306 ANNALS OF THE TURF. 



grey of his youth, and the hoary white of his old age. Gimcrack 

 had acquired such fame and celebrity that his last proprietor left 

 him a length of time at Tattersal's for the inspection of the 

 public. 



The dam of Medley was Arminda, by Snap, (full sister to Papil- 

 lon, the dam of Sir Peter Teazle, the best in England.) Medley 

 acquired his beautiful symmetry and proportions from Snap, who 

 was a horse of great beauty and justness of proportion, strong, 

 vigorous, and muscular, and was upon an equality as a racer, if not 

 superior to any horse of his time. Medley was imported to this 

 country by Malcomb Hart, in the year 1785. Among many other 

 distinguished racers and stallions, Medley got the following, viz : 



Boxer, out of a Fearnought mare. 



Opernico, out of a Lindsey Arabian mare. 



Quicksilver, out of a Wildair. 



Young Medley, out of a Blue and all Black. 



Melzar, out of a Wildair. 



Lamplighter, out of a Longsdale. 



Fitz-Medley, out of a Dandridge Fearnought mare. 



Gimcrack, out of an Ariel. 



Bellair, out of a Yorick. 



Bellair may justly be distinguished as the best son of old Medley, 

 not only as being upon an equality as a racer, but as having got more 

 fine stallions, racers, and brood mares, and as being decidedly the 

 best bred son of his distinguished sire. Bellair partook of the best 

 blood that has been highly valued in Virginia, viz: of Morton's 

 Traveller through Yorick, Fearnought, Partner, Mark Anthony, &c. 

 Colonel Tasker's famous running mare Selima, that was the dam of 

 Partner, was the great grandam of Bellair ; and I will here take 

 occasion to correct an error in the pedigree of this celebrated mare, 

 as it has prevailed for more than thirty years in all the published 

 pedigrees which I have seen of Bellair. Col. Tasker's Selima, is 

 represented to have come out of a mare called Snap Dragon, by 

 Snap ; this is a manifest error : the Godolphin Arabian, who sired 

 Selima, died in 1753; Snap was foaled in 1750 and did not com- 

 mence covering until 6 years old, hence the first Snap mares were 

 not foaled till 1757, 4 years after the Godolphin was dead. Col. 

 Tasker's Selima was bred by Lord Godolphin, and came out of a 

 mare by Old Fox, that was the dam of Daphne, and also of the 

 celebrated running horse Weasel, that was the property of Lord 

 Rockingham ; the grandam of Selima by Flying Childers, Make- 

 less Taffolet Barb Natural Barb mare. 



I would urge upon the breeders of the Virginia Turf Horse to 

 take in, in their different crosses, as much of the blood of old Med- 

 ley and Bellair as possible, to give their stock firm limbs, very much 

 needed at this time, as the Virginia race horses of the present day 

 train off the turf too early. 



The following letter appropriate to the present subject, is from 

 that eminent breeder and sportsman Col. John Tayloe, fqrmerly of 

 Mount Airy, Virginia, now of Washington City. 



" In reply to your favour, I shall be happy if any information I 

 am able to give you in regard to old Medley, and such of his stock 



