THE A^IEEICAJST TUEF. 161 



Lord Eockingham's Sampson fillj, in 1776 ; of the Oaks, first 

 won hy Lord Derby's Bridget, in 1779, and of the Derby, first 

 won by Sir Charles Bimbury's Diomed — sire of our Sir Archy — 

 in 1780. 



So on the American Turf I hold nothing, as on record, prior 

 to the races of American Eclipse and his competitors. 



To draw a parallel, as nearly as I can draw one, I regard the 

 old Yirginian Turf, prior to the fifteenth year, at least, of the 

 nineteenth century, as neither more nor less authentic than that 

 of England up to the time of English Eclipse ; and I consider 

 that the era of the importation and covering of Diomed and 

 Messenger in the United States as parallel to that of O'Kelly's 

 wonderful stallion in the old country. 



Erom the day when the sons and daughters of these noble 

 animals began to run upon the turfs of England and the tracks 

 of America, all is plain and on record, so that who runs may 

 read. 



The first great excellence of what I consider the authentic 

 recorded race-horse of America, I ascribe to what I call the first 

 grand post-revolutionary cross of English with the old Yirginian 

 blood, produced by the importation of the two horses above 

 named ; of, almost simultaneously, Bedford, Medley, Gabriel ; 

 and of Shark, a few years earlier. 



The get of these horses are collateral here, with the Hiii-h- 

 flyers, Florizels, King Ferguses, Whalebones, Waxys, PotSos and 

 Beningbroughs across the water, and their posterity hold similar 

 relations and relative positions. 



The palmy time, then, of the Turf in America, I should state 

 to have lain between the years 1815 and 1845, the former date 

 being little earlier than its dawn, the latter a little later than 

 the first symptoms of its decline. 



For without asserting that the quality of the American 

 thoroughbred horse has as yet begun to fall off, or its character 

 to deteriorate, I do maintain that the racing spirit has received 

 a severe check ; one, which must ultimately, if it continue, se- 

 riously aftect, if not destroy, in toto, the American Race horse, 

 in spite of all his glories, all his excellencies, and all the incom- 

 parable benefits he has conferred on the stock of the country 

 at large — not least on what is now the rage of the North 

 Vol. I.— 11 



