Flying Childers. t^j 



Eclipse. Spiletta, the dam of Eclipse, was also covered 

 by Shakespear, and there are some who think he was 

 the sire of Eclipse; if they be right, the line of succession 

 would be — Flying Childers, Aleppo, Hobgoblin, Shake- 

 spear, Eclipse ; but as I have no convincing evidence to 

 bring forward in support of Shakespear having been the 

 sire of Eclipse, I must content myself with only alluding 

 to the doubt that has arisen, and pursue for considera- 

 tion the line from Bartlet's Childers. 



Unfortunately, a doubt has been expressed about 

 Bartlet's Childers. The Stud Book says he was 

 for several years called Young Childers, it being gene- 

 rally supposed that he was own brother to the Devon- 

 shire Childers (Flying Childers), though some insisted 

 that Betty Leedes never produced any other foal than 

 Flying Childers, except one that was choked when very 

 young by eating chaff. Mr. Cheney says, ' he has 

 heard the contrary from so many gentlemen of worth 

 and honour, that he cannot but be of opinion that he 

 was own brother to him.' He was never trained, and 

 was the sire of Squirt, CEdipus, and the Little Hartley 

 mare, &c. 



Flying Childers was a bay horse, about 15 hands 

 high, with a blaze and four white feet. He is usually 

 represented in woodcuts and engravings as a very well- 

 formed horse, but with a prominent and bony head 

 between the eyes and for some way down the face. I 

 have seen a large oil painting which represents him with 

 a very fine head of the Arabian type, with a wide fore- 

 head, and flat between the e}'es, tapering and slightly 



