The American Thoroughbred 117 



OUR NATIVE SIRES 



Of all native stallions, since racing in America was first founded, Lexington was 

 easily the best. He headed the list of winning sires for eleven seasons, as against 

 nine for St. Simon in England and seven each for Stockwell and Hermit. No other 

 stallion on American soil ever approached this record, Sir Archy and Glencoe being 

 next to him with five seasons, and Leamington, Glenelg and Hanover each four. And 

 in 1870, when Lexington was twenty years old, he had to the credit of his progeny 

 more money than Hanover had in his best season, with Hanover only eleven years 

 old and the public money to be won worth nearly three times what it was in 1870. 

 I do not think that Lexington bred as much class as did Leamington, for it is very 

 doubtful if he ever got as good a horse as Longfellow, leaving Enquirer (who dis- 

 tanced Longfellow the only time they ever met) and Iroquois (who won the Derby, 

 Prince of Wales' Stakes and St. Leger in England) entirely out of the question. 

 Lexington's best horse was Tom Bowling and, at two miles, I believe he was the best 

 colt ever foaled in America, but I should not have cared to start him against Long- 

 fellow (granting they had been contemporary, which they were not) at any longer 

 distance. There is no doubt that Longfellow and Harry Bassett ran the first mile 

 of their Cup race at Saratoga in 1:40; and some watches made it as low as I :^gVz, 

 but being a race of two and a quarter miles, it did not count as a record. Of the get 

 of Lexington I place Tom Bowling, Harry Bassett, Duke of Magenta, Kingfisher, 

 Norfolk, Wanderer and Asteroid in the order named. It is exceedingly to be re- 

 gretted that Lexington left no son worthy to perpetuate his laurels. Considered as 

 sires, I must place War Dance first, Kingfisher second, Norfolk third and close behind 

 them Asteroid, Pat Malloy, Jack Malone and Wanderer. Norfolk's only really great 

 performers were exclusively the offspring of one mare, Marian, whose produce won 

 over $240,000 in purses and stakes. As a broodmare sire, Lexington overtops all other 

 horses of the Century, nearly all the best winners by six different imported stallions 

 all of dissimilar breeding, such as Leamington, Glenelg, Bonnie Scotland, Billet, 

 Buckden and Australian, being from Lexington mares. I hold him superior to Mel- 

 bourne. Pantaloon, Touchstone and Stockwell, in this respect. This is easily explained 

 by the fact that his daughters were all great milkers and their foals were all, when 

 weaned, the making of strong and upstanding horses. His sons have all done well 

 as broodmare sires ; War Dance, Kingfisher and Norfolk having shown exceptional 

 excellence in this respect. There is this always to be said about Lexington : while he 

 was alive, a man could always go to one of Mr. Robert Alexander's sales and purchase 

 ten yearlings with the certainty that at least three of them would turn out stake- 

 horses, barring unforseen accidents ; and that is something not true of any other 

 stallion, native or imported, with the ipossible exception of St. Blaise, during the life- 

 time of the elder August Belmont. ^ After his death, the battle began to waver and 

 the English Derby winner of 1883 went down to undeserved obscurity. Lexington 

 was sixteen when he got Kingfisher; seventeen when he got Harry Bassett; nineteen 

 when he got Tom Bowling, the best of all his progeny ; and twenty-six when he headed 

 the list of winning sires for the last time, for he died in that same year, "Full of years 

 and full of honors." 



Leonatus, by Longfellow out of Semper Felix (grand dam also of that great 



