THE HORSE, 
3 
THE RACE-HORSE. 
to be the fleetest horse, Childers excepted, that had, till then, appeared on the English turf. His grandson Matehem was in a 
peculiar degree noted for the excellence of his stock. This latter horse is supposed to have yielded his owner, Mr Fenwick, 
upwards of L.17,000 as a stallion alone. He died in 1781, having had 354 sons and daughters, all winners at our numerous 
race-courses, and computed to have gained to their owners L.151,097. From the importance of the progeny of Matehem, it has 
been proposed to term the line to which he belongs, the Matehem line. 
As the greater part of the horses of the modern turf are more or less allied in blood to Herod, Eclipse, and Matehem, it has 
been proposed to classify them by their lineal descent from these celebrated horses. This classification cannot be deemed satis¬ 
factory, from the mixture of blood that has taken place; but yet it is convenient, and may be found useful.* 
The record of the pedigree of the horses of the English Turf exhibits distinctly the formation of a race of horses of exclusive 
lineage, or at least of a lineage interrupted only by the further infusion of the blood of those races of other countries from which 
its own characters have been derived. The record is of great interest and value, not only with respect to the matters of the 
Course, but as it relates to the physiological history of the Horse, and the principles of breeding. It proves, in a manner which 
no similar document has done, the constancy of the law by which the properties of conformation and character are transmitted 
from one animal to another, even to their remoter descendants. It shows beyond dispute, that the change produced on the pro¬ 
perties and figure of the ancient horses of this country has been the result of the mixture of the blood of the horses of the warmer 
countries, and explains the meaning of the terms so often used, but so ill defined, of 44 blood,” and 44 thorough-bred.” For the 
most part, the horses of this privileged class have, since the more regular institution of the turf, been kept wonderfully free from 
intermixture with those of inferior breeding. Frauds have doubtless been committed, and horses introduced into the racing lists 
with false pedigrees; but, in general, an extreme vigilance has been exercised in this matter by those whose attention is constantly 
directed to the subject; and it may be safely said, that, for the last century and more, the instances of this kind have neither been 
numerous nor important in their results. It has rarely happened that the inferiority of the spurious breed has not been rendered 
manifest by deficiency in the speed and other properties of the individuals or their descendants; and though a few of doubtful 
origin may have been introduced into the Course, one of two effects has generally resulted : either the animals have been of them¬ 
selves so good that no injury has resulted to the general race from the supposed taint, or they have been so inferior in character 
and value, that the blood has not been extended. In the last age, a very famous horse called Sampson, the property of the 
Marquis of Rockingham, was supposed to present such a deviation from the ordinary type of the Race-Horse, that a very general 
opinion long prevailed on the turf that he was of impure pedigree. He was a horse of immense size and strength, was born 
* The following Table will suffice to give some idea of the mixture of blood that prevails in the modern Race-Horse. Thus, it will be observed, that 
though the sire and dam of Bay Middleton are both in the Herod line, they yet partake more or less of the blood of both the Matehem and Eclipse lines. 
In the same way Charles the Twelfth, though lineally descended from Eclipse, partakes of three successive infusions of the Herod blood; and Dr Syntax, 
though belonging to the Matehem line, inherits also the blood of both Herod and Eclipse. The same remark, indeed, applies even to Herod, Matehem, and 
Eclipse themselves; for, on referring to the Table, it will be seen that they all possessed more or less of the blood of one another. The Table will be readily 
understood when read thus: The Byerly Turk, and a mare descended through her sire from the D’Arcy Yellow Turk, produced Jigg : Jigg, and a mare 
descended through her sire from Curwen’s Bay Barb, produced Partner ; and so on. 
BAY MIDDLETON. 
CHARLES THE TWELFTH. 
DOCTOR SYNTAX. 
Sire— Sultan. 
Dam— Cobweb. 
Sire— Voltaire. 
Dam— Wagtail. 
Sire— 
Paynator. 
Dam— Beningbrough 
Mare. 
Mare 
Mare 
Mare 
Mare 
Mare 
Mare 
descended 
descended 
descended 
descended 
descended 
descended 
Horse. 
through her 
Horse. 
through her 
Horse. 
through her 
Horse. 
through her 
Horse. 
through her 
Horse. 
through her 
Sire from 
Sire from 
Sire from 
Sire from 
Sire from 
Sire from 
Byerly Turk 
D’Arcy Yel- 
Byerly Turk 
D’Arcy Yel- 
Darley Ara- 
D’Arcy Yel- 
Darley Ara- 
D’Arcy Yel- 
Godolphin 
St Victor’s 
Darley Ara- 
D’Arcy Yel- 
low Turk 
low Turk 
bian 
low Turk 
bian 
low Turk 
Barb 
Barb 
bian 
low Turk 
Jigg 
Curwen’s 
Jigg 
Curwen’s 
Bartlett’s 
Lister Turk 
Bartlett’s 
Lister Turk 
Cade 
Partner, or 
Bartlett’s 
Lister Turk 
Bay Barb 
Bay Barb 
Childers 
Childers 
Byerly Turk 
Childers 
Partner 
White D’- 
Partner 
White D’- 
Squirt 
Hutton’s 
Squirt 
Hutton’s 
Matehem 
Darley Ara- 
Squirt 
Hutton’s 
Arcy Turk 
Arcy Turk 
Bay Turk 
Bay Turk 
bian 
Bay Turk 
Tartar 
Darley Ara- 
Tartar 
Darley Ara- 
Marske 
Godolphin 
Marske 
Godolphin 
Conductor 
Partner, or 
Marske 
Godolphin 
bian 
bian 
Barb 
Barb 
Byerly Turk 
Barb 
Herod 
Godolphin 
Herod 
Godolphin 
Eclipse 
Alcock’s 
Eclipse 
Holderness 
Trumpator 
Alcock’s Ara- 
Eclipse 
Alcock’s 
Barb 
Barb 
Arabian 
Turk • 
bian 
Arabian 
Woodpecker 
Matehem 
Highflyer 
Darley Ara- 
King Fergus 
Herod 
Don Quixote 
Herod 
King Fergus 
Herod 
bian 
Paynator 
Buzzard 
Eclipse 
Sir Peter 
Eclipse 
Hambleto- 
Herod 
Sancho 
Herod 
Bening- 
Godolphin 
nian 
brough 
Barb 
Selim 
Herod 
Walton 
Eclipse 
Wliitelock 
Eclipse 
Prime Mi- 
Eclipse 
nister 
Beningbrough Mare. 
Sultan 
Phantom 
Matehem 
Blacklock 
Herod 
Wagtail 
Cobweb 
Voltaire 
* 
