190 VOLUNTEER. 



been appreciated until within the past three years, as up to that time but one* 

 of them had made a record below 2:30; but the great performance of Hunt- 

 ress, when, three years ago, she beat Dutchman's fsimous three-mile perform- 

 ance, which had stood the wonder of the world for thirty-three years, opened 

 the eyes of the public to the merits of Volunteer as a sire, and since then the- 

 Volunteers have been flashing out as stars of the first magnitude in the trot- 

 ting firmament. "We have Gloster, who has often been called the most 

 wonderful trotter the world has ever produced, who made such a brilliant 

 campaign last year, ending with a record of 2:17; Bodine, the "Whirlwind 

 of the West," with a record of 2:19i4^; Huntress, with her unparalleled record 

 of three miles in 7:213^, and a mile in 2:22%\ St. Julien, the great six-year- 

 old, that this season, with only three months' training, has Avon six races in; 

 three weeks, scoring a record of 2:22^^, and demonstrating his ability to trot 

 in 2:18; Amy, another of the year's bright stars, with a record of 2:223^; and 

 Carrie, yet another one of the season's luminaries, with 2 :24i^ to her credit ;; 

 r.nd then the great stallion W. H. Allen, with 2 :2334^ ; and Frank Wood, with 

 2 :24 ; and Sister (full sister to Huntress), that, only taken up from the pasture' 

 last June, was at St. Julien's throat-latch in 2 :23i^, at Hartford. All these,, 

 brought out within the short space of three years, proclaim Volunteer's pre- 

 eminent merits as a sire of trotters — not passably fair trotters, but trotters of 

 the very highest stamp — in tones that can not be mistaken, and which will not 

 longer pass unheeded by breeders. The bringing out of four such performers 

 as St. Julien, Amy, Carrie and Sister in one year, is alone enough to establish 

 the reputation of Volunteer as a great sire ; but when it comes backed up by- 

 the performances of the others above named, in the 2:25 class, and with Cali- 

 fornia Dexter, record 2 :27 ; Mary A. Whitney, 2 :28 ; and Goldsmith's Abdallah 

 (killed last spring at Cynthiana), 2 :30, there can be no question as to his rank- 

 ing first among the sons of Rysdyk's Hambletonian ; and when we make 

 allowance for the difl^erence in age, there are many who claim that he deserves 

 to rank even higher than his illustrious sire, as a getter of trotters. There 

 may be those coming after him, younger in j'-ears, that may wrest his honors 

 from him, but, at present, his claim to stand at the head of the list of trotting 

 sires can only be disputed by his own famous progenitor. His fame is one of 

 which all lovers of trotting horses may well be proud, and should be especially- 

 gratifying to the admirers of this family. 



The following Volunteer exhibit, recently published, shows the- 

 standing of the family in the spring of 1878: 



Gloster 2 :17 Alley 2 :24 



Bodine .2:1914 Carrie 2 :24i^ 



Huntress 2 -.20% Driver 2 :25 



Powers 2 :21 V£ Huntress (3 miles) 7 :21 i^ 



Amy 2 :22i^ California De.xter 2 :27 



St. Julien. . . ; 2:22i^ Lady Morriscm 2:27>i 



W. H. Allen 2:23i4- Mary A. Whitney 2:28 



Trio 2:231^ Goldsmith's Abdallah 2:30 



Frank Wood 2 :24 Sister 2 :3034 



