IMPORTED MESSENGER. • 107 



His dam's paternal ancestry would likewise be as follows: 



First sire, Turf, by Matchem, by Cade, a son of Godolphin Arabian; 

 Cade occurs twice in the pedig-ree of Messenger; second dam's sire 

 was Regulus, son of Godolphin Arabian. 



Goldopliin Arabian appears in the pedigree three times, and was 

 one of the early horses that gave character to the English thorough- 

 bred. He was the most distinguished animal in the history of the 

 early English stud, and is acknowledged by all to have done more to 

 improve the English race-horse than any other animal before or since. 

 He and the Darley Arabian are often spoken of as the founders or 

 first progenitors of the English thoroughbred, but very erroneously, as 

 will be seen from the pedigree of Flying Childers, a son of the Darley 

 Arabian. Flying Childers was the wonder of the early English turf, 

 and the history of his exploits as related, can hardly be esteemed any- 

 thing short of fabulous. His pedigree embraced six generations of the 

 purest blood of the desert, and his sire has been regarded as the type 

 and perfection of equine beauty. A close study of the several and 

 respective pedigrees of all the animals named in the foregoing enum- 

 eration, shows that they were all in-bred in the blood of the early 

 imported Arabs and Barbs, but in hardly any case in so close degree 

 as to be regarded objectionable, according to the principles laid down 

 in Chapter 1. The list embraces the most distinguished performers 

 on the English turf, and almost every animal named was of great 

 merit, either as a great racer or the progenitor of raoe-horses. 



Of Darley Arabian and Godolphin Arabian I have spoken, and of 

 Flying Childers. The latter was the sire of Blaze, a distinguished 

 race-horse and winner of many prizes. He is credited as being the 

 sire of Sampson, the point in the recorded pedigree of Messenger, the 

 most difficult to comprehend in the origin of the qualities displayed 

 and for so many generations transmitted in very wonderful degree. 

 On the dam's side, the pedigree of Messenger is in no respect different, 

 from the horses above named, prior to Sampson. Turf, Matchem and 

 Regulus were successful race-horses and sires, and Cade was success- 

 ' ful as a sire, while all were of the finest, the purest and most blood- 

 like to be found in the list of the early English race-horses imme- 

 diately descended from the Arabs and Barbs. With Sampson qualities 

 of a character not displayed by any previous members entered into 

 the family. As compared with the lithe and beautiful Barb-like form 

 and finish of Childers and the Darley Arabian, Sampson was as coarse 

 . and homely as a cart-horse. The editor of the Trotting Register ia. 

 his monthly, says: 



