The New York herald., 1922-03-19
LEXINGTON TRACED
TO FUTURITY WINNER
Family Of Great Race Horse
Sprang From Filly First in
Produce Stakes Of 1905.
ALSO PRODUCED WINNER
Maria, by Melzar, a Veritable
American Royal Mare in
Pedigree Of Famed Sire.
ALSO PRODUCED WINNER
Nv GURNEY @. CUE.

the Great. :o714, John L. Hervey has
written for the Thoroughbred Record an
inquiry into tn eremote crosses oi Lex
ington's pedigree, which, coming just at
this time. has the appearance OF a
Counter offensive" designed to expose
the unstable foundation of many equine
genealogies in the American Stud Book.
TIL ancestry of Boston's famous son
has never been above suspicion nor
beyond controversy as to its back
crosses since Lexington came upon the
turf In 1853. Capt. w. j. Minor, one
of the leading breeders and racing men
of his day, whose brilliant sporting
epistles to the Spirit of the Times were
written over the pen name "A Young
Turfman," questioned it In that paper
as early as 1856, as did several other
prominent correspondents of the Spirit,
while none could produce convincing
proof of its authenticity.
Origin of the Family.
The origin OF the family of Lexington
in Kentucky is an interesting chapter
in the history OF the now famed blue
grass region, and 1t has never been told
in connected narrative. The man who
planted the seed from which sprang
the greatest sire Of race horses this
country has ever seen was Col. Robert
Sanders, one of the many Virginians
who, seeking adventure and fortune In
the new country west of the Allegheny
Mountains. settled in Kentucky imme-
diately after the Revolutionary war.
Among his neighborS and compatriots
were Gen. Charles Scott, Col. Isaac
Shelby, Major John Crittenden, Col.
Abraham Huford, John Breckenridge.
or
and Henry Clay, as well as others
whose names are fittingly perpetuated
in the ti.les of counties or towns and In
.he records Of the turf and stud.
Col Sanders became the foremost stock
breeder of his time and was among
those who in 1871 organized the first
regular race meetings at Lexington,
which were continued without a break
until the civil war. He was likewise
among the first, If not the first. to keep
a stud of brood mares. To improve his
racing stock he went back to Virginia in
the winter of 1S00-1, and purchased
from Col. John Hoskins of Kings and
Queen county the bay horse Melzar, 16
hands high, by imported Medley. He
paid $4,000 for the stallion, which was
an extraordinary price in those days for
q stud horse, to take to Kentucky, where
there were as yet few we'll bred mares.
Paid Forfeits I'm Horses.
The advent of this horse in the vicln-
ity of Lexington created furore among
the racing men. which eliminated in the
first Futurity In Kentucky, IL not in the
country. Eleven OF the pioneer breeders
subscribed 5000 each to a produce sweep
stakes for foals of 1902 to run as three
year-olds at two mile heats. Money
being scarce, the forfeits of 500 each
were payable in saddle horses at valua-
tions fixed by a special committee OF
judges. The race came off in October
on a round course laid out on a field be-
longong to the owner of Melzar, at his
farm, about eight miles from Lexington.
The sweepstakes had been the talk OF
the countryside for months. and IL
proved to be a greater event than the
patrons of racing had seen. Lexington.
Georgetown, Versailles and Frankfort
pouring out an array of fashion and re-
spectability such as had not previously
been approached
Seven young horses started. each with
host of admirers and hackers. After
a severe and exciting struggle the race
was won by Col. Sanders's fllly Maria.
trained by Col Abraham Buford, the
progenitor of a host OF later day turf
men. The winner was one of the foals
got by Melzar before his untimely death
at the end of his first stud season, IN
1901. With the passing OF the years
Maria, by Melzar. took her place In turf
history as the fourth dam OF Lexington,
but the fame OF her victory in this his
toric Kentucky futurity of more than one
hundred years ago has remained hidden
away in one of the now rare volumes of
the Spirit Of the Times until il doubt
less news to every horseman who will
read II in to-day's HERALD.
Josephine No Phantom.
Tt win be news also that Maria pro-
duced a fiily by imported Buzzard three
years after this race, and that Jose
phlne. as she was called. ran and won
as three-year-old in a renewal OF the
produce sweepstakes over the Pond
course. near Lexington, I'm 1911. Henry
Clay. then n member of Congress, had
another filly OF his own breeding, by
Buzzard. In this race. but she was dis
tanced by the daughter of Maria. Mr..
Clay's mare lived, however to become
the dam of woodpecker, sire OF the
renowned four mile race horse Gray
Eagle. Now that phantom foals oI
long ago are being admitted to the
Stud Book there should be n place for
Josephine, n real one and winner.
that was never discovered by Col S.
D. Bruce, compiler or the early records.
| Maria in 1917 produced bay filly
called Lady Gray. by the short bred
horse Robin Gray. Both the stud Book
and the American Turf Register state
that she was bred by Col. Sanders. but
as he IL known to have died about the
| time Josephine was "a three-year-old
this is plainly n mistake. Whoever
may have been the breeder, Lady Gray
was in the stud OF c. T.. Theobald OF
Dry Ridge, Grant County, Ky, In or
before 1921. and in 1896 she produced tho
| chestnut fllly Rowena, by Sumter, that
became the property OF DR.. Elisha War
field of Lexington. KY. before 1890.
He bred Rowena to imported Sarpedon.
and in 1896 she produced the bay fiiy
Alice Cafneal that In 1850 became the
| dam OF Lexington Alice ran seven
races in Kentucky. but she seems never
TO have won. In one OF them, how
ever, she Torced the great four miller.
Miss Foote, out in 7:i2, then tho fast
est time on record, though she was dis
tanced when the winner came back
with second heat In TAO. She was
plainly a marc OF great speed. but Il
\ has been said that she was extremely
nervous and excitable on the track,
which destroyed her value for racing.
A Fog OF Contradictions.
Back to Maria. Futurity winner
and the dam of n Futurity winner. Lex
ington's pedigree Is as well authenti-
Gated as any in the Stud Book but when