Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/56

 TURF Snap and the progeny of King Herod that we have so much of the invaluable blood of that famous horse at the present day. In 1764 another colt was bred by the duke of Cumber- land, which proved a greater runner than any of its predecessors, and a larger horse. He was foaled during the great eclipse of the sun, and was called Eclipse. His sire, Marske, was a brown horse coming in the male line from the Darley Arabian through Bartlett's Chil- ders; and his dam, Spiletta, was a grand- daughter of the Godolphin Barb. Eclipse was the biggest, strongest, and greatest race horse that had ever run in England. He was 16 hands 2 in. high at the withers, one inch more at the croup, and his length was enormous. No such horse had ever been seen before. His temper was resolute and defiant. There was great trouble in breaking and riding him. No jockey ever dared strike him with the whip or prick him with the spur. He won eleven king's plates, most of them four-mile heats, weights 168 Ibs. He double distanced a large field of good horses when his backer for a heavy bet undertook to place them. He was never defeated, and never paid a forfeit. Nfcxt to him the two best horses of his time were Goldfinder, son of Snap, and Shark, another son of Marske. The latter got big horses. Shark was himself 16 hands high, and was a great runner. He was afterward taken to the United States. In the 50 years between Fly- ing Ohilders and Eclipse the race horse had increased about a hand in height, and when the latter retired from the turf in 1770, the thoroughbred, as a permanent and the most valuable variety of the horse, was established. There were now at the stud King Herod, Eclipse, and Snap, and from these three our best modern race horses are mostly descend- ed. It would be difficult to find a race horse that has not the blood of two of them, and most of the best in England, America, and France take descent from all three. When Eclipse retired, a great change in the manage- ment of the race horse was imminent. Up to that time few had run before they were five years old. Lord Grosvenor bred Pot-8-os from Eclipse and Sportsmistress in 1773. He ran him at three years old, and the colt won. At four he was beaten ; but after he was five he never suffered defeat. He won over the Beacon course 20 times with high weights, and was the best son of Eclipse, though the latter had other sons of wonderful merit, such as King Fergus, Joe Andrews, Mercury, Dun- gannon, and Saltram. The whip, a challenge trophy still run for over the Beacon course, 140 Ibs., and for 200 guineas, play or pay, whenever challenged for, had been established. Bay Malton had won it and held it. So had Mambrino, but he paid Shark 100 guineas to be allowed to keep it. In 1781 Lord Grosvenor challenged for it, and named Pot-8-os. It was delivered over. While Eclipse rejoiced in Pot-8-os, King Herod enjoyed equal glory through the wonderful success of his son Highflyer, foaled in 1784. He was bred by Sir Charles Bunbury, and sold to Lord Boling- broke, and afterward to old Tattersall, the founder of the fortunes of that family. To Highflyer it is indebted for wealth and re- nown. His dam was Rachel, by Blank, son of the Godolphin Barb and the Little Hartley mare; and on the female side Rachel was a granddaughter of Regulus, son of the Godol- phin Barb. Thus Rachel brought two crosses of the Godolphin Barb and one of the Darley Arabian to the cover of King Herod, who had himself two crosses of the Darley Arabian and one of the Byerly Turk. Highflyer ran at three years old. He won several times over the Beacon course, besides races at other places than Newmarket. He was never beat- en, and never paid a forfeit. A hot discussion soon arose as to whether the descendants of King Herod or those of Eclipse were the best, and this lasted even after Hambletonian, grand- son of Eclipse, beat Diamond, grandson of King Herod, in the great match over the Bea- con course, by half a neck. The Diamond men wanted to run it again, but Sir Harry Vane Tempest would not consent, and Ham- bletonian never ran another race. The betting on this race was enormous. The war between the partisans of Eclipse and King Herod now waxed furious. The wise and impartial, how- ever, determined to avail themselves of the blood of both these famous horses. Then be- gan that curious and intricate crossing be- tween the produce of King Herod and Eclipse and the daughters of Snap, which has ever since produced the horses of highest type in England, Ireland, America, and France. King Herod covered Lisette by Snap, and got Maria. This latter was bred to Pot-8-os, and the pro- duce was Sir F. Poole's Waxy, a beautiful bay horse with one eye, great as a racer, and upon the whole greater than Highflyer himself as a sire. His favorite mate was Penelope by Trumpator. She was out of Prunella by High- flyer, and Prunella's dam was Promise, by Snap, the dam of Promise being a mare by Blank, son of the Godolphin and the Little Hartley mare. Whoever would understand what the turf means must acquire some knowledge of the true origin of the best families of the blood horse. Pe- nelope had the Darley Arabian blood through Snap, grandson of Flying Childers, and through the Little Hartley mare, daughter of Bartlett'a Childers. She also had two crosses of it through King Herod, and one more through Rachel by Blank, dam of Highflyer. She had the blood of the Godolphin Barb twice through his son Blank, and once through his son Regu- lus; and she had the blood of both these horses once more through her sire Trumpator. She had besides the blood of the Byerly Turk through King Herod once and through the dam of Trumpator once. Now, being put to Waxy, son of Pot-8-os by Eclipse and Maria, by King Herod, out of Lisette by Snap, Penel-