84 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



founder of the f amity. This horse was thus de- 

 scribed by one who had seen him : — 



"He was a golden chestnut, about sixteen hands, 

 with a perfect diamond on his nose, and two white 

 socks behind. In his general make-up he partook 

 much of the thoroughbred appearance : the lightness 

 of his head and neck, his wiry leg and elastic move- 

 ment, his glossy coat and waveless mane and tail, 

 shaded from a darker hue to a bright tint on the 

 edge, — in all a perfect type of the high-bred runner. 

 He was exhibited at the State Fair at Auburn, Kew 

 York, in 1848. I can never forget, though I was 

 very young at the time, this eventful show, as he 

 assumed a position among his rivals which bade 

 defiance to the artist. He seemed to realize the ad- 

 miration with which he was regarded by the immense 

 throng about him." 



The rich chestnut color, the high spirit, the well- 

 bred look, displayed by GrinnelTs Champion, distin- 

 guish the family to this day, and it is probably owing 

 more to accident and mismanagement than to any 

 deficiency that the Champions are few in number, 

 and of less reputation than the Hambletonians. The 

 fastest of the family was the Auburn horse, who 

 belonged to Mr. Eobert Bonner. 1 



The Auburn horse was the last of those famous 

 trotters which, as one writer remarks with pardona- 

 ble extravagance, were stabled in Hiram Woodruff's 

 brain. 2 In the autumn of 1864, just before winter 



1 He was a son of King's Champion, his dam being by Red 

 Bird, son of Billy Duroc, by Duroc, son of imported Diomecl. 



2 Mr. Woodruff, a genius in the art of horsemanship, and a 

 very honest man, was the author of " The Trotting Horse of 

 America," by far the most interesting work upon the subject. • 



