22 I'he American "Thoroughbred 



in the following year, she produced a bay foal which Lord Godolphin called Lath from 

 his having such flat sides, but a marvelously fine galloper. A year later she produced 

 Cade, who was nowhere such a racer as Lath but outbred him completely, getting high- 

 class racers from all sorts and conditions of mares. This subject will be dealt with more 

 fully under the space devoted to Matchem in the section of this work entitled "The 

 Three Cardinal Lines." The male line of the Godolphin Arabian is noted for heavier 

 bone and more substance than the lines of the Byerly Turk or the Darley Arabian. 

 It is now wholly extinct save through Melbourne, whose sire, Humphrey Clinker, who 

 was probably the largest thoroughbred stallion ever foaled. He is said by those who 

 saw him (for he died shortly after I was born) to have stood 17 hands, i l / 2 inches 

 high and to have measured 9^4 inches around his forward cannon bones and 9^/2 under 

 his hocks. His line, thanks to the enterprise of Mr. A. Keene Richards, of George- 

 town, Ky., who imported Millington (afterwards called imp. Australian) a ch. h. 

 foaled .1858, is now more abundant and more successful than in England, France or 

 Australia, which can only be regarded by intelligent breeders as a rare stroke of 

 good fortune. 



Some eighteen years ago, Mr. James B. Haggin imported from Australia a brown 

 horse named Darebin, by The Peer, a son of Melbourne and a brother of the Oaks 

 winner Marchioness. This gave us a new branch of the blood of Matchem which 

 does not now exist in England. While Darebin has gotten no sire of great note, his 

 daughters are as good broodmares as can be found in America ; and I must be allowed 

 to express the belief that Darebin was a valuable importation, even if he had not 

 gotten any great performers. I have more than once wondered what would have been 

 his place in history had he been given as great opportunities as were accorded to Sal- 

 vator, owned by the same breeder. He has certainly bred more bone than any other 

 horse I know. 



I opened this chapter with the question "What Is a Thoroughbred Horse?" The 

 reader of these pages, written at the patriarchal age of three-score-and-ten, must de- 

 cide for himself as to whether I have answered this conundrum to his entire satis- 

 faction. 



