Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-12-29
HORSE-TALK.
SupGe ROBERT W. HuGHEs'S PLEA
FOR OLD POTOMAC.
The virginia Horse Of the Colonial Period
What Is n Thoroughbred
IsEl Rio Rey One?

The following able letter by the Hon.
Judge Robert W. Hughes will be read with
interest by all lovers Of the horse. It's adj
dressed to the Turf Fed and Farm, but as
1, is in the nature Of an open letter. we are
enabled. through the kind permission and
courtesy OF Judge Hughes, to present IT to
the public for the first time:
NoRroL2 Va. December q. 1899.
TO DC Editors Of ne Turf lYeld and Farm:
Your journal is one OF the highest
authorities IN America on tho pediSTces OF
thoronehbrcd horses. One of yOnr editors,
Colonel Bruce, is the oracle whom all
friends Of the blood horse consult, and to
whom they confidently deter. In your
issue of the lat 81 November last, speaking
az HI Ra0 Rey. that nonparcl OF our times.
you say as follows
writer In New Orleans paper attempts by
nis1uoting from the Amer, an Siud-Boos 20 cs-
tAblish the pedigree OF Potomac tWhfes 81, ana
thus olcaf IN the faint IN The pedigrce OF 81 kio
hey. Weia Q RETAINED from any com nents on
the breeding 81 ihis the gragdcSt tvo-year-oid OF
She year, n not tho very best one tha has appear
oil IN America, for the reason that sncn tomm'ut
conld tie OF 10 credit 20 The colt aud might tnlure
tho owner and breeder. NO one c0nyersan, win
and informed on tho pedigrors Of thoroughbred
h0rscs has ever claimed that Psiomac, by import
cd Diom -. dsm Fairy, 10y PcsRsgs,wa moro ifh-
bred. tic was a grand racc-hOrs', winner OF The
fastest two miles 3.f2, run 20 his day, ani
won eight four milo races. defeating tho BEST
lof sc- u his time. The IO1igrec as given 10 TO
American stud BOOK, Vol ], Page 40. oad
literally ouole1 IL ~ below: "lOtODlac, hay
colt foa. 81 i-3, by impor cd doomed, dam fairy,
ty Pegasus. second dam Nancy hcCulock. 10y
Young Yorick a cold -blOoded horse. thlrd d1in
by hah-b'o'fed horse Gallo silver rye lohr'h
dam bg a common wagon hor-c, attn dam
common plow-fnsTc called Esirny Mare u -
founI III tho American Iuri Register,
foi. VI, page $780, ana y has never peen
questioned ~ being correct Whiie his gfeht
fnsriI as face- horse l. admitted. ." he got very
few race orscs ami iul lrei the breed II race
horses "a ~ eminent degree" NOW I'm the above
pedigree Ia - clearly stated that Young orirk,
The SIRE n Nancy McCpilock, VAS q cold-hlOOiei
horse. and fhorO ~ NJ reason or lu-tihfHtioh Tor
the wrl or 20 conclude that the Young forck
then m0uiionCt w11 tho same ! ouAs 1ouck ~
mentioned on page iii, n thorough brei hofsc' but
upon tn cOnfYary thore j. overy reason 20 con-
ciuie that f was not tao same horse. or u would
not have boon stated ina le wa co j. h.op1cl
horse, ana tue same facts Apply IN the Gaze 81
silver Eyc, - De- Is stated 80 have b"en hall
blood horse, VIII the silver tyo M the eiud
Book, Vol l., page o. is known 10 nave boon
. thor0J Ehbrcd: hence D." could not 20" mo 81
veI Eye given a. the sir" OF 10 ihr1 "a 70 OF 70
tmac Tho besf posted mtu In Tennessee,
notably the venerable Judge Barry, Of Gallniin.
always stated that while EctSey Malone, IA"
fourth dam of III Rio kay, WIS q great rHce
q defective pa1igree through her dam,
daughter Of Wilkcss rotomar. Charmer the
third dam of "a h" ney, was tho be-i daughter
81 imported Glencoe, ard he equal of any innre
Of her fiiue over ANY distance OF ground, and
Ter famous race Il, Ncw Orleans n ISL, when
enc defeated Louis Or aud hgaiOon, iour-
mile hosts, IN five "a At. is one - the motel
evoDts la racing annals he second dhm is bY
imported lors shire, "a ilucly-hred horse cni q
successful "a 'e-hOrse nni stallion. Malcolm, mo
sire OF his dam, l. hy Imported BON
ME scotland. dam Lady Lancaster ny importer
Monarch ison II imported rriam ana I'M
ported DeipLine. by Whi-kcrl. 80 tha' Fl kio
hey, lie ~ boy Norfolk. fhc uutohtcn tun OF we
great Lexington, AMI n marvelipu.ly sncc"--iul
sire for his chances. can out.iYo Nc faint OF pcdl-
gree. a. tho family ha+ alWass TnceG suc'e-- iul-
Is, and produced race horses TINT possessed hoih
speed aud stamina. Butif ia folly for any one
70 attempt 10 manufacture good pedigree Tor
Potomac, espo.iaiiy when all the known facts
collected from those vnOso interest % Wa 20
authenticate his pedigree, show cCncluslycly
thai be was not "A thoroughbred horse.
