C J. HAMLIN AND VILLAGE FARM 



" The disposition to trot was the only quality that 

 commended George Wilkes to me. His progeny 

 lacked snap and beauty and were far from uniform. 

 The dilution of the blood improved the family. I 

 have a good specimen in Rex Americus. In breed- 

 ing him to Beautiful Chimes, daughter of Chimes 

 and Maid of Honor by Mambrino King, I got Ameri- 

 can Belle, who closed her successful three-year-old 

 campaign with a record of 2.12^. She is an improve- 

 ment upon Rex Americus." 



Here an admission was made that it was necessary 

 to bring in other blood to overcome the angular 

 qualities of Rex Americus, who had inherited unde- 

 sirable qualities from the dam of Onward. 



A sale catalogue that I have preserved reminds 

 me of an incident in the life of C. J. Hamlin. It 

 was in April, 1882, and I had gone to Louisville 

 with Mr. Robert Bonner. Mr. Hamlin had joined 

 us there, and we usually took our meals together at 

 the Gait House. On Sunday Mr. Bonner went to 

 church with a distinguished gentleman, while I drove 

 out to Glenview Farm with Mr. Hamlin. One of 

 the animals that attracted attention was Halcyon, a 

 bay filly three years old by Cuyler out of Lady Ab- 

 dallah by Alexander's Abdallah. Mr. Hamlin asked 

 me what I thought of her, and I explained that she 

 had been put in the sale to tempt Mr. Bonner, he 

 having admired her on a previous visit to Mr. Mc- 

 Ferran. " Am I to understand that you do not 

 wish me to bid on the filly? " asked Mr. Hamlin. 



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