rysdyke's hambletonian. 83 



" Belfounder was got by that well-known, fast, and high- 

 formed trotter, Old Belfounder, out of Velocity, by Haphazard, 

 by Sir Peter, out of Miss Hewey, by Eclipse ; grand-dam was 

 of good North Country blood, but not thoroughbred. Velocity 

 trotted on the Norwich road in 1806 ten miles in one hour, and 

 though she broke fifteen times into a gallop and as often 

 turned around, • she won the match. In 1803 she trotted 

 twenty-eight miles in one hour and forty-seven minutes, and 

 has also done many other great performances against time. 



"Belfounder, at five years old, trotted two miles in six 

 minutes and in the following year was matched to trot nine 

 miles in thirty minutes, which he won easily by twenty-two 

 seconds. His owner afterwards challenged to perform with 

 him seventeen and one half miles in one hour, but it was not 

 accepted ; he has since never been saddled nor matched. 



" Old Belfounder was a true descendant from the original 

 blood of the Fireaways, which breed of horses stand unrivaled 

 for the saddle, either in this or any other nation." 



As to the Fireaways mentioned in the above advertisement, 

 we have an account of a great many performers of this family 

 in England ; among others of a mare called Nonpareil trotting 

 in a vehicle called a match cart 100 miles in nine hours and 

 fifty-seven seconds ; her sire was Fireaway, owned in the 

 county of Norfolk. 



A son of this same Fireaway, called Norfolk Phenomenon, 

 out of a Shields mare, is spoken of by the London Sunday 

 Times of May, 1839, as " the fastest trotter that ever stepped. 

 He is known to have performed two miles in five minutes and 

 four seconds and is said to have trotted twenty-four miles in 

 an hour." 



From the above it would seem that the Fireaways were a 

 remarkable trotting family, and from this it would seem that 

 the trotting instincts received by Kysdyke's Hambletonian 

 from Abdallah and Bishop's Hambletonian, through Imported 

 Messenger, were very materially strengthened by the Bel- 

 founder cross in his dam. 



