THE BLUE BULLS. Ill 



depended upon the nicks with American Star, Hambletonian, 

 Morgan, Clay, and Mambrino Patchen mares ; but Blue Bull 

 from the farm mares of Indiana was the first sire of his day 

 to put fifty or more into the list. 



Blue Bull has been neglected, slandered, and lied about as 

 but few, if any, sires ever were ; but he will yet live on, be 

 better known and appreciated in his later descendants^ as one 

 of the great speed elements of the American trotter. 



All things considered, this doubtfully bred and wonderful 

 horse must be set down as one of the greatest of trotting pro- 

 genitors. He was foaled in 1866 and lived almost his entire 

 life in Kush County, Indiana, at James Wilson's " Flat Bock 

 Stock Farm," from which he derived the title of " The Hero of 

 Flat Bock." He died on the 11th day of July, 1880. 



Many versions of his breeding have been given, but, in the 

 opinion of the author, none are correct. Despite his plebeian 

 blood lines, as recorded, a knee broken from the kick of a 

 mule, an eye knocked out by a drunken groom, and one or 

 more seasons spent as a teaser for a Jack, he has founded a 

 family of trotters of quality and numbers more than equal to 

 any stallion with the same opportunities. 



Another peculiar fact is that while he was a fast pacer 

 himself and was bred to pacing bred mares, he almost invariably 

 got square trotters, and has now fifty-four trotters in the 2.30 

 Est with records from 2.17i up. 



He has twenty-six producing sons that have begotten stand- 

 ard performers and thirty-six daughters that are the dams of 

 2.30 performers. 



Succeeding generations also show material gains, giving 

 ample proof of the breeding-on capacity of the blood of the 

 plebeian pacer. 



Blue Bull sired the dam of Eoy Wilkes, 2.08J; Fred Ar- 

 thur, 2.14i; Puritan, 2.16; Vitello, 2.16i ; Lowland Girl, 2.19^; 

 Luella, 2.19J ; Elgin Girl, 2.20£, and the Khodenkiel mare, dam 

 of Blanche Wayne, etc. Below will be found a complete official 



