The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-06-01
How Breeding
OF the Racing
Horse Started
Eclipse. Result of Blending Strains,
MISUNDERSTANDING Saw His
Progeny.

Since Hugh Capet. king of France
IN the ninth century, proposing to
himself by intermarriage with Ethel
dlsta to infuse more vivacity into the
breed of these semi-barbarous island
ers. sent over to her brother. Prince
Athelstan. a supply of German run
ming horses" as they were called, this
being the first mention made of the
race horse i'll English annals, the
breeding of the Thoroughbred racer
has received most careful attention
of thousands of the worlds most in
telligent men in the most highly civ
ilized countries.
William the Conqueror. whose
charger was of the Spanish breed. and
whose cavalry Won for him the battle
of Hastings. II with Roger de Bel
b%enefactors by the importation of
Spanish stations into England, and
those sires. which were composed
largely of the blood Of the Barb,
brought into Spain by the Moors,
formed the foundation upon which the
English thoroughbred strain was
built.
Early Breed Improved.
The breed vas constantly improved
by the subsequent importation of east
ern blood horses. which reached the
acme of perfection in the progeny of
the barley Arabian. Godolphin Arab
ian, Briefly Turk. Harmsley Turk and
Places White Turk. imported ny Mr..
Place. who afterwards became stud
master for Oliver Cromwell.
With the blending of these great
strains of blood the result was Eclipse.
Eclipse was the property of Capt.
okelley, an Irish sportsman. and was
sired by Marske. who traces back
through ReSulus and Squirt to Child
ers, where the exact pedigree is lost
in the uncertainty of carly breeding.
Eclipse won the following prizes.
VIZ: In 1859. six kings plates of 100
sulneas each at Winchester, Canter-
bury, Newmarket. Salisbury. Lewes
and Litchtield. In most of these he
walked over the course alone. no horse
darine to start against him. At New
market. April II. 1870. he beat the
great horse Becuphalus. and on the
18th following he Won the kings 100
guineas against some of the most
famous horses. and double-distanced
them all h second heat.
Eclipse ran four miles at York in
100 in eight minutes. carrying 1853
pounds. being forty-two pounds over
the standard weight. making the re-
suit equal to six minutes and twenty
seven seconds. if. according to expert
opinion Of experienced horsemen.
seven pounds weight being equal to a
distance of 24O yards in a four-mile
race.
Capt. O'Kelley. who was at the time
residing in County Kildare. Ireland.
commissioned George Stubs, animal
painter to the king. to paint the pic
ture of the great racer. The original
is now the property of the Right Hon.
the Earl of Clonmell. at Bishops
Court. County Kildare, and is valued
at $4,000.
The blood of Eclipse found its a
to Virginia. through Saltrum. one of
his best sons. who sired the dam of
Kate Kearney. who was in turn bred
to Sir Archy, sire of Timoleon, who
sired Boston. Boston sired Lexing-
ton. whose skeleton is mounted and
preserved in the Smithsonian institu-
ton at Washington. D. e.
The first race course ever construct
ed in Virginia was at Richmond. and
the first important race held there
was in 1902. when Cialltan. by imp.
Bedford. defeated a field of the best
racers of the time.
The second meeting of note was
held at Newmarket. Va. in 1903. when
'Peacemaker, by imp. piome1, defeat
ed Surprise and others.
Half a century before the above
dates races We're held throughout the
Old Dominion in which the leading
citizens. warriors and statesmen took
an active part. and it is not q matter
for surprise that the native EirginianS
times and traditions of their ancestors.