228 



accidental crosses, although they are not recorded, must inevitably have 

 happened, as well in our English, as the southern breeds; and since 

 Sampson, at light, as well as heavy weights, beat the best bred Horses 

 of his day. Indeed, could we make 



Former times shake hands with the latter. 

 And that which was before, come after, 



Sampson at twenty, or perhaps fifteen stone, would have beaten, over 

 the course, both Flying Childers and Eel ipse, and have double-distanced 

 Bonny Black. When Sampson was led out at Malton, to start for his 

 first race, I have been told by a spectator, that the grooms made them- 

 selves merry with the idea, that Mr. Robinson had brought a Coach- 

 horse to start for the plate ; my informant represented him as a true 

 game Horse, and as having a great stride. Some of his stock were the 

 best runners of their time, and if great sums were lost by training them, 

 it does not appear to have been justly chargeable on the Horses. But 

 Sampson's blood has always been unfashionable, chieily, I believe, because 

 the stock ran to so large a size. We have had a considerable number of 

 instances in former times, of Horses seven-eighths, and even only three- 

 parts bred, having running in them sufficient to win fifty-pound plates 

 about the country. 



Along acquaintance with pedigrees, and the history of the forms in 



which our best Horses have run, inclined me to suppose, that our racers 



derive their speed generally from the Arabs, and their stoutness and 



stride from the Barbs, perhaps their length and height firom the Turks. 



Our favourite, or most successful blood has been, for many years, and 



is at present, chiefly that of the DarleyandGodolphin Arabians, already 



so often mentioned ; the latter of them, I have little doubt, was a Barb. 



The more immediate progenitors of our present stallions and brood 



mares of high repute, are Eclipse and High-Flier, sons of Marske and 



King Herod, with the cross of the Godolphin Arabian, through Regulus, 



Blank, Cade, to Matchem and others. The general characteristic 



of the produce of Marske has been speed. He was a great-grandson of 



the Darley Arabian. The Herods also have shewn great speed, with 



a characteristic stoutness and goodness of constitution. King Herod 



descended 



