Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-07-10
IMPORTED MESSENGER.
From the Horse Breeder.l

only well read, a close observer ana
deep thinker, but is thoroughly con-
scientous. He honestly believes that
Sampson, the grandsire of Messenger,
was by Lincolnshire coach horse.
The arguments advanced by Vision,
in support of this claim, are certainly
very plausible, yet we believe that Wis
ion is wrong. In venturing this opinion
we are aware that it can have but little
weight against that of such thorough
student.
1t was a disappointment to us that
Vision did not give his authority for the
assertion that the dam of Sampson was
bred to Lincolnshire coach horse tie
year before she gave birth to that dis
tingushed race horse. When and by
whom was this story first started? Was
the author OF such report Crustwor-
thy person? Was the statement sent
out as a dl>intere sted fact, or was it in
vented for some purpose. like the false
hoods in regards to Paddy being the
sire of Vermont Black Hawk, and Fly
ing Morgan that of Ethan Allen, which
were so extensively reported and tena-
ciously stuck to by deluded horsemen?
1t is not of the slightest consequence
at this late day whether Sampson, the
greatgrandsire of Messenger, was by
Blaze, or by Lincolnshire coach horse,
or Spanish donkey. There are few
facts bearing upon the subject, however,
which are worthy of careful considera-
ton.
Sampson is recorded in the English
Stud Book as thoroughbred. 1t was
much easier at that time to obtain facts
relative to his breeding than it is at this
late day. He was foaled in l745, and is
described by William Pick in Vol. l. of
the Turf Register, which was published
as early as 1903. Mr.. Pick was the pub
Usher of the Historical and Racing Cal
ender, and enjoyed the best of opportu-
mites for knowing all the reports con-
corning the breeding of so noted horse
as Sampson.
Mr.. Picks work bears evidence that
he was a careful compiler Whenever
there is any question about the breeding
of a horse registered there, Mr.. p.
takes particular pains to state the fact.
A note after the pedigree of Blaze reads
"a follows: "The above is the pedi-
gree as generally given of Blaze, and
as there have been various opinions con-
corning the truth, the following is copied
from the late Mr.. Cheney | have, says
he, been informed, but cannot say that
l absolutely depend upon the truth of
the whole, that the Confederate filly
dam of Blaze was out of mare called
Young Bets, got by Turk of the late
Duke of Rutland's, and her dam, called
Whrlgig, was full sister to Leeds"
Had there been report prior to the
date of publishing his work that Samp.
sons dam was mated with a Lincoln
shire horse the season before this giant
race horse was foaled, it is not likely
that Mr.. Pick would have passed it un-
noticed.
Vision evidently believes that the size
VI CdihPoOu was CfiuCiSC that Tic Sllc
of such horse was not thoroughbred.
"Close inbreeding to small, fine, pure
strains" says Vision, "never yet pro-
duced of itself a marked and decided in
crease of size with equally marked and
decided increase of size with equally
marked coarseness." Sampson was a
large horse, it is true. According to
Picks work he stood 15.2, and possess
ed immnese substance. There were
much larger thoroughbred horses in his
day, however, than Sampson. One of
these was English Eclipse, foaled in
1764, only nineteen years later than
Sampson. Eclipse stood about 1872,
four inches taller than Sampson. He
too had low withers, being, according To
good authority, about two inches higher
behind than forward.
This is one of the striking pecuiarities
of Messengers descendants, even to the
present day, as Vision observes. 1t was
Just as marked in Eclipse, the greatest
race horse ever raised in England, how
SNOi, as III caLuPo"I, eng iHcti, ldlnuIl'
no, Messenger or any of their descen-
dants.
In this respect, low broad withers and
high hips, these remarkable animals were
quite unlike the majority of other thor.
oughbreds of their time. Now does moi
this very striking popularity point to a
common origin for Messenger anC
Eclipse? The pedigree of the latter ha:
never been questioned. His sire was
Marske, and we have somewhere seen il
stated that Marske wasIless than fourteen
hands high. Before getting Eclipse
Marske was considered of so little value
that he was sold for twenty guineas OF
about 500 American currency, doubtless
owing in part to his inferior size.
The sire of Marske was Squirt, which
was also regarded at one time as pro