The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-15
BOUGHT I'm ENGLAND
FOR FIFTY GUINEAS.
Winner Of the Derby and Other
Crack Races Across the Water,
He Won His Greatest Repu-
tation on This Side
as the Sire of
Winners.
ny THOMAS NELSON CARTIER.

The Importation OF Diomed by Col
onel Hopmes, of Caroline county, Va,
in 1893 was the most fortunate even.
that ever took place in tile history of
the American horse.
He was the fountain head from
which flowed the best strain OF thor
oughbred blood that exists to-day in
this country. or course the great
race-horse did not Immediately spring
into being on the advent of DiOineb.
Much preparation for his coming. ana
much care after his arrival. was ncces-
sary. for i, is far cry from the small
wild American horse OF 200 years ago
to those splendid racing machines of
the last OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, Foxhali.
Parole, Hanover and Salvator--or to
those OF the present generation
Sysonpy. Colin. Peter Pan and Voter.
Many long years and much money and
care were expended In transforming
what was into what IL. 1t would be
very interesting along this line to go
into the question of the origin of In.
American horse; to show what mamie:
of animal he was in the latter part OF
the seventeenth and the beginning IF
the eighteenth centuries. as we'll az to
show what effcc. was produced by
the importations from England an
terror to the arrival of Diomed, but
have neither the time nor space to go
into these matters.
To give some idea or the horse of
1900, II will be sufficient to quote one
passage from "Beverley's History of
Virginia" London. 1905:
There is says the historian. yet
another kind of sport the young people
take great delight in, and that Is tile
hunting OF wild horses. which they
pursue sometimes with dogs and some
times without. You must know they
have many horses foaled in the woods
of the upiands that never were In hand,
and are az shy as any savage creature.
These, having no mark upon them. be-
long to him that first takes them.
However. the captor commonly pur-
chases these horses very dear by spoil
ing better in pursuit. in which case
he has little to make himself amends.
besides the pleasure OF the chase, and
very often this IL all he has for 1t. for
the wild horses are so swift that it's
difficult to catch them. and when they
are taken tits odds but their grease Is
melted, or else. being old, are so sullen
they can't be tanned"
These small wild horses and those
1omesticated and bred from them were
what we find when the English inn
poftations began. The earliest recorded
importation I can find talthough have
no doubt that Others preceded this) is
Bulle Rock. or Rock (spelled both
Ways. by barley Arabian. out of
mare by the Byerly Turk: second dam
by Listers Turk: third dam a natural
Barb mare. and belonging to Messrs.
Samuel Tatton and Samuel Gist of
Virginia.
He was foaled in Ills, brought to
Virginia in 1880, and was entirely. as
his pedigree shows, of Eastern blood.
Following him came Tarruin, foaled
1870. by Hampton Court Chestnut
rabian, out OF Leedes's mare by
I.eedcs, second dam Moonah Barb
mare. Then followed Dabster. foalcl
1885. by Hobgoblin; Crab. foalcd 1886:
Cub, foaled 1893; Hector. by Lalh,
foaled 1745: jolly Roger, 1741; Janus.
1746; Hero, 1747: Eclipse. by Partner,
SON of Flying Childers, 1851 !; Bachelors,
1853; Bajazet, list; Babraham, by
Fearnaught. 1859; Aristotle, 1855; fol-
lowed by Blank. 1861; Merry Tom.
1853; Messenger. 1859; Vampire, 1851;
Lycurgus 1867. and many others.
THESE horses. of course, prepared the
way for Diomed in 1898. The home
stock had been developed from thir-
teen and fourteen hand ponies to some
thing like a Thoroughbred by importa-
tions, by care in breeding, attention
Ito food and constant racing.
Racing had been in progress for
many years, as appears from the 70
cords OF tho Virginia county courts.
notably of Henrico County Court-thc
''race-horse region These courts
We're called on as early as 1879 to set
tie disputes arising out of races A
most interesting account is given OF
this time by Mr.. w. q. Stanard in.,Vir-
ginia Historical Magazine Vol. H.,
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