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horses from Spain ; but Cabaca de Vaca was tbe first person who im- 

 ported horses into any part of the country now a part of the United 

 States. He landed them in Florida, in 1527. They were turned loose, 

 and soon increased wonderfully. In 1609, a stallion and six mares were 

 imported into Virginia from England. In 1625, there was brought 

 over a few horses from Holland to New Netherlands, now New York. 

 The first horse brought into the State of Massachusetts was from Eng- 

 land, in 1629. In 1678, horses existed in great numbers in Louisiana, 

 Illinois and Texas ; wild herds, of Spanish extraction, were found roam- 

 ing over our western prairies, when the West was first explored. 



Bancroft's History of the United States, also, informs us, that, in 

 1656, "the horse was multiplied in Virginia, and to improve that noble 

 animal was an early object of pride, favored by legislation — speed was 

 especially valued." 



Virginia has Jong been regarded as the race-horse region of America. 

 Her ascendency on the Turf for many years was very decided — how 

 could it have been otherwise, when we take into account her many 

 brood mares of pure lineage, from the times of Bulle Rock, and Dab- 

 ster, of contemporaneous repute with Bulle Rock (they being in Vir- 

 ginia what a Barb or Arabian was in England), which have been 

 crossed with the famed imported stallions from Jolly Roger and Fear- 

 nought, to the days of Medley, Shark, Bedford, Gabriel, Diomed, Ster- 

 ling, Spread Eagle, Archduke, Sir Harry, Chance, and others, especially 

 her own Sir x\rchy, deemed the best American bred stock-getter that 

 ever covered in this country, getting racing stock out of all sorts of 

 irares, being, on both sides, of the best English blood — by Diomed, out 

 of Castianira, by Rockingham — grandam by Trentham, great grandam 

 by Bosphorus. Virginia derived the still further benefit of later import- 

 ations fi'om England (too numerous to mention here), besides having 

 had a visit to the Old Dominion fvoxw the famed American Eclipse, that 

 had for his rivals in the stud such horses as Timoleon, Monsieur Ton- 

 son, Sir Charles, Virginian, and others of the native stallions, most 

 popular in their day. 



It is but fair and proper to say in this place, that Virginia was fur- 

 nished with the parent of one, at least, of her best strains from importa- 

 tions into New York — the celebrated Lath and Wildair were both im- 

 ported by Mr. DeLancy of New York, the latter in 1760 or 1761, the 

 former in 1768. Old Messenger, the maternal grandsire of Ameiican 

 Eclipse, was also landed there in 1788. Besides Lath and Wildair, Mr. 

 DeLancy impoi'ted two as I'cmarkably fine mares, and of as good blood, 

 as England in those days could boast. Fair Rachel, a chesnut, foaled 



