The New York herald., 1922-02-12


of the United States Supreme Court ex-
pressed the opinion that no more than six
horses in the history of English
racing could be admitted to outclass
Selim. Nancy Bywell, Nettle. Regulus
and Apollo Of the Colonial period of the
American turf The six English horses
he named were Childers, Eclipse,
Match 'em, Highflyer, Hambletonian and
Diamond. AS the last three were not con-
temporaneous with our Colonial cracks,
but came on the turf after they had been
retired Chiders, Eclipse and Match EN-
alone remain as admittedly superior to
the best horses racing in America before
the Revolutionary war.
THE course and the soil sometimes
make the winner" Judge Duval said. 1T
is well known fact that few years
before the commencement of the Revolu-
ton Gen. Spotswood's horse Apollo uni
formly beat Mr. Fitzhugh's Regulus in
Virginia after repeated trials. In 1171
and 1872 Regulus beat Apollo over the
course at Annapolis without difficulty
At Annapolis Nancy Bywell was much
better than Apollo. nine stone the
y
ing ten stone, he beat her single heat
of four miles for a large sum Of
money"
Excepting the performances here re-
ferred to. little or nothing is known Of
the turf career of Apollo. 1t is for this
reason, probably, that he is not usually
iclassed as one of the best five horses of
his day But Judge Duval had seen them
all race and knew whereof he wrote. and
he was the acknowledged authority 10
whom the editor of the American Turf
Register apparently looked for the final
word on all things relating to Colonial
racing and race horses.
The breeding of this old time cham
pion seems to be as little known as his
performances. Bruce. following Edgar,
says he was by Morton's imported
Traveller out of the imported mare
Duchess, by Cullen's Arabian. but
/ Mason. Wallace and correspondent Of
the Turf Register credit his paternity
to imported Fearnought, the sire OF
Kitty Fisher. Why. Not, Brilliant and
/ other winners.
| Alexander Spotswood, who owned
| Apollo and who seems to have bred
\ him, was one of the numerous friends
/ and relatives of George Washington
identified with racing in Colonial days.
! His mother, Mary cambridge, was a
daughter of Capt. William cambridge,
whose brother. Col. John cambridge
was the father Of Martha Washington
/ And by his own marriage TO Elizabeth
! Washington. daughter of the Generals
half-brother Augustine Washington. the
/ two families were further united Capt.
! William Dandridge who lived in Han
over count-, was himself a horseman OF
| note having bred the celebrated stallion
| Dandrdge's Fearnought.
A Distinguished Family.
The Spotswoods were distinguished in
/ Virginia history as early as l1o. when
| the first Alexander came over from
| England as Governor of the colony after
| having fought under the first Duke OF
Marlborough at the battle of Blenheim.
While Governor he led an exploring ex-
petition across the mountains to the
! headwaters of the Kentucky and Ten
| nessee rivers. He established the postal
| system in Virginia and made 1t so etfl-
! cient that he became Deputy Postmas-
! ter-General for the Colonies. The
county of Spottsylvania was named Tor
| HIM He married Anne Butler Brayne,
and their daughter Dorottea became the
! wife of Capt Nathaniel West Dan
/ bridge. son of the Capt William Dan
! bridge, of Elson Green, before mem
toned. One Of their sons, Robert. was
/ killed in the French and Indian war,
| in which he was aid to Col. Washing
| ton. while another son. John, was Bur
CESS for Orange county, colonel of mill
tia and father of the turfman.
The younger Alexander Spotswood
served with distinction in the Revolu-
tion. rising to the rank of MaJor-Gen-
eral. His activities on the turf can be
traced back to 1771 and they seem to
| ne og
ended, for Judge Duval has said that
his horse Cumberland ran and won at
three mile heats in Alexandria. Va. in
1882. defeating Halls Union in the race.
| His Penelope started against Union for
the Jockey Club plate at four mile heats
over the same course the next year
Besides these long distance runners Gen.
Spotswood raced a horse called Eclipse,
winning a heat of four miles from the
great Regulus at Fredericksburg I'm
1774: also Fearnought, contender in
the four mile race at the same meeting
the chestnut gelding Stirling. winner OF
heat from Fitzhughs Volunteer the
next day on the same course. and Driver,
gray gelding that started against
Regulus at Annapolis in 1771.
Excepting Apollo whose ancestry is
doubtful. none of these Colonial racers
can be identified in the stud books
though Penelope may have been the reg
ietcred mare OF that name by imported
shark or the one by Yorick. while Fear
nought was perhaps the horse registered
as Dandridge's Fearnought, n son of inn
ported Fcarnought bred by Captain Will
liam cambridge. the uncle of Mrs. WASH
ington.
FcarnouHht's Importance as Sire.
The importance of the English horse
Fcarnought. whose offspring included
Apollo and Rogulus. two of the five top
notchcrs OF tho Colonial turf mentioned
by Judge Duval. is thus asserted by
Patrick Nisbett Edgar in footnote In
his pioneer stud book
Until the days OF Fearnought no
. other than quarter races were run in
/ Virginia. Speed had been the only quail
ny sought for. But his progeny were
remarkable for their fine figure and last
/ Ing bottom and introduced a taste lin
Imitation Of the English) for course rae
/ ing. which led the Virginians to seek
for race horses OF size and bottom"
Col John Baylor Of Newmarket. In
Caroline county who imported this great
sire In 1864 and kept him until the turf.
mans death in 1872, rivaled Col. John
Tayloe Of Mount Airy as a breeder OF
race horses. His stud included nearly
ono hundred horses when his executors
I came Go cell ~. lie was n man OF
u wealth and prominence In the colony
and "A personal friend OF Washington