THE AMERICAN TROTTER AND PACER 45 



Messenger, commonly known as Imported Messenger, was a 

 Thoroughbred, his pedigree tracing back through his sire to 

 Flying Childers and the Darley Arabian. He was foaled in 1780 

 in England and proved a successful racer, and as a five-year-old 

 won the King's Plate. Believing that he would do valuable serv- 

 ice in the stud, he was imported to the United States in May, 

 1788. Messenger, however, though a trotting sire, had no imme- 

 diate descendants that proved to be noted trotters. He secured 

 his chief fame through his son Mambrino, a Thoroughbred, that 

 in turn was sire of Abdallah, a sire of trotters. Messenger was 

 a gray, I5| hands high, with strong loins and powerful hind 

 quarters. He was in stud service for twenty years in America, 

 in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. He died Janu- 

 ary 28, 1808, leaving a lineage of driving horses of remarkable 

 excellence. 



Diomed (imported) was foaled in England in 1777. He was a 

 Thoroughbred, I5| hands high, chestnut in color, and a horse 

 of substance and great muscular power. His sire, Florizel, was 

 by the famous Herod, out of a daughter of Cygnet, by Godol- 

 phin Barb. Diomed's dam Juno was by Alcock's Arabian, while 

 through his second dam he traced to Godolphin Barb and his 

 third dam was by Flying Childers. Thus it is seen he came 

 from the fastest Thoroughbred ancestry. He was a successful 

 race horse for four years, when he retired lame and was Used in 

 service in England until 1 799, when he was imported to Virginia. 

 In America Diomed proved a great sire of race horses. One of 

 his sons, Sir Archy, has been designated the " Godolphin Arabian 

 of America" l and was one of the fastest racers of his time. In 

 ninety of the best races run in America up to 1844, about 66 

 per cent were direct descendants of Diomed. " The name of 

 Diomed," says Parlin, " is found more frequently in the pedigrees 

 of record-breaking runners, trotters, and pacers in this country 

 than is that of any other animal." 



Bellfoztnder, known as Jary's Bellfounder in England and as 



Imported Bellfounder in the United States, was foaled in 1815 



and was imported from Norfolk in 1822. He was a bright bay, 



with black mane, tail, and legs, stood 15 hands high, and was a 



1 S. W. Parlin, The American Trotter, p. 35. Boston, 1905. 



