Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-04-26
From the Breeder and sportsman, san Fran
cisco.

Some time ago subscriber in the
Northern part of the State wrote us for
the pedigree of Lancet, one of the Cali
fornia trotting sires of twenty-five years
ago. We had no record at hand and
wrote to WILDER F. Smith of sacramento
for particulars, knowing that his father
had once owned the horse. WILDER could
not be positive as to the breeding, but
his letter is so full of interest that we
give it,
Replying to yours of the 9Th. inst,
this day received, would say that since
1863 have never had occasion to think
or speak of the pedigree of Lancet. Of
course, then, | reply upon my memory
for my version of Lancet's pedigree,
and though | have found my memory
tenacious and usually to answer me well,
still l may be mistaken in boyhood rec
objections of twenty-five years ago.
This is what | remember: Lancet was
bred in New York, and brought here by
j. G. McCracken in 1860 or 1861, sired
by McCracken's Morgan Black Hawk
Gas McCracken called him), dam trot-
ting mare called Green Mountain Maid.
l do not remember her sire, if it was
given; and it struck me at the time that
Lancet's pedigree was a short one.
McCracken's Black Hawk (Wallace
leaves the Morgan out in his register,
Vol. A., was certainly by Hilfs Yer
mont Black Hawk. McCracken used to
publish certificates of d. Hills to that
effect, and the statement was underlined
! that he resembled old Black Hawk more
in appearance than any colt he ever
sired.
| McCracken's Black Hawk is the sire
of Lady Dooly, Flora Emmett, Sorrel
Ned and others | cannot recall on the
spur of the moment. | do not think
that the short history of McCracken's
Black Hawk is exactly correct as pub
lished by Wallace. | am at work now
trying to find out what | can of
McCracken's horses, and in my research.
es | will remember Lancet. and COM
municate with you. In the mean time
you might write to Sam L. Daniels,
Chico, Butte Co., Cal, as he owned the
horse Lancet, and made some seasons
with him in Butte Co., after my father
sold him.
was just thinking that Mr.. Daniels
said something to me about Lancet when
] last saw him. Lancet was a high
strung horse; trOtted on his courage and
went distance well. He beat a horse
called Trustee a ten-mile race at the old
Louisiana course. The time was nearly
thirty minutes. Lancet was beaten by
young Tecumseh five-mile race at the
same course, in IA :l3. My father drove
Lancet a mile in ? :4S, but his average
was little below 3 100.
After my father disposed of him he got
savage in his temper, but when / was
ten years old used to catch him up from
the paddock and he would stand by the
fence, while | climbed to the top rail tC
put the halter on his head that he never
take care Of him, and regret that tim,
and varying fortunes and "many re
moves" have left me nothing but tn
memory of Lancet.
Sincerely yours,
WILDER FIELD SMITH.
Since the above letter as received. il
delving in old files of papers publishes
''before the war" we found rude WOO
cut that purports to be portrait of Ian
Get. and with it this brief description
Lancet was sired by Morgan Blac
Hawk, dam by Imp. Emigrant, he b.
) Defence, he by Unfortunate. He is l
hands, 3 inches high and five years ole
The paper from which the above wa
taken was dated July Z. 1860, whic
would make the year of Lancet's brit
1855. 1t also appears from these file
that he made record of 2 :56 on Dec. 2:
1860, at Sacramento, in match race wit
Morgan Rather, when Lancet distance
his competitor in the first heat.