380 THE BASHAWS AND CLAYS. 



Strader's Clay, througli his son American Clay, is grand sire of a large 

 number of fast trotters, among them Maggie Briggs, five years old, record of 

 2:37; Ella Clay, 2:30; Granville, 2:30i:f; Alta, 2:32; Arthur, 2:32; Magic, 

 2:33; Puss Thompson, 2:34; Fleta, 2 : 34)^ ; Gale,—; Bill Thunder, 2 : 343^ ; 

 Carlisle Jennie B., 2 : 36 ; Curtis Clay, 2 : 36 ; and Driftwood, 2 : 37. 



Alta was one of the fastest trotters ever bred in Kentucky. He died from 

 an accident when six years old, after trotting low down in the twenties. 



sater's harry clay. 



It has now been only a few years since the Clay blood was held in 

 great disfavor by many breeders, and by those who assumed the task of 

 enlightening the public in the art of breeding trotters, a matter that 

 is in most cases undertaken by a class of persons who never owned or 

 bred a trotting horse in their lives; but it is one of those subjects 

 so easy to write upon that any one can do it. By many such, and by 

 some of the first breeders in the country, embracing some of the most 

 eminent gentlemen connected with the horse interest, the opinion 

 was entertained that the Clay blood was a real drug in any trotter. 

 They gave it the name of Saw-dust^ and it seemed to be the one un- 

 fashionable cross that all sought to avoid. 



No one attempted an analysis of this blood, or sought to give a 

 reason for this prejudice beyond the fact that they had generally 

 gained the name of quitters, as was generally supposed from the 

 low breeding and lack of stamina in the mare Surry, dam of Henry 

 Clay. 



The small quantum of real philosophy exhibited in all this, is 

 shown to advantage more aptly by the fact that recently, say for the 

 past three or four years, the popular cut has been the Clay cross in 

 the trotter, especially in the Hambletonian. It has been the creme de 

 la creme. But in nearly all cases it was based on general grounds — 

 "the Clay cross," that was enough, and it was without limitation or 

 qualification. More recently, a gentleman somewhat in advance of his 

 cotemporaries in general, in his catalogue, a large and fine one, 

 announced that the record shows that the blood of Hambletonian 

 combined with that of Neaves' C. M. Clay Jr. and that of Seely's 

 American Star, has given the grandest horses that were ever bred in 

 any country. 



I have treated of the Star cross in another chapter, but would like 

 to inquire, what trotter ever came from a son of Neaves' Clay and a 

 daughter or granddaughter of Hambletonian? or, what one ever 

 came from any Hambletonian sire and a daughter of Neaves' Clay? 



