Old Dominion was Turf Mother 87 



established by the three stallions, the Darley 

 Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian, and the Byerly 

 Turk — had barely been given time to be grafted 

 upon each other, and to produce that running 

 horse which was the superior of the whole world, 

 before such as Jolly Roger, Fearnought, and 

 Janus were being brought to Virginia by the old 

 cavalier families. 



These animals were bred to the mares of best 

 pedigree at home, and to English mares that were 

 imported by their owners. And gradually there 

 grew up in the old state the first of the American 

 thoroughbreds. 



Probably thirty recorded thoroughbred stallions 

 had been bought abroad and shipped to Virginia, 

 when Colonel Hoomes, who was the leader of all 

 those old-time gentlemen in his love for the 

 thoroughbred and his labors for the improvement 

 of the blood horse of Virginia, imported, in 1 799, 

 an animal that was destined to become the most 

 impressive stallion that ever landed upon Ameri- 

 can shores, and who was to found a family of 

 American race-horses, among which there have 

 been individuals perhaps as great in perfection of 

 size, conformation, color, disposition, speed, and 

 endurance as ever lived in any land. 



