RECOLLECTIONS OF MEN AND HORSES 



his blood is breeding on, and I attribute his partial 

 failure to his peculiar action. He was rough gaited 

 for a horse of so much speed. Fugue, bay mare 

 foaled in 1880, by King Rene, dam Fuga by George 

 Wilkes, second dam Betsy Trotwood, by Clark 

 Chief, was a trotter who showed early speed and good 

 racing form at maturity, and Major McDowell de- 

 rived much satisfaction from the fact that he had 

 bred her. As a two-year-old she beat Wilkes Boy 

 and Lizzie Wilkes, and as a three-year-old she van- 

 quished a field which included Elvira and Early 

 Dawn. She retired from the track with a record of 

 2.19^. Oratorio, bay horse foaled in 1892, is by 

 Wilkes Boy out of Canzonet by Dictator, and she 

 out of Fugue. He trotted to a record of 2.13 and 

 is producing a high rate of speed, especially at the 

 pace. The question is, why should a horse so 

 strongly bred in trotting lines vary form and action ? 

 King Rene, the sire of Fugue, was long a source of 

 pride to Major McDowell. He was by Belmont 

 (son of Alexander's Abdallah and Belle by Mam- 

 brino Chief) out of Blandina, the producing daugh- 

 ter of Mambrino Chief, and had commanding form 

 and action. He was a show horse, and won 

 much applause in live stock forums. Blandina 

 was a handsome mare, and her dam, the Burch 

 mare, dam of Rosalind, 2. 2 if, was a noted win- 

 ner of premiums at Blue Grass Fairs. King Rene 

 inherited beauty and transmitted it. One of his 

 sons, King Rene Jr., dam Crepe Lisse, producing 



154 



