BYRON". 359 



be that in his pedigree he would oariy a guarantee for success as a 

 stallion not surpassed by any now before the country. But in the 

 matter of certain and clearly authenticated pedigree he belongs to a 

 family that have not, thus far, been peculiarly fortunate. That of his 

 dam is involved in as much doubt as any part of this uncertain yet 

 interesting historical sketch, each cloud, however, with the same 

 silver linino-s that have characterized the orig-in of each of the 

 preceding members. His dam was the O'Brien mare, a very famous 

 and superior trotting mare, and one also distinguished b}^ the success 

 of her own produce, and those descended from her even in the second 

 generation. 



Her pedigree is at present unknown, and the efforts to find it have 

 brought to light some faint traces that point to the fact that her sire 

 was Harris' Hambletonian. If such fact should be authenticated, it 

 would afford a guarantee that Byron was one of the best bred 

 trotting stallions the country now possesses. 



The rear leverage of Byron shows him to be a horse of great 

 sweep and stride. He is 40^ inches from centre of hip to outer edge 

 of hock, and his thigh is 24 inches long. 



I cut the following scrap from a turf paper of very recent date: 



Byron has trotted and won the following races : 



At Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 10, 1871, he got a record of 2:25i^; at Fredouia, 

 N. Y., June 3, 1871, he beat Black Mack and Cattaraugus Chief— 3 :26i4', 3 :31M. 

 3:39; at Cleveland, O., he beat Mathew Smith, Morrissey, Annie Watson and 

 Fero, in 3:353^, 3:333:£, 0:00, 3:35; at Hamilton, Ont., July 1st, he beat Lady 

 Hamilton and Capt. Tom— 3 -.35%, 2: 35, 2 :SQi^i2 ; at Buffalo, July 39th, for a 

 purse of $1,000, he won in four heats, beating Molly, Ed. Forrest, Independ- 

 ence, Albatross and Sappho, in 2:31 1^, 3:39i/^, 3:28,3:^, 3:811^; at Sharon, Pa., 

 Sept. 33d, for a purse of $100, he beat Captain, in 3 -AOJi, 3 :40, 2 :37^ ; at 

 Sharon, Pa., Sept. 23d, for a purse of $300, Byron won in straight heats, beat- 

 ing Captain, Sally, Dictator and Grey John- 2:35, 2:37, 3:38i3 ; at Zanesville, 

 O., for a purse of $500, on Oct. 19th, he beat Independence, Dictator and 

 Annie Collins— 3 :34>^, 2:36, 2:33i^; at Toronto, Can., Sept. 10, 1872, purse of 

 $500, he beat Derby, J. Ellis and Hornet— 2 -M^, 3 ■M}^, 2 -.3^% ; at Sandusky, 

 O., Sept. 37th, purse $500, he beat Mohawk Jr.— 3:37^:^, 3:26;%<, 3:38; at Nash- 

 ville, Tenn., Oct. 8th, purse $1,000, he beat Hickory Jack and Jessie, in 

 3 :SS%, 2 :383^, 2 :29 ; at Greenville, Pa., Oct. 5th, purse $600, he beat Gentle 

 Annie— 2 :42,l|, 3:39}4^ 3:311-^; at Georgetown, Ky., Aug. 19th, 1875, Byron 

 won the "free for all" in "four heats— 3:30 1^', 2M14, 3:33i^, 3:34,1^; at 

 Harrodsburg, Ky., July 9th, " free for all," purse $300, Byron won in straight 

 heats, beating Ed. Wilder, Gumball, Harrodsburg Boy and Little Nell — 2 :30, 

 3:33,2:30; at Lexington, Ky., Sept. 30, 1875, purse "free for all," stallion 

 making the season in Kentucky, Byron won in four heats, beating Mambrino 



