The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-07
Beausant Sprang from Kings of
 the Race Track
TROTTING IN AMERICA
History of Sport Is Somewhat Measrs But Sport Hardly Dates Back of Century Just closed-Mes-
 senger's Record.
BY A. E. cAFFEE.
And panting Time toiled after him in

And panting Time toiled after him in
 vain.s
 The love of the horse and rural life which distinguishes England is America 8 natural heritage. The trotting horse holds the first place in the popular love for sport in America, while the running turf is patronized largely by the wealth. fer classes. The trotting horse is the product of this country, for though this gait is a natural one, and trotting races occurred in England and France, and In Russia the efforts of the noted Count Orloff have resulted in establishing a breed of trotting horses which have fine action and some speed, it is only in this country that the trotting gait has been brought to perfection.
 The Darwinian advocates may reason ably point to the trotting horse as an illustration of their doctrine of evolu- tion. He is not distinct breed or strain of horses, 1t is true, yet a striking and wonderful instance of what may be done by cultivating certain gaits or peculiari- ties, and by careful selection of the best animals for breeding purposes.
 His very existence in this country ndfulY QaLeS DdCk or the century Just closed as in the early periods of our history all the imported horses were used exclusively for running purposes, and the ante-reyolutionary races were all of that character. Horseback riding was the fashion for both ladies and gentlemen, and the old weather-beaten stone steps still to be seen at the gray and moss covered gateways of many old-fashioned country mansions in Virginia and Mary land testify to the equestrian and cava- Her habits of the colonial era
 Messenger the First.
 When in May, 17Ss. the noble gray stall lion Messenger dashed down the gangway of ship from England. lying at the foot of Market street wharf, in Philadelphia, the history of the American trotting horse began. Messenger was a thorough bred English horse, foaled in 17S0, and was imported for running purposes and the improvement of thoroughbreds in this country. Like Maecenas of classic renown, he was descended from regal ancestors for being by Mambrino, the son of Engineer. he could trace his pedi- gree through the famous Flying Childers directly back to the Darly Arabian, and on his dams side be could boast of the imperishable fame of Matchem, Regulus, Cade and the Godolphian Arabian. He had run in England with brilliant sue 
 age and spirit, a groom who saw him taken off the ship was accustomed to re- late that "the three other horses that accompanied him on the long sea voyage had become so reduced and weak that they had to be helped and supported down the gangplank; but not so with the thoroughbred for when it came to Messengers turn to land he, with a loud neigh, charged down, with negro on each side holding him back, and dashed off up the street at a stiff trot, carry ing the negroes along in spite of their efforts to bring him to standstill."
 Messenger sired Mambrino, he sired Abdallah and Mambrino Paymaster, and Abdallah sired Hambletonian 10. and Mambrino Paymaster sired Mambrino Chief the two great fountain heads Of the trotting speed of the world. Ninety per cent of the horses now on the trot- ting turf contain the blood of old Mes senger in their veins. Hambletonian 10 has four separate strains of his blood
 The reader will bear in mind that Ham bletonian 10 Is really the beginning of the wonderful strides about 1865 in the breeding of trotting horses. Nearly every trotter of note in the country Is a de- scendant of Hambletonian through such famous sons as George Wilkes, Election ger and Harold, reinforced and strength ened by the hot blood of the thorough bred and of Pilot, Jr., and few other strains.
 Records Are Meagre.
 The records of the rise of the trotting turf in this country are few and meager. the earliest notices of any trotting matches being found in the American Farmer, edited by Hon. John s. skinner, published in 1873. The first sporting pa- per published in America was a monthly called the American Turf Register at Baltimore, September 1, 1929, devoted to the running turf. Porter's Spirit of the Times of December 20, 1S56 says: '"The first time ever a horse trotted in public for a stake was in 1918, and that was match against time for 5000. The match was proposed at jockey club dinner, and the bet was that no horse could be produced that could trot mile in three minutes. It was accepted by Maj, Will liam Jones of Long Island and Colonel Bond of Maryland. The horse named at the post was Boston Blue. who won