Eclipse. 39 



His dam was got by Mr. Hiittois Blacklegs (not the 

 Blacklegs by Flying Childers, but by a bay Turk), Her 

 dam was by Bay Bolton out of a mare, by Fox Cub. 

 He got a little more Arabian blood here, as the dam of 

 Fox Cub was by the Leedes Arabian, but there is no 

 other Arab strain, and the pedigree is full of flaws. 

 In these two horses we have no direct return to Arab 

 blood except in the case of the slight infusion of the 

 Leedes Arabian just mentioned, but no instance of 

 breeding back to the Darley Arabian through daughters 

 of Flying Childers, or through mares by any of his 

 sons ; and it can be well imagined that these two 

 horses, Squirt and Marske, who had common blood in 

 their veins, could not compare with Flying Childers, 

 who was very nearly of pure Arabian blood. 



We have now come down to Eclipse, a chestnut horse, 

 quite sixteen hands, if not more, foaled in 1764. His 

 dam Spiletta, foaled in 1749, was by Regulus, her dam 

 Mother Western, by Smith's son of Snake from a mare 

 by Old Montague, from a mare by Hautboy from a 

 mare by Brimmer — no direct Arab blood, but Eastern 

 mixed with common blood, and many flaws in the 

 pedigree. But Regulus was the son of the Godolphin 

 Arab or Barb, and this is the first time his blood was 

 brought into the line from the Darley Arabian. The 

 Godolphin will be spoken of hereafter, when we come 

 to consider the line he established in direct male de- 

 scent. The dam of Regulus was Grey Robinson, by 

 the Bald Galloway. She was of the usual mixture of 



