CHAPTER X. 



THE ELECTIONEERS. 

 Electioneer the greatest trotting sire of the world — Superior to his sire — 

 A natural trotter — Marvin's description of him — Ability to get early 

 and extreme speed — List of performers and dams of performers. 



ELECTIONEER, the greatest trotting sire of the world, 

 was foaled in 1868. He was bred by Charles Backman 

 of Stony-Ford Stock Farm in Orange County, 1ST. Y., at which 

 place his dam now lies under a monument raised to the memory 

 of this great mother of trotters, and not very far from where 

 the monument marking the resting place of his honored sire, 

 the Hero of Chester, points its finger of memory upwards and 

 onward, and where horsemen, in years to come, traveling in 

 that region, will remember the great hero of trotting speed, 

 now lying under the " live oaks " at Palo Alto, Cal. ' 



Electioneer, before going to California in 1876, at the age of 

 eight years, had no opportunity in the stud, so his achievements 

 and those of his family really date from 1878. And in esti- 

 mating his rank as a sire this fact should be considered, and 

 the records may be searched in vain to find another family line 

 that in the short space of twelve years (as he died in 1890) rose 

 to such an enviable position. 



In color and general conformation Electioneer resembles his 

 sire, Hambletonian ; and being out of the greatest mare ever 

 embraced by Hambletonian, he may safely be called his best- 

 bred son ; and his breeding was backed up by extraordinary 

 good individuality. 



He was, however, in many respects superior to his sire in 

 beauty of form and style of movement. He was good and 

 stout at all points, denoting marvelous strength and symmetry 

 of structure, and he was a useful, common-sense appearing 

 horse from his brainy head to the very tip of his tail. 



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