have always felt an admiung sympathy
for old Potomac Uttcranccs IN ditparage-
ment Of him. Ike your, always strike ine
as unjust. Foalcd IN 1903. me belonged 60
a period when American pedierces were
lut to be found in stud-hoOks and when
iost e those which existed had been pre-
rived by chance. An intelligent turm man.
ltlng ia the AD1ioau, IIVf n 5S'n' IN
.. said truly that flor want of an
crlcau stud book but few Ameu-
ibred horses can be traced TO a
lote origin unless they trace ~
few removes to imported mares
agree with Mr.. BrolnaN. long since
ad, brother of hcuuthoI al the " Annals
the Turf that Potomac was never
owed not 10 4ayc been "a tn0rouG hbrcd:
I maintain. as he did implicitly, that
fomac's performances both in hcid and
al established hie wight To the dignity OF
thoroughbred. therefore think You are
oo uuaual fed In your dttractions of f0-
omec and his offspring ln Your sentences
dove quoted and hope 60 convince Nou OF
cine injustice. know well thuf Potomac
has been the victim of a tldc of dciracti"n
such rs 40 other horse has ever witn-t God,
and that II requires no little hardwood,
you NAV think II lmpudence, 10 attempt
lis ylnd lcatiOn.
IOToM,C's PERFORMANCES ON TIE TURF.
Potomaf was 4ue of the best racers at
I'll distances ever produced IN America.
Let it Dee conceded that ms sire, imported
Doomed, Ike that src's most renowned
son. Sit Archy. possessed the rare "a ulty
of producing runner, from unuoIIgrecd
mares: and that ioiomac's hCc'nc-~ and
bottom came from Dlomcd, IN spite Of the
alleged defect of blood IN his lam, Fairy;
yet that fact. do maintain. does not in. tdy
u IN dIsmissing FAIRY "a "a hali-hrecd. |
mn not defending potcmac's pedigree
ON defending hls blood.
Who WAS old Potomac; Let Us get ac-
uuainted with him before going farther I'm
FMS discussion Mr.. Mark Alexander the
elder. of MockleniuTg county, Va, writing
February /, 1910. described HIM A. " a fine
bay, sixteen hands high. fOalci ~ lso3,
Handsomely marked, very large bone. great
muscular power. lengthy, his form not ia
feriOr To any horse on earth. ~ nigh
health and not a hlcmish about him-tho
best distauc" horse tAaG ever Was ou The
American turf, his speed tins day un-
known TO ELI who have seen hm run, al
though lac has often started against the
best horses in virginia and North Caro-
Ina; several times excepted from running
fOur-mlc heats because entries could not
be obtained against himi. and eleven times
q winner without finding horse to put
him 10 hls speed"
Mark Alexander was a hicbly successful
breeder and a princcly planter. II j. not
III Virginia that any person can be found
who will question the Integrity and SIM
certy of ANY statement from hin. In mat
tors OF the blood horse lac WIS an expert
and authority. he may have erred in his
estimate OF the super excellence of IotO-
mac. ii u human to err, hut 4 he did. his
was the error of superior intelligence ana
exalted integrity. lie WAS not alone IN his
opinion OF lNlVllit.
Another lead NJ turfman Of his day wrote
in 1885: In 1906 and several years after
Milks's Potomac. hy imported Diomcd. dam
by Pegasus lson OF Svmc's Wildairl ran IN
Virginia with a reputation almost equal TO
any predecessor. winning eleven races, eight
OF them fOur-mile hoats-nud never beaten
except IN his first sweepstakes Owing to
M accident Icy Stump the Dealer" his half
brother by Doomed, cut Of dam 10y imported
Shark.
Another standard writer of an earlier
date, contemporary with Potomac, summed
up his racing career very much IN words
that were afterwards applied TO Sir Archy,
Jutomac's Junior IA age 10y two years and
On the turf by three years. saying; He
ran many races IN Virginia, AMI ,cGS Rtrcr
put 10 has SDecd nor beaten but once, and
then in colts sweepstakes, owing 10 an
eccident, by his half brother Stump the
Dealer 10y Diomed. This (ls07) and the
succeeding year Potomac led on the VIZ
gina turf. From thence TO six years Old
he won eleven races eight OF them four
mile beats. beating all the best horses of
his day-Surprse. Top-Gallaut, Stump
the Dealer. Whiskey, RatIay, &c.--tre-
quertly d,stancing the field"
PotOmac's career on the turf, like that
OF has successor, Sir Archy, was short
chiefly because their uuequalled fectness
at all distances pat them beyond the pale