Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-01-23
THE SIRE OF HAMBLETONIAN.

Abdallah, son of Mambrino, thorough
bred son of Messenger, was foaled in IS
49, He was bred on Long Island by John
Treadwell, and after he had produced
some good colts that showed well. was
purchased by John w. Hunt of Lexing-
ton, who took him to kentucky and made
there season with him in 1910. The
price paid for him was 81 900 Mr.. George
Smith, now Il portly, gray-hared man,
made journey to Lexington in the
spring of 1871 with the sole object of
buying Abdallah and bringing him back
to New York. 81 was them" said Mr..
Smith to US, "a wiry young man who did
not mind a long ride, and my weight was
l45 pounds. l was acting for William
Simonson and Ed. Crummey, and was to
have an interest in the horse If success
full in my mission. Mr. Hunt was not
anxious to sell, but finally we agreed up
on 81 300, which was big price in those
days. | offered to pay him in Kentucky
money, which was at discount, but he
would not take it. | then pulled thirteen
Bank of America notes of 500 each from
my pocket and handed them to him, and
he gave me bill of sale for Abdallah.
After this Hunt advised me to leave him
in kentucky where he would have access
to good mares, and he expressed doubts
of my ability to get him back to New
York, as he had fallen very lame in the
Journey from the East to the West. This
information made me little nervous,
but told Mr.. Hunt that | would run the
risk of getting home with him. rode
the horse from Lexington to Maysvlle
and then put him on one of the little
steamboats, running up the Ohio river.
tied the stallion to the guard rail of
that he gave me no trouble. He was
high spirited, but had good deal of
sense and was easily controlled if treated
kindly left the boat at Wheeling and
mounted Abdallah and rode him to New
York. The whole journey was made in
about nineteen days. Simonson and
Crummey did not make much money out
of the stallion. The fee was low, SIS, and
Before going to Kentucky the horse had
stood as low as 50 a mare, and know of
two mares that were bred to him that
were purchased for Sl2 and Sl3 each.
Abdallah was never in harness but once,
and then he ran away with the gig of
Treadwell. He was quite handy under
the saddle, and have ridden him fast
for a short distance. He was not a sure
why some of the farmers did not care to
breed to him. In the spring of 1913
Charlie Kent's mare, who had been sold
to stock trader, Jonas Seely, was bred
to him, and the result was the bay colt
dropped in 1919 and known in turf annals
as Rysdyk's Hambletonian. If had not
brought Abdallah back from Kentucky
the entire history of breeding the harness
horse would have been changed. There
would have been no Hambletonian to be-
come mighty progenitor of trotters."
Mr.. Smith is full of "reminiscences of old
time trotters. Abdallah, as is well
known, died on the barren beach of Long
Island in 1854, and his tail is now in the
possession of Mr.. j. III. Shuts of Park
vile. lie had good legs and the best of
feet. Maud s., Jay-eye-see, Sunol, AK
tell and the majority of the great flyers
trace to him through his son, Rysdyk's
Hambletonian.-[Turf, Field and Farm.