr, Charmer and Reube, all at New Orleans, vary from 7 :37 to about 7 :10. Bostons son Dick Doty beat Little Flea at Lexington in 7 :37 1-2 7 :46 1-2. Peyton scored over Fashion at New York in 7 :39 7 :43. The first two heats of Eclipses great race, on the same course, were run in 7 :37 7 :39. All of these races, at the period of their performance, were considered "the best race ever run in America," to say nothing of "the best race in Virginia," run by Red Eye and Nina, both of them by Boston. If time alone be the test the palm must be conceded to Lexington in not only having run the fastest four miles in America but also the fastest three miles, in 5 :31. The notable ani- mal fully realized all the high expectations of his judicious owner. Notwithstanding "the various circum-1 stances upon which so much depends for suc- cess were in the highest degree favorable the conditions of the horse and the track cxcel- lent the sky clear, the air warm and balmy the day could not possibly have been bet- tor;" jockeyed too by Gil Patrick, the best rider in the country, and carrying only 103 pounds, on a horse nearly five years old, yet Lexington ran a great hazard of losing the : race by the loss of "his left fore plate and half the right one." Had he lost his plate earlier, owning to the ! extreme hardness of the track, Lexingtons loss of the match seems to have been in- cvitable. Taking the chances into view I would rather bet on time than on Lexingtons i beating 7:26. Yet in the discussion of several of the best races with the difference of weight and for the same ages too, "D. P." is of opinion i "the question may well be put, Has the 7:37 heat of Sir Henry ever been beaten in this i country"? He states that Sir Henry and Le-. -. compte "were both of the same age ; Henry made 7 :37 with 108 pounds upon his back, while Lecompte made 7 :26 with only ninety-I eight pounds. But for the fear of being tedious, a com- parison between Lexingtons time and that of the fastest races in England, at four miles and up, and of the relative weights carried. 1 ! j , , . ; 1 ; , i ; : ! i i i -. would be made here. The subject will be dismissed, with the expression of disbelief, for obvious reasons, in the incredible accounts of Flying Childers. He likewise ran over the Beacon course, four miles one furlong and ; thirty-eight yards in 7 :30. However, no timer can see the length of the Beacon course, nearly a mile on one side being excluded from view by the "Devils ditch," an old Saxon work of entrenchment. Judge Duval of Maryland and one of the justices Of the" Supreme Court made a comparison of the running of Childers and Eclipse as follows : Eclipse ran four miles in eight minutes at York, carrying 168 pounds, forty-two pounds more than the standard weight at the time. If the calculations of old, experienced sportsmen that the addition of seven pounds weight in the rider makes the difference of 210 yards in a heat of four miles, then the running of Eclipse, carrying forty pounds more than Flying Childers, will prove that Eclipse was the fastest animal. It does not appear that in any of his eighteen races the time of Eclipse was at all noted, excepting at York, when six years old, as quoted above. In truth, not any horse had the shadow of a chance of winning against Eclipse. He distanced his field whenever he chose and was never beaten nor had a whip flourished over him, nor felt the tickling of a spur. Flying Childers flourished in 1721-22. Eclipse in 1769-70. Next to these celebrated race horses perhaps Highflyer was the fleetest horse that has been raised in England. But it does not appear that he and many other horses of the first fame that were never beaten, such as Lath, Babraham, Mirza, Regulus, etc., ever ran a fast race. It is. however, recorded of Matchem that "in 1775, at six years old, carrying 119 pounds, he beat Trajan over the Beacon course in 7 :20." Matchem was beaten in 1770, running for a Jockey Club Plate, in four-mile heats, in three heats, winning neither of them. Spectator, the winner of the race, ran in 7 :52, 7 :42. 8 :05. The difference in the weights probably caused the difference in the time in the two races, if the former was really the correct time. Spectator was sire to the dam of the famous Diomed. His blood descended to Lexington as well as that of Flying Childers and Eclipse. Lexingtons remote maternal ancestry is from the old-fashioned American blood, as transmitted from Fearnought, Medley, Diomed and Sir Archy, from which lie is also descended in the paternal line through Timoleon and Boston. In preceding articles definitions and examples of a thoroughbred race horse have been given. Strictly speaking, it has been stated that this pedigree, lineally and collaterally, must be traced to an approved Oriental source, the fountain head of the best biood of England. However, few pedigrees of the best race horses of the middle of the nineteen century will bear this test. About the latter time it had been deemed sufficient for a "thoroughbred," if his pedigree can be traced for eight generations without any base admixture. No horse, however, is considered "thoroughbred" in England whose pedigree is not on record in "The Stud Book." From the want of such a work in this country at the time of which we write American horses were considered thoroughbred if the sire was known to be so and the maternal pedigree was traceable without a stain to some mare of the fourth or fifth remove, reputed to be thoroughbred. Examples of this arc the Burwells Regulus mare, progenitor of the Lady Lightfoot stoclc ; Johnsons Medley mare, progenitor of Reality, Bonnets o Blue and Fashion. REMOTE ANCESTORS FIGURE. Some believe it is of the first importance that there be remote ancestors on both sides known to be of the best blocd. as the maternal progenitor of Flying Dutchman, the dam of the True Blues, by the Byerly Turk. From her are also lineally descended the renowned Sir Peter Teazle and Medley, foaled by own sisters, by Snap. Others consider it of more importance that the parents in each generation, until traced up to the fountain, be of the first celebrity, as in the example of Bostons pedigree. The two Childers, Partner, Regulus, Blank, Matchem, Herod, Eclipse, Snap, Highflyer, Pot-8-os, Saltram, Rockingham, Shark, Diomed, etc. combined in Boston are regarded as the best channels for the blood of the most famed horses from their Oriental sires. Sir Arcliy, the best early American-bred stallion we had, is in every respect thoroughbred. The pedigrees of his sire and dam are found in the Stud Book. For the present purpose a mere glance will be taken of his pedigree. That of his sire, Diomed, need not be repeated. Sir Archys dam, Castianira, was sired by Rockingham, granddam by Trentham, great-granddam by Bosphorus. Rockingham was foaled in 1780 and was the best race horse in England. He was owned by the Prince of Wales and succeeded the famous sons of Eclipse, Saltram and Dungan-non. Rockingham was the winner of thirty-two prizes in five years. The famous Miss Kings-land, own sister to Sir Archys granddam, by Trentham, foaled by the dam of the famed Pegasus, was of the same year. She ran a long and brilliant career. Trentham was a high-bred horse, paternally three removes from the Godolphin Arabian. His sire was foaled by a sister in blood to Matchems dam. In 177G Trentham realized in stakes more than 0,000, an enormous sum in those days. Plis descendants were renowned, especially Camilla, Sir Archy, Melbourne, Lanecrost and Alarm. In 1754 Bosphorus was sired by Babraham, own brother to Blank, by the Godolphin Arabian. Highflyer, sire to Rockingham, was known as the best son of Herod and of turf and stud ability second to no horse of England. His dam was by Blank and granddam by Regulus, tracing back to a royal mare. Ara-: bian or Barb. Both Blank and Regulus were by the Godolphin Arabian. It appears that Sir Archy is three removes from Highflyer and three from Herod, through Diomed, with another cross of High- flyer. But he had no cross from Eclipse or Snap. Having been asked for "a disquisition on breeding" I can do no better than to quote "the purer the blood the more likely it is to be transmitted." Whichever parent is of the purest blood will be most generally rep-, resented in the offspring. Breeding in-and-in all cases is injurious, but there are exceptions, and in all there is some in-breeding, as in the various descendants from the Go-: dolphin Arabian and from Herod, Eclipse, Matchem, Regulus and Snap. To Be Continued.
