172 HAMBLETONIATT. 



now finding their most brilliant successes in the daughters of Harry 

 Clay, whose dam was a daughter of Bellfounder, 



These are not accidental coincidences. There must be some rea- 

 son, sound in principle and philosophy, back of all these facts. There 

 must be some reason also why Bellfounder did not succeed so well 

 with other mares, and a reason also, why Hambletonian did not suc- 

 ceed with mares of Bellfounder blood equally with his sons. There 

 is also a reason why those sons of Hambletonian are most successful 

 where the Bellfounder element is held in a certain ratio of force and 

 prominence, for it is apparent to my mind that the success of the 

 family depends in large degree on the force and operative power or 

 quality of the Bellfounder element. 



The writer above quoted, says: "The positive elements of the Mes- 

 senger lines are : trotting instinct, great nervous force well balanced, and 

 physical soundness." To this I say, the first and third elements were 

 undoubted; the second was only true when the original and native 

 temperament of the Messenger had been toned down by use and 

 employment on the road or the introduction of elements that gave 

 them that quality. They had too much nervous force to be under 

 control — not too much for the demand of great occasions, but more 

 than they could properl}?- balance. 



He says Bellfounder had "ample nervous force exceedingly well 

 balanced, physical soundness, and fixedness of form and color, with 

 much less trotting instinct * * * than the Messengers." 



As to the first, ample nervous force, they had a large share of it,, 

 but the perfection of it was that it was so well balanced. It was not 

 equal in force to that of the Messengers, it could not with any recent 

 infusion of cold or common blood equal the long line of descent from 

 the pure blood of the Arabs and Barbs that had commingled with that 

 of the sire of Sampson — this sire not a low-bred horse by any means. 

 But the perfection of Bellfounder lay in his perfectly balanced and 

 uncontrollable trotting instinct. He had a great deal of nervous 

 force, but his trotting instinct was simply the whole controlling mental 

 character of the horse. His blood cooled and steadied the hot and 

 intractable temper in Abdallah. The speed and the high quality may 

 have come from Abdallah, but the quiet and level temper — the inclina- 

 tion to the trotting gait as against all others in the face of all disturbing 

 crosses — these came in the largest degree from Bellfounder. 



That the two bloods found their chief development and richest dis- 

 plays in union each with the other, is evidence that they had something 



