A ROYAL TROTTING SIRE. 865 



Duroc-Messenger blood must be employed on the side of the Jam, 

 and the strong blood of Messenger, Abdallah, or Hambletonian for 

 the sire, unless the Duroc element was exceedingly remote, as in the 

 case of Volunteer, Rhode Island and Gov. Sprague. That the best 

 results in breeding came from that relation in union, unless in these 

 exceptional cases, where the blood forces so worked that the Messen- 

 ger was absolutely uppermost in the composition, as in the case of 

 Allie West, and in Administrator, where each had a double Duroc 

 cross, yet the Messenger was in the complete mastery. For such was 

 the case in both of these stallions. A close examination and study 

 of each, reveals the fact that the Duroc element was entirely subordi- 

 nate. But in this Royal George family there is no such necessity for 

 advancing away from the original source, for the reason that the Mes- 

 senger was in the supreme control from the beginning. Hence the 

 impressiveness of the sires of that family. Besides this, there was no 

 such taint of infirmity as existed in the Diomed blood of Duroc, and 

 further dilution and purification was unnecessary for the. purposes of 

 renovation. In short, the produce of Ogden's Messenger embodied 

 the best of all elements for a trotting family, with no opposing or con- 

 flicting forces, except the Arab or galloping impulses which must 

 have existed in a family so close to the thoroughbred, and these 

 would rapidly lose strength and finally disappear in crossing upon the 

 road and trotting stock of the country. Such has been the history of 

 this family. 



Tippoo was not much of a trotter, but he had the blood; in him was 

 the germ, and when planted in trotting soil it had a rapid growth. 



Royal George was beyond doubt a faster trotter than Abdallah, and 

 he was also a prodigious sire. He produced more trotters and far faster 

 ones than Abdallah, and was located in the wild woods of Canada 

 during the most of his life, while Abdallah was in the centre of the 

 greatest roadster and trotting region of the continent — among the 

 finest trotting mares in the world. If Abdallah was the king of trot- 

 ting stallions, what was Royal George? Abdallah only produced three 

 performers that have records in 2:30, and the fastest. Sir Walter, 2:27, 

 was from a daughter of Bellfounder. Royal George's list shows 

 seven performers in 2:30, and with records of 2:26^, 2:27-^, 2:28, 

 2:28i, 2:30, 2:30, and 2:24^, under saddle. Which should wear the 

 emblems of Royalty? 



A close study of this family impresses me with the belief that they 

 are a great and valuable element yet only beginning the career of 

 their influence on our American trotting families. It is worthy of 



