o6 LIGHT HORSES: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



was foaled in 1745, and is entered in the Stud Book as got by 

 Blaze (a son of Childers) from Hip Mare by Spark. A doubt 

 was raised by Lawrence as to the accuracy of his pedigree on 

 the dam's side, it being asserted that the mare appeared to be 

 about three parts bred. Sampson was exceptionally large in 

 size, and resembled a coach-horse rather than a thoroughbred. 



As has been stated, Messenger was imported to Philadelphia 

 in 1788. He was kept in Pennsylvania and New Jersey fpr 

 the first six years of his life in America, and was also on Long 

 Island, in Dutchess, Winchester and Orange Counties, New 

 York and New Jersey, until his death, near Oyster Bay, Long 

 Island, in 1808. " It was," says Mr. J. H. Wallace, " the 

 crowning glory of his twenty years' service in this country 

 that he left a race of driving-horses of unapproachable excel- 

 lence, and, as he inherited this quality from his sire, so he 

 imparted it to his sons, and they in turn to theirs, until we 

 have to-day from this stock the fleetest and stoutest trotters 

 in the world." 



The most famous son of Messenger was Mambrino (named 

 after his English-bred grandsire). He was a bay, foaled in 

 1806, being out of a daughter of imported Sour Crout. He 

 never raced, and was so little valued that history loses trace 

 of him for part of his career. He died in Dutchess County 

 in or about 1831, and was a large, coarse, leggy horse, 

 with well-defined trotting action. But he was a successful 

 sire, and his son Abdallah, foaled in 1823, was sire of 

 Rysdyk's Hambletonian, from whom some of the best 

 trotters are descended. His dam was a daughter of the 

 imported Bellfounder, of Norfolk blood. Rysdyk's Hamble- 

 tonian is described as a bay horse of excellent structure, 

 but very plain, the large head and Roman face especially 

 rendering him objectionable to the eye of the lover of 

 form. His most noted sons comprise Alexander's Ab- 

 dallah, Aberdeen, Dictator, Electioneer, George Wilkes, 

 Happy Medium, Harold, Messenger, Sentinel and Volun- 

 teer. Mambrino Chief was a grandson of Mambrino, 



