Godolphin Arab's line, but Herod had three strains of the Darley Arabian's blood through the same mare, and two from Cypron, his own dam. Since then fresh strains from both lines have been continually brought into the Byerly Turk's line. Sometimes the blood of one has predominated over the other, and it is very interesting to consider whether the larger admixture of the Darley Arabian blood in some horses may not have given greater stoutness than is seen in others, who had less of that and more of the Godolphin Arab's blood. That such has been the case I trust will become apparent to those who may have the patience to follow me, particularly those interested in the welfare of our horse, and who may not have time, patience, or opportunity to unravel the mazes of the Stud Book.

We must now cast back to the year 1802, and trace the Woodpecker line, through his grandson, Selim, the second son of Buzzard.

Selim, grandson of Woodpecker, foaled in 1802, a chestnut, and own brother to Castrel, was the sire of a brown filly, dam by Cesario, winner of the One Thousand Guineas in 1815; of Medora, winner of the Oaks in 1814; of Azor, winner of the Derby in 1817; of Turcoman, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas in 1827, whose dam, Pope Joan, was by Waxy; and of Turquoise, winner of the Oaks in 1828; of Sultan, foaled in 1816; and Langar in 1817. These last two we shall take for our consideration.

Sultan, a magnificent bay horse with a blaze and four white feet, the off hind-leg white half way to the hock;

his dam was Bacchante, a brown mare, by Williamson's Ditto (a son of Sir Peter, grandson of Herod, from Arethusa, by. Dungannon, son of Eclipse). Bacchante's dam was sister to Calomel, by Mercury, son of Eclipse out of Folly, by Marske, great-grandson of the Darley Arabian, tracing back to Herod and the Darley Arabian through many sources. It has been asserted that Sultan bore a strong resemblance to the Darley Arabