Sumner County, Breeding Centre 103 



Sally McGee, in six successive races, beat all her competi- 

 tors except Sally Walker and later maintained her brilliant 

 reputation "in the west." Sally Walker was considered 

 greatly superior to all other race horses that ran in "this 

 country" from Timoleon's day to 1833 except her only 

 successful competitor, Monsieur Tonson. 



After Mons. Tonson had become distinguished on the 

 turf he was purchased by Orville Shelby for $1,000, and 

 after he had beat everything from Nashville to Natchez, 

 Green Berry Williams sold half interest in him for $1,000. 



SIR HENRY TONSON, SIR RICHARD TONSON and CHAM- 

 PION were on a par with their oldest brother, as race 

 horses. The Turj Register of March i, 1835, printed a 

 picture and sketch of Sir Henry Tonson, furnished by 

 Balie Peyton. In both picture and sketch due notice is 

 taken of a peculiarity which Henry inherited from his 

 sire. Henry, like Pacolet, was a dapple gray, with "a 

 red belt passing from midway his back around the near 

 side sure pledge of his Arabian origin." Henry was 

 15 hands 3 inches high. At two years of age he 

 was sold for the then enormous price of $2,200 to O. 

 Shelby, who put him in training in charge of John C. 

 Beasley and found him to be a colt of superior qualities 

 of speed and bottom. In bleeding him his wind pipe 

 was permanently injured, cutting short his once promising 

 career on the track. But even under this physical dis- 

 advantage he scored one notable victory as a 3-year old 

 at Gallatin. After winning the first heat over Mr. Malone's 

 Negro, by Pacolet, and Col. Robert Smith's Oscar, and 

 while in front, in the second heat, he bounded through the 

 field, came back on the track sixty yards behind his 

 competitors and won the race by several lengths, though 

 his bolt lost him the money. He started only one other 

 time. 



