AND THE TURF. Ijg 



ajid dam are named as reputed and tried run- 

 ners ; otherwife a (hort pedigree of three or 

 four defcents would not conftitute a horfe 

 thorough-bred; it might ferve for a hunter. 



It is yet eafy to conceive how Hable the 

 pedigree of a horfe muff be both to error and 

 impofition, and that the bell proof of true 

 blood muft ever confifl in performance, ^'a- 

 rious accidental ballard croffes have occurred 

 in our racing breed, at different periods, chiefly 

 diflant ones ; and they are frequently eafy 

 enough diflinguilliable in the figure of the 

 (lock, by a critical eye. The two mod re- 

 markable inftances widiin my recoUeftion, are 

 thofe of Bay Bolton and Sampfon. I'he for- 

 mer, foaled in Queen Anne's reign, was got by 

 a large horfe without pedigree, called Haut- 

 boy, bred by a farmer; the latter by Blaze, out 

 of a hunting mare. It had been pretended that 

 Sampfon was out of a thorough-bred daughter 

 of Hartley 's. Hip ; but I well knew the man, 

 who more than half a century ago led Samp- 

 fbn's dam to Blaze, and who afterwards bitted 

 and broke the colt ; he has repeatedly aflbred 

 me, that the pedigree of the mare was un- 

 known, an-d that fhe appeared about diree 

 parts bred, lliere is another fpeculation of 

 feme confequence in this bufmefs, which is, if 

 we concede that the Mountain Arab is the 

 only true racer, and refleO; upon the numerous 



N 2 certain 



