52 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 
said, only a few foals in this country, — less than a 
hundred; but those few appear conspicuously in the 
pedigrees of our fastest horses, whether at the running, 
the trotting, or the pacing gait. 
The best son of Diomed was Sir Archy, foaled on 
the banks of the James River, in Virginia, in the year 
1805.1 Sir Archy was a thoroughbred of the very first 
breeding, the speediest, gamest race-horse of his day, 
and his descendants have not been unworthy of their 
origin. Sir Archy was of a rich bay color, with one 
white hind foot, and he is thus described by Frank 
Forester : “He was a horse of commanding appear- 
ance, standing fully sixteen hands in height, possess- 
ing great power and substance. He was eminently 
superior in all those points indispensable to the turf 
horse and mainly contributory to strength and action. 
His shoulder, one of the most material parts of the 
horse, was strikingly distinguished, being very deep, 
fairly mounting to the top of the withers, and ob- 
liquely inclined to the hips. His girth was full and 
deep, back short and strong, thighs and arms long and 
muscular, and bone of excellent quality. His front 
appearance was fine and commanding, his head and 
neck being beautifully formed, the latter rising well 
out of his withers. ‘Take Sir Archy as a whole, and 
he had more size, power, and substance than are often 
seen combined in the full-bred horse.” 
Sir Archy beat all the best horses of his day in this 
1 His dam was the imported mare Castianira by Rockingham. 
Rockingham was the best son of Highflyer, who in turn was the 
best son of King Herod, one of the horses to whom all the fastest 
thoroughbreds are said to trace. The dam of Rockingham was 
Purity, by Matchem, another member of the great trio just indi- 
cated, out of the famous mare known as Squirt. 
