i88 THE HORSE 



ring, the Ideal is the "line trotter," a horse, that is, 

 whose hind* feet follow exactly in the track of his fore 

 feet. This involves less waste of muscular effort. 



Every horse now prominent in the trotting world 

 traces back to Rysdyk's Hambletonian, and most of 

 them belong to one of three families, and, often, to 

 two or more of these three families. 



The branches of the Hambletonian line now most 

 conspicuQjus. are the Wilkes family, the Electioneer fam- 

 ily, the Peter the Great family. 



Let us consider briefly these various families. 



THE WILKES FAMILY 



George Wilkes, the founder, was a small, brown, 

 well-made horse, with fine action, but having some 

 tendency to pace. His dam was probably, but not 

 certainly, sired by Henry Clay. There was a sulky 

 streak in this horse that crops out occasionally in his 

 descendants, but on the whole the family is a good- 

 tempered family, and a sound one. The leading sons 

 of George Wilkes are about as follows: Alcyone, 

 Alcantara, Baron Wilkes, Onward, Red Wilkes, Gam- 

 betta Wilkes, The King, Wilton, Young Jim, Wilkes 

 Boy, Bourbon Wilkes, Favorite Wilkes, Simmons, 

 Patchen V/Ilkes. 



Alcyone, whose dam was Alma Mater by Mambrino 

 Patchen, was a small but very handsome horse of sweet 

 disposition. Unfortunately he died at the age of 

 fourteen. He Is represented chiefly by the McKInney 

 family, Zombro being the most distinguished son of 

 McKInney, and San Francisco, a sire rapidly coming 



