78 THE TROTTING-HORSE OF AMERICA. 



about. The other Prince, the chestnut horse mat beat 

 Hero the pacer ten miles, was a thoroughbred, according 

 to the accounts I have had. I had supposed that Lady 

 Palmer was the only thoroughbred trotter in this country; 

 but they say that Prince was got by Woodpecker out of a 

 thoroughbred mare by Langford, and was first trained to 

 run. 



Little attention as there has been paid to the cultivation 

 of the trotting tendency in England, I find that there have 

 been some thoroughbred trotters there, and some that were 

 very nearly thoroughbred. A gentleman who is well in- 

 formed in the matter tells me that a large number of the 

 horses got by Lord Grosvenor's Mambrino, the sire of Mes- 

 senger, had the natural trotting gift ; that Infidel, by Turk, 

 was a natural trotter, and, after he was put out of training 

 as a race-horse, trotted fifteen miles an hour on the road 

 between Newcastle and Carlisle; Scott, by Blank, was 

 another ; and Pretender, by Hue and Cry, out of a thor- 

 oughbred Pretender mare, another. And further, that he 

 saw Von Tromp, half-brother to Flying Dutchman, whipped 

 and spurred above an eighth of a mile before he could be 

 got out of a fast trot into a gallop. This horse is now in 

 Russia ; and it is a reasonable opinion, that, if he were here, 

 he would get good trotters out of trotting-mares, and put 

 the staying stuff into them. Having been got by Laner- 

 cost, out of Barbelle, his blood is very stout. I think there 

 can be but little doubt of the fact, that the only infusion of 

 thoroughbred blood into the trotting-horse to be relied on 

 to improve the latter as a whole ought to come from fami- 

 lies, who, as thoroughbreds, have shown a disposition to 

 bend the knee, and trot. Those having a strong dash of the 

 Messenger blood would be apt to succeed ; and it has suc- 

 ceeded in some notable instances. John Morgan was out of 

 a Medoc mare ; and Medoc was by American Eclipse, who 

 was out of Messenger's daughter, Miller's Damsel. I know 

 of a thoroughbred colt now in training as a runner, that 



