Eclipse and Henry 169 



Facts, we see, are somewhat conflicting; but, 

 without going to the extreme that Mr. Blenkiron, 

 an eminent EngHsh breeder, went, who frequently 

 said that he would rather have the sister of a 

 Derby winner for a brood-mare than the Derby 

 winner herself, we may safely claim that a long 

 and arduous career on the turf is calculated to 

 weaken rather than improve the breeding powers 

 of an animal. And when the life of the reproduc- 

 tive powers has been temporarily impaired by the 

 ordeal of training, rest and the act of generation 

 for two or three succeeding years seem to restore 

 wasted or restricted vitality. Alice Carneal, the 

 dam of the immortal Lexington, came of good 

 racing blood and was a fine race-mare herself; 

 but owing to her bad temper when at the post 

 waiting for the tap of the drum, she was early 

 withdrawn from the turf. She passed through 

 no exhausting ordeal as a racer, and as a brood- 

 mare she was a success. But Lexington was her 

 fifth foal. Reel, the dam of Lecompte, Prioress, 

 and Stark, and Picayune, the dam of Doubloon, 

 Lou Dore, etc., were promising racers in their 

 early forms ; but breaking down young, and 

 going into the stud, they were made famous 

 through their descendants. Had neither met 



