no The American Thoroughbred 



the great little stallion Hampton, the only stallion to get three winners of the Derby 

 since the death of Stockwell, so justly styled "The Emperor of Stallions." 



Too much praise cannot be paid Mr. James B. Haggin, of California, for the spirit 

 of enterprise which led up to his importation, at one time, of three such stallions as 

 Watercress, Goldfinch and Golden Garter. The first is one of the most massive and 

 masculine horses ever imported, being nearly as heavy as Darebin, of whom I have 

 spoken elsewhere. Watercress, being a large and growthy colt, did not start at two 

 years old but, at three, won the Prince of Wales Stakes at Ascot and ran second in 

 the St. Leger, won by that marvelous mare La Fleche. In this country he has cer- 

 tainly distinguished himself, being the sire of Watercure, Water Boy (a great handi- 

 cap horse, the best of 1903), Watershed (a winner of the Cambridgeshire in Eng- 

 land) and Nasturtium, who was deemed good enough to send over to run for the 

 English Derby. In addition to these he got Headwater and a dozen other top-saw- 

 yers in the selling plater class. Watercress has made a great name for Rancho del 

 Paso and the effects of his importation will be found to be far-reaching. He comes 

 from the good old No. 10 family from which came Blink Bonny, Blair Athol and 

 Breadalbane, in England; Bonnie Scotland in America, and Anteros and Light Artil- 

 lery in Australia. 



Goldfinch, by Ormonde, out of Thistle (dam of Common, who won the "triple 

 crown" of England in 1891) by Scottish Chief, is a horse to my eye. He is about 

 fifteen hands, three inches high, which is tall enough for any horse. He is a beau- 

 tiful bay and about the smoothest finished horse I can remember to have seen 

 anywhere. He ran several good races in England, including the New Stakes at 

 Ascot, one of the biggest two-year-old events in that country. After his importation 

 to America (he having made but one season in England) his daughter Chelandry, 

 out of the dam of the Derby winner Ladas, came out and won the One Thousand 

 Guineas, on the strength of which an offer of re-purchase was made but politely de- 

 clined. As sire of Tradition, by long odds the best two-year-old of 1904, regardless 

 of sex, Goldfinch now divides with Watercress the honors of Premiership at the big 

 farm on the American river. 



Golden Garter, by Bend d'Or, out of Sanda (dam of the Derby winner Sanfoin, 

 sire of that great performer Rock Sand) by Wenlock, while he does not class with 

 Watercress and Goldfinch, is entitled to be called the sire of something more than 

 "useful" horses. Among his winners are Golden Maxim, Meehahus, "Art/vis, Girdle 

 and Golden Rule, all winners of $15,000 and upwards. I like a horse that has lots 

 of great mares in his pedigree and Golden Garter is well fortified in this respect, 

 for he has Beeswing and Pocahontas, dams of winners of the Two Thousand and St. 

 Leger ; and Miss Twickenham, Alice Hawthorne, Mineral, Rouge Rose, Marigold, 

 Martha Lynn and Vulture, all dams of Derby winners. Beeswing won 52 races out 

 of 63; Alice Hawthorne 50^ out of 68, and Vulture 32 out of 69, Beeswing being the 

 only animal to win the Doncaster Cup four times and the Ascot Cup twice. Golden 

 .Garter is half-brother to Black Sand, a great handicap horse who ran second for the 

 Cesarewitch in 1901 and won it, in a field of seventeen starters, in the following year. 



MEDDLER, who will be gazetted as the premier sire of 1904, belonged to that rough- 

 and-tumble sportsman, George A. Baird, who raced under the name of "Mr. Abing- 

 don." He died very suddenly and, as all his horses were disqualified in the English 

 classic events by his death, he was sold to Mr. W. H. Forbes, of Neponset, Mass. Mr. 

 Forbes died about two years later and all his horses were sold, Mr. William C. 

 Whitney, of New York, becoming the purchaser at $55,000. Meddler started but three 

 times, winning all his races, but as he was of the same age with Isinglass, the greatest 

 money-winner the world has ever produced, it is hard to believe he could have beaten 

 the son of Isonomy at three years old. Meddler is by St. Gatien (Derby winner of 

 1884) out of Busybody (Oaks of 1884) from Spinaway (Oaks 1878) from Queen. 



