The New York herald., 1921-12-04
His Rank Among Race Horses
Declared by Justice of U. S.
s Supreme Court
RACE WITH TRUE BRlTON
Samuel Galloway, Who Owned
Him, a Noted Maryland Turf
man and Patriot.
By GURNEY c. CUE.

relative to racing in. Colonial days, Cab
sfel Duval. Justice Of the United States
Supreme Court one hundred years ago,
said of the bay horse Selim: '1Ie beat
Every horse of his day until after he
was nine years old, land "his superiority
as racer was so notorious in Mary
land that he was frequently excepted
and not permitted to run"
y Records of Colonial racing collected
by John L. O'Connor bear out these
assertions and indicate that Selim was
the first king of our turf. no other horse
of his day having beaten so many
Recognized cracks and himself remained
so long undefeated. He came on the turf
as a four-year-old in 1763 at Annapolis
where he vanquished the beautiful gray
horse Dove, imported from England by
pr, Thomas Hamilton, of Prince George
county. Maryland. At that time there
was no racecourse at the capital of the
colony and the horses ran two miles out
on the road to Baltimore. then turned
and raced back over the same ground to
the starting point, making the distance
four miles. Selim invaded Pennsylvania
in 176i. wining the purse at Philadelphia
and beating the best horses in that
neighborhood.
This victory resulted in match race
over the same course in April of the
next year, which excited interest
throughout the colonies and was one of
the great races of the eighteenth cen
Jury. The stakes were the unusual sum
OF $1,000 and the distance four miles AID
repeat His competitor, True Briton.
had distanced Old England in match
at the Harlem course, near New York,
In 1863, whereupon the owner of the
winner. one Waters, threw down the
gauntlet TO the whole country. His
challenge remained unaccepted for al
most year.
First Great Sectional Match.
The man who took il up and won the
first great interstate match of the Amer
tcan turf was Samuel Galloway, owner
OF Selin and one of the land barons
of Maryland. He had been educated at
Cambridge. England, when the Go
dolphin Arabian was in the stud at Cog
Magog Hills, two or three miles from
the university, and when the sons and
daughters of that wonderful sire were
scarce ten miles away. There he formed
q taste for the turf sports which he culti-
waited as long as he lived. which was
until 1855. In the hall at Tulip Hill,
his baronial estate. near West River.
Md. there hung for almost a century
portraits OF Lord Godolphin's famous
horse. and of Flying Childers. Crab,
Babram. BaJazet, Miss SlamerlSin,- with
her foal Othello at foot, and other cele-
bfated English race horses, presumably
collected by young Galloway while he
was at Cambridge.
This picture of the Godolphin Arabian
is a replica OF the portrait made from
life at Cog Magog Hills by D. Murrier.
painter to the Duke of Cumberland The
original at last accounts hung in the
dining room at Houghton Hall, which
was the country seat of Sir Robert Wall
pole in Norfolk nearly two hundred
years ago. The Earl of Godolphin's coat
of-arms is on the Maryland picture.
which has led to the belief that he may
have presented 1t to the young Ameri-
can turfman.
Soon after Mr.. Galloway's return TO
Maryland there came to the colony a
daughter of the Godolphin Arabian that
was among the first, If she was not the
first, thoroughbred mare seen there or
elsewhere in America. She was a sister
10 Babram and was called Selma Ben
1amin Tasker. Jr., son of Gov Benta-
min TaslSer, is believed to have imported
her about the year 1852, for In Judge
Duvars Racing Memoranda of the
Olden Time" there is an account of a
race won by her from Capt. Buffers
Creeping Kate at Annapolis on May
3 OF that year, and of another on De-
cen1ber 5, In which she defeated Col.
Tl.rdsc Col
cron and Childers, and Col Thornton's
unnamed gray mare at four miles over
the race ground at Gloucester. Va, for
purse of $500. fifo
Washington "a the Races.
When Gov. Horatio Sharpe. about
1757. Imported from England the then
noted race horse and sire Othello bv
Crab out of Miss S1amerkin. Selma
was bred 20 him by Col Tasker, and
5n"1759 she foaled Selim at Belle AIR
the country seat of the Taskers, within
three miles of that of the Duvals Mr..
Galloway bought the colt as a two
year-old for f1S3 at a sale of the Tasker
racers. Sinsularly enough. Selim's COM
pe,itor I'm the great match at Philadel-
pilia was another son OF Othello True
Briton won the first heat by half a
neck, but was drawn after the sec
ond. In which Selm ran the four miles
On 1906 over a heavy course.
In Scharfs History OF MARYLAND"
there is this account of one OF the
memorable races OF Sclim, which was
IN the nature OF an Interstate match
"On 24th November. 1866. y race was
run at Chcstertown. Nd. for a purse
OF 100 pistolcs. expressly offered by the
gentlemen Of that place I'm order 10
bring together the two most famous
horses on this continent These were
Norick of Virginia and Selim OF Mary
land. YoriclS had started for and won
scven matches and plates. whilst Selirn
had never been beaten. The race was
four mile heats. witnessed by an i'm
nense crowd from every part Of the
country, and was won by the Mary
land horse" These races were great
gatherings always. Ladies were pres
ent In force. and many fine old Vir-
einia gentlemen used to drive up i'm
their coaches and bet their negroes on
the results. Courts adjourned. schools
were dismissed and there was always
o. ball. n theatre and a cooking main
during race week
Selim's first defeat took place al IN
yer Marlboro. Nd, on May 4, 1868, ac-
cording 20 Mr. O'Connor's Colonial turf
records. IL proved TO be poor race at
four mile heats, the last OF which was
ruin In the slow time Of 1852 and won by
Dr Thomas HamIlton's imported horse
Figure, Selim finishing third in each
heat He continued on the turf until he
was 13 years old. but with varying sue