Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-01-08
HORSE NOTES.


noted in this department, which will be main.
tanned win view to making it of interest
both local and widespread.
In the last number of the kentucky
Stock Farm is reprinted an excellent and
lengthy article on "Morgan Blood
written by H. L. Allen, of Buffalo, and
which was first published in the Horse
Shoer's journal. 1t will have more
readers among the horse fraternity
because of its appearance in the Lexing
ton paper, and that is a good thing, for
and fair-minded presentation of the
matter to which it relates, although by
no means covering the entire ground;
but m'tny of the deficiencies have been
supplied by the editor of the Kentucky
Stock Farm. 1t is very significant of
the present and growing interest in the
breed that an important turf journal,
published in the Blue Grass region,
should devote nearly page to this
topic. Mr.. Allen considers that the
great popularity of the Morgan family
and, especially, of its Black Hawk
branch, began when Ethan Allen, in
1858, trotted in 9 SO as a four year old,
and in this he is probably correct. 1t is
difficult for us in these days of extreme
speed to comprehend what sensation
was created by such a performance half
a century ago, but it was then deemed
simply marvellous, and the majority of
hOrsemen never expected that another
four-year-old would beat it. The record
for the age is now over half minute
faster, and a horse going at 2.36 gait
would have been but little beyond the
three-quarter pole when Directum
finished his mile in 2.054 Yet that 2 &c
in its day was as wonderful as 1854 is
now. Mr.. Allen goes on to say that 1.-THE
speed at the trot, courage and endurance
of the Morgans early drew the attention
of men in other states who were interest
ed in breeding, and some years previous
to 1850 those states began to draw on
Vermont for Morgan stations to use for
breeding purposes In this manner the
Morgan blood was scattered through the
United States, and, becoming blended
with other trotting strains, assisted in
the production of some of the fastest
light harness performers known. In the
drafting process Michigan secured Magma
Charta and Walker Morrill,; Kentucky
got Golddust, Woodwards Ethan Allen,
Jr., Draco and Bloods Black Hawk. Star
of the West went first to Minnesota and
then to Iowa; Charles Catfrey went to
Nebraska; King Herod found a home in
Minnesota; California secured Nc
Cracken's Black Hawk; the three Gray
Eagles, -Comans, Earrings and Nc
Kessons, went to Wisconsin and Hi
nOis, and in their new homes, were
scattered all over the West, until every
state possessed some of the Morgan
family of horses"
The remainder of the article is statisti-
CAL dealing with fast performers that
carry Morgan blood, and emitting many
that should have been included, but
making a grand show for the strain at
that. 1t concludes thus: 'From these
tables it will be seen that while the
Morgan blood has never taken, nor will
1t ever take, the position in the pro-
ductiOn of harnss speed that the Hamble-
tonian and Mambrino Chief blood has
taken, it has still been an important
factor in that respect, more important
than has generally been thought. For "a
number of years the Morgan family was
practically overlooked by breeders, and
that it has been as productive of speed as
it has under the conditions, is to be
wondered at. During the last five years
several men who recognized the good
qualities the family possess, in addition
to speed, have been making praiseworthy
efforts to preserve It's blood in as pure
lines as possible, and it will probably be
due to them that the Morgan family will
not lose its identity entirely. The other
families overshadow the Morgans so far
as the production of speed is concerned,
but the natural speed endurance, trappy
gait and intelligence of the Morgans are
qualities which make the family worthy
of preservation, and, as the statistics
show, it has taken no small part In the
production of extreme speed, when COM
bined with the blood of the other trot-
ting families"
The editor of the Lexington paper APP
ponds remark that "Mr. Allen might
properly have included among the 2 10
trotters everyone whose pedigree shows
cross of George Wilkes" This can
only mean that the writer of the sent
ence still believes in the old-fashioned
theory that the dam of George Wilkes
was by Henry Clay. This version has
been officially exploded by the Board of
Censors of the Trotting Register Associa-
ton, after a thorough examination into
the facts. More than that, the COM
piler of the Morgan Horse Register, who