king's champion. 345 



He left four entire sons, all of which became noted in the stud, viz., the 

 Haley horse. Decker horse. Smith horse, and the Davis horse, named after 

 their respective breeders. The first two were sold about the same time, from 

 fifteen to eighteen years ago, to parties in Pennsylvania, the first to Crawford 

 county, and the second one to Titusville, and there died. The Smith horse, 

 the most promising in all respects, was injured for trotting purposes, by close 

 confinement when young. He was sold some years ago to a man whose name 

 I have forgotten, west of Rochester, and since died. Indeed I doubt if there 

 be a living son or daughter to him to-day in this country. 



king's champion. 



The last, though not the least, as it has turned out, was bred by Jesse M. 

 Davis, of Union Springs, N. Y., in 1848, dam by Red Bird. He became dis- 

 tinguished both on the turf and in the stud. He was victor over Long Island, 

 his adversary at Waterloo, in 1857, I think, in one of the hardest fought battles 

 that I ever witnessed, there being five heats trotted, and the last the quickest. 



David King, of Northville, purchased the horse for $1,100. Hence the 

 name of King or Davis Champion. He was used by him in the stud for 

 several years, getting, about that time and before, the famous sire, Gooding's 

 Champion, Sorrel Dapper (the Auburn horse), Col. Fisk, Norwood, Nellie, 

 etc. In 1861, a Mr. Kellogg, a banker of Battle Creek, Michigan, purchased 

 him for a road horse, consequently but few mares were turned to him. Among 

 the few produced were Col. Barnes, Wild Bill, Night Hawk, Deception, Lady 

 Backus, etc. In August, 1865, immediately after Mr. Bonner bought the 

 Auburn horse, C. T. Backus, Wm. B. and C. Schobey, and myself, purchased 

 by telegraph the old horse, and brought him, with a yearling daughter for 

 company — afterwaj-d Lady Backus — back to the land of his nativity. C. 

 Schobey soon became the sole owner until his death, in May, 1874. 



King's Champion, as he is generally called, was foaled in 1848, or 

 1849. His dam was by Red Bird. This Red Bird was a son of 

 Bishop's Hambletonian, and his dam was a famous mare by Red 

 Bird, son of Cub, a thoroughbred. 



Here the two families of Mambrino and Hambletonian unite in 

 this King's Champion, and his success in the stud was worthy of the 

 union of the two great lines from Messenger. 



He went to Michigan, as stated, in 1861, and was returned to 

 New York about four years thereafter. While in Michigan, King's 

 Champion produced some very superior stock, among them the 

 stallion Night Hawk, that has also been sire of some excellent road- 

 sters. He also was sire of Lady Kellogg, a mare that shows the true 

 form and way of going of the ChamjDions to perfection. She was 

 very strong at every point, and had as good a hind leg and thigh as 

 can be asked in a trotter. The gait of this family, like all the other 

 branches of the Champions, was marked, and not to be mistaken for 



