Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-02-27
THE HISTORY OF MAMBRiNO.
A WONDERFUL TROTTlNG SIRE AND TROT
TING PROGENlTOR.


A WONDERFUL TROTTING SIRE AND TROT-
TING PROGENlTOR.
Mambrno has proven the only son of
Messenger through which important
trotting families have been evolved,
though there can be little or no doubt
that Bishops IIambletonian was bet
ter individual, faster runner, possibly
a faster trotter; at any rate he sired more
trotting speed and his son, Harris Ham,
bletonan, was a better sire than either
of the sons of Mambrno, but in Il re-
gion where nothing except Morgans
were then appreciated, he was perpetual
ed only through his daughters, as was
the case with Bishops lIambletonian,
to which the famous Rysdyk's Hamble-
tonian was indebted, not only for his
name, but probably to as great degree
for his qualities as to Mambriuo, says
"Nision" in the New York Sportsman.
Messenger made the season of 1906 in
Winchester county, New York, and
there the subject of this sketch was
foaled the following year. Mambrino's
color was beautiful shade of bay, with
a star and one white hind ankle. He
was sired by imp. Messenger, dam by
mp. Sauerkraut: second dam by imp.
Whirligig; third dam old Slamerkin by
imp. Wildair, fourth dam the famous
imp. Cub Mare. This pedigree is also
remarkably good further back, the fifth
dam being Amaranthus, by Second;
sixth dam by Startling, seventh dam by
Partner; eighth dam by Greyhound;
ninth dam by Makeless; tenth dam by
Brimmer; eleventh dam by Places
White Turk; twelfth dam by Dods-
worth; thirteenth dam the Layton Barb
Mare. 1t will be observed that though
Mambrino and his first, second and third
dams were bred in this country every
drop of his blood was imported thor
oughbred. Nothing could then have
been puIer or better than the breeding
of the dam of Mambrino. The Cub
Mare was one of the early importations,
having been brought to this country in
1853 by Colonel Delaney of New York.
with imp. Wildair, and here was laid Il
very superior foundation for northern
pedigrees, very large number of the
best American race horses and also of
the most famous trotters tracing in the
line of dams to this source through old
Slamerkin, the first and best foal. So
highly was imp. Wildar priced as a
stock horse that he was subsequently,
repurchased at high price and taken
back to England. OF that Cub mare an
eminent authority on the race horse
stated that she was one of the most val
liable mares ever imported to this coun-
try, and that nearly all the best horses
in America, both trotters and thorough
breds. have one or more crosses to this
source. Take for instance Lexington,
and his grandam was by the noted Stump
ter, direct descendant from this mare.
Whirlgig and Sauerkraut were import
ed 1913 and l776, and were both super
Tor as well as richly bred. Still, net
withstanding the richness and purity OF
the thoroughbred on the dams side, this
was not sufficient to overcome those
cnaraclerlsllcS winch nave been trans
mitted in an unbroken line from Samp.
son, through it did modify and improve
them considerably. Mambrno was q
trhe oyer lG hands high, a large and
very coarse horse, but though taller he
was not as heavily built, and in many
respects was of finer type than either
of the four ancestors in the direct male
lire.
As a four year-old Major William
Jones purchased him from his breeder
LEWIS Morris, and put him in training
for two-milc race to be run that fall
but for some reason he did not full,
meet expectations, and there is no rec
ord of his eyer having been started il
any race.
He was never harnessed nor trained
as a trotter, though it was claimed by
David w. Jones, whose father owned
this horse, and who furnished to ''Franl
Forester" an excellent description anC
many important facts relative to mp
Messenger and his produce, that Nam
brine was very fast natural trotter
David w. Jones had many times riddel
him, and in fact owned him for severa
years after his fathers death. Accord
ing to his description, "Mambrino's ac
ton was clear, square and distinct, will
beautiful roll of the knee and grea