The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-18

HAM maj 6IeUenJS tIlSt
with one eXcep-
ton had little trotting Inheritance or de
velopment. Neither imported Messenger
nor imported Grand Bashaw were brought
to this country for any trotting instinct.
Imported Messenger was retired running
horse from England of very indifferent
turf success, and frequently ridiculed fol
trotting at exercise Grand Bashaw was
little black pony from Barbary, beauti
full to the eye, but useful only as saddle
hack Justin Morgan was not bred fol
trotting purposes, and he was noted more
for his pulling matches and his quarter
races than for his trotting capabilities.
Neither Of them could trot UnLer fouI
minutes.
Imported Bellfounder is the only horse
ever brought to this country that had the
trotting habit fixed. He belonged to the
hackney or roadster breed of England and
previous to his importation in 1922 had
trotted two miles in six minutes. He knew
nothing but trot.
From these unpromising beginnings on
the common mares of this country within
the space of three-quarters OF century
American breeders have evolved the swift
est harness horses in the history of the
equine race.
The blood elements out of which the
trotting horse is being evolved is verify
of the most careful consideration. A new
breed of animals is never made by crossing
two and only two distinct breeds, preserv
ing the better qualities of both New
breeds, however, are often made from sew
eral original breeds by a selection from the
mongrel progeny, and this is the case with
the trotter. The English thorough bred
has been bred and developed for a running
horse, and while he but rarely trots he has
the conformation of a swift horse as well
as those mental qualities and instincts
that fit him for the race course.
Some thoroughbreds, especially import
ed Messenger, have shown special apti-
tude to beget trotters when crossed on the
common stock of this country, and the
American trotting horse is being evolved
out of cross between the thoroughbred,
the common stock of the country and one
vulgar outcross, imported Bellfounder.
Messenger is undou btedly the great foun-
tain source of the trotter, and this state
ment is deserving of the greater weight,
when, as the stud book shows, all other
strains receive potency in speed produc
ing qualities just in proportion to the de-
gree of intermiXture with his lineage.
But too little credit IN tracing the origin
of the trotter is given to imported Bell
founder, himself a trotter and the get of
Old Bellfounder out of Velocity, both
great trotters in England during the first
part of this century. 1t is well known that
Hambletonian 10, the greatest progenitor
of trotters was sired by Abdallah l, a son
of Mambrino, by imported Messenger, and
that his dam, the Kent mare, was by i'm
ported Bellfounder. 1t is only fair to give
Bellfounder some of the credit of this won
derful horse that his great-grandsire Mes
senger always receives. Then in the case
of the Green Mountain Maid, the greatest
trotting brood mare ever foaled, we find
that she was sired by Harry Clay 40, whose
dam was by Bellfounder
Again, the breeding of Electioneer, the
greatest sire of trotters, with a hundred of
his get in the $50 list, including the fast
est trotter in the world, Sunol, 2:0S14; the
fastest stallion, Palo Alto 2:0S$4, and the
fastest 2-year-old, Arion, 2:10$l, as well as
the fastest at all ages except yearlings,
and one of his yearlings for a time held
the record for that age How is Elec-
tioneer bred? By Hambletonian 10, grand
son of Bellfounder, out of Green Noun
tain Maid, granddaughter of Bellfounder
Thus in Hambletonian, the greatest pro-
genitOr of trotters, and in Green Mountain
Maid, with eight in the 2:30 list, we find
% per cent. of Bellfounder, while the son
of these two is Electioneer, the greatest
sire Of trotters, an inbred Bellfounder
Laying aside all prejudice in the matter,
is it not time that due need should be
given to imported Bellfounder in forming
our race of trotting hOrsess
But as the trotter on one side comes from
the common stock of this country, it is in
teresting TO know its condition at the time
of the importation of Messenger, Bell
founder and Grand Bashaw. This stock
was even then much improved by the cross
of the splendid horses that the French cav
airy officers had brought into Canada for
their own use
The newspapers throughout New Eng
land from the Revolution to the beginning
of this century show in their advertise
ments the horse then in demand for driv-
ing. He was the PAGER, and fully one-fouYth
of the common stock Oh the country where
imported Messenger landed were natural
PAGERS. Our common stock in those days
both trotted and paced, but the preference
was much in favor of the pace. 1t must not
be forgotten that pedigrees of trotters show
conclusively that the cross of thorough
bred and pacing sires frequently produced
intense speed, as in the case of Maud :. and
it is impossible to ignore the conclusion
that the early PAGERS exerted a powerful in
fluence in stamping both trotting action
and speed upon the sons Of Messenger.
Had this common stock not been OF such
intrinsic excellence. neither the Aessen-
gers, Bellfounders, Bashaws nor MOrgans
would have been able TO produce horse
anywhere near the perfection of the trotter
today. The type, that of the greyhound,
is fixed and his perfection cannot be OBJ
tanned by untried crosses or retroactive
herding Such colts as Frou-Frou, Mon
bars, Ralph Wilkes and Arion show the
fixedness OF the type and also that he
needs no extraneous outcrosses- Rapidly
vet certainly be has been evolved IN in
stinct and brain in conformation and ap-
propriate muscular development, in cour-
age and IN staying qualities 10 trot, Till the
American trotvng horse OF today = the
peer CT the race horse IN SIZE power ana
beauty. In speed and endurance he j.
slperior IA the first century OF MS eSlS-
tence 30 all other harness horses or the
SiC5c- r l. hLeplck-
After Many Years
Strawber proudly - That shirt was