156 The Trotting and the Pacing Horse 



in the list, only two of which are pacers, and 

 among his 96 producing sons are Altamont, 

 Hamlin's Almont Jr., and Piedmont. His pro- 

 ducing daughters number 80. 



George Wilkes 



Although George Wilkes was four years 

 younger than Alexander's Abdallah, being foaled 

 in 1856, he founded a much more powerful family. 

 His life was longer, and that was greatly to his 

 advantage. Dolly Spanker, a mare possessed of 

 excellent road qualities, was sent in 1855 by her 

 owner, Harry Felter of New York, to Chester 

 and bred to Hambletonian. The result was a 

 brown colt, reared by hand on account of the 

 early death of her mother, and named Robert 

 Fillingham. Z. E. Simmons purchased him as a 

 three-year-old, and he was carried on the books 

 of Simmons Brothers as the property of Will- 

 iam L. Simmons. Although he stood but 15 

 hands, he was the embodiment of power, and was 

 raced with great success. He made his first 

 start as a five-year-old, and he defeated in the 21 

 races won by him such horses as Commodore 

 Vanderbilt, Lady Thorn, General Butler, Confi- 

 dence, Ethan Allen, Fearnaught, Draco Prince, 



