82 THE HORSE 



tionals of that horse which I have assigned to him ; and it is on these 

 grounds only that Mr. Hanckey Smith's theory can be supported, unless 

 the preponderance of the male is admitted to be less than it is very gener- 

 ally supposed to be. The subject is one not merely historically curious, 

 but of the deepest interest to the breeder of any of our domestic animals, 

 and I shall again return to it hereafter. I merely mention it in this place 

 to show there are two sides to the question, and that on the value of the 

 paternal in comparison with the maternal blood depends, not only the 

 relative importance of the Byerley Turk, the Darley Arabian, and the 

 Godolphin Barb, in reference to each other, but to the earlier Eastern 

 strains, and more especially the Two D^Arcy Turks. 



Having given the Pedigrees of these three celebrated horses, I shall 

 now allude to their characteristics and performances, as well as those of one 

 or two of their contemporaries, as detailed in the chronicles of the day, which, 

 however, I am afraid are not strictly to be depended on. 



The Flying or Devonshire Childers was a chestnut horse, with a 

 white nose, and four white legs. He was bred by Mr. Childers, near 

 Doncaster, and sold by him to the Duke of Devonshire. He is pictorially 

 handed down to us as possessing the shape and action of a light showy 

 carriage-horse, but I am afraid that the animal painters of those days are 

 not much to be trusted. Fortunately two-year-old races were not then 

 thought of, and Childers did not appear on the turf till April 1721, when 

 he won a four-mile match for 500 guineas at Newmarket, beating the 

 Duke of Bolton's Speedwell, who also forfeited the stake to him in a return 

 match made for the following October. His races were, as was the custom 

 of those days, either for four or six miles, and the weights from 8 stone 7 

 pounds to 10 stone, under which he is said to have performed the following 

 wonderful feats ; but the timing was made with ordinary watches, and 

 mistakes must undoubtedly have occurred: — About the year 1721, he is 

 said to have run a trial with Almanzor and the Duke of Rutland's Brown 

 Betty, carrjdng 9 stone 2 pounds, over the Round Course (3 miles, 4 furlongs, 

 93 yards) at Newmarket in 6 minutes and 41 seconds ; and soon afterwards 

 he ran the Beacon Course (4 miles, 1 furlong, 138 yards), under 9 stone 2 

 pounds, in 7 minutes and 30 seconds, which is about the rate of speed of 

 our modern horses, over our shorter courses, and under 8 stone 7 pounds. 

 It is therefore very doubtful whether the speed has not been exaggerated, 

 and especially as we shall presently find a still higher rate is accorded to 

 Matchem. He was never beaten. His brother Bartlett's Childers was 

 never trained, owing to a bleeding from the nostrils to which he v/as subject, 

 but was at once put to the stud, and was the sire of numerous winners. 



Matchem was bred by Mr. John Holon of Carlisle in the year 1748, but 

 was sold as a foal to Mr. Fenwick, of Bywell, Northumberland. He, like 

 Childers, did not appear till he was five years old, when he won a sub- 

 scription purse at York, and had a long series of successes at Newmarket, 

 winning on one occasion, as it is said, a £50 plate, over the B. C, 8 stone 7 

 pounds, in 7 minutes and 20 seconds ; but this being a greater performance 

 than that of Childers, may be considered still more doubtful. He was 

 subsequently beaten over the same course for the Jockey Club Plate, in 

 three heats, the first being timed at 7 minutes 52|^ seconds ; the second, 

 in 7 minutes 40 seconds ; and the third in 8 minutes 5 seconds ; which 



