194 The Trotting and tbe Pacing Horse 



Harold 



The first time I saw Harold, at Woodburn, I 

 was disappointed in him, and in a letter which 

 I wrote for publication described him as " bench- 

 legged." This appellation stuck to him all his 

 life. He was a bay horse, foaled September 

 14, 1864, bred by Charles S. Dole of Crystal 

 Lake, Illinois, by Rysdyk's Hambletonian (son of 

 Abdallah), dam Enchantress by Abdallah. It 

 was the desire of Mr. Dole to double the blood 

 of Abdallah through good individuals, and he 

 selected Enchantress because she was a bay of 

 fine appearance, whose speed and courage had 

 been tested on the road, and also because her 

 dam was represented to be by imported Bell- 

 founder. When 1 1 months old Harold was sold 

 to R. A. Alexander to take the place at Wood- 

 burn made vacant by the death of Alexander's 

 Abdallah. He grew into a horse of 15 hands, 

 with great substance for his height ; but early 

 visitors to the farm were not strongly impressed 

 by him. If they were partial to his blood lines 

 they were not fascinated by his form. Harold's 

 first great success was Maud S. This magnifi- 

 cent chestnut out of Miss Russell in fact created 



