T'be Three Cardinal Lines 27 



premier sire of America in 1840 and 1841. Medoc's daughters did a great deal towards 

 building up the reputations of Wagner and Glencoe, the two most popular stallions in 

 America between 1845 and 1860. It was from 1860 to 1877 that the blood of Florizel; 

 through Diomed and thence down to Lexington, foaled 1850, had its greatest innings. 

 Lexington outbred all horses of his day but his excellence ended with himself. He 

 headed the list of winning sires for eleven seasons, no other stallion either native or im- 

 ported, being able to cope with him save Leamington ; and yet none of his sons were 

 ever better than third on the list War Dance and he was only for one season. The 

 late August Belmont (who died in 1890) imported over $25,000 worth of fashionably- 

 bred English mares, in the hope of getting some son of Lexington that would equal the 

 father, but all in vain. His best sons were War Dance, Kingfisher, Norfolk and 

 Wanderer ; and they were all good without any of them being entitled to be called 

 great. The best horse that ever came from his male line was Grinstead, a grandson 

 who was by Gilroy (Lexington-Magnolia) a full brother to Daniel Boone and Ken- 

 tucky. He suffered from being a private stallion and all his get were raced out of one 

 stable Mr. Elias J. Baldwin's, of Santa Anita, California. Had Grinstead's services 

 been accessible to the public, or had Mr. Baldwin sold his yearlings at auction, Grin- 

 stead's progeny would have had a much better showing to their credit. The only line 

 of Diomed now extant is that through Boston and Lexington ; and if that line is in ex- 

 istence by the year 1925, I miss my reckoning very badly. 



Eclipse, foaled in 1764, was a chestnut horse by Marske, son of Squirt, he by 

 Bartlett's Childers. His dam was Spiletta by Regulus, son of the Godolphin Arabian 

 who died in 1753. Eclipse took his name from the great eclipse of the sun which pre- 

 vailed on the day he was foaled ; and was bred by H. R. H. William, Duke of Cumber- 

 land, who also bred Herod. At four years old Eclipse was broken to ride and sold 

 to Mr. Wildman, who shortly afterwards sold one-half interest in him to a noted Irish 

 gambler of that day, Col. Dennis O'Kelly. Eclipse won his first race at Epsom on the 

 3rd day of May, 1769, for a plate of 50 which he won with ease in a field of five. 

 Gower, by Sweepstakes, was second ; Chance, by Young Cade, third, while Trial and 

 Plume were unplaced. The scale of weights at that time was 118 pounds on five-year- 

 olds and 129 on six-year-olds and aged horses. The next race he ran, O'Kelly offered 

 to bet 1,000 that he could place the horses. On the wager being accepted, O'Kelly 

 said, "Eclipse first the rest nowhere." He then instructed his jockey to ride so as 

 to distance the field, which was obeyed to the letter and O'Kelly won his bet. He had 

 already paid 650 guineas for one-half of the horse and now he became the owner of the 

 other half for 1,100 guineas. Eclipse won nine races in all that year, including a gold 

 bowl at Salisbury, two Town Plates and six Royal Plates. The next year he got a 

 long list of winning brackets, some of which he won at odds of 10 to i ; and in his great 

 race over the Round Course, against Pensioner Chigger and Diana, they not only bet 

 10 to I that he would win, but, after the first heat, bet 7 to 4, in very large sums, that he 

 would distance Pensioner, which he did. Eclipse won nine races in 1770, making 

 eighteen in all without a single defeat, and was then retired to the stud at 50 guineas per 

 mare, whence came forth his progeny to conquer as he had done before them. His get 

 won 158,047 in twenty-three years, winning long after his death. Eclipse first stood 

 at Clay Hill, near Epsom, where his fee was 50 guineas. He died February 26th, 1787, 

 aged 23 years, at the Cannons, in Surrey, not far from Cobham, his fee being but 30 

 guineas for two years before his death. This goes to prove what I have already as- 

 serted that Herod's get surpassed those of Eclipse for the first two generations. Had 

 the young Eclipses beaten the young Herods, there would have been no need of reduc- 

 ing Eclipse's service fee, from 50 to 30, a shrinkage of 40 per cent. 



But after the second generation of each horse had passed, then came the revulsion, 

 which has never wavered for a moment. It became a rehearsal of O'Kelly's famous 

 bet, "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere." Eclipse got three Derby winners to Herod's 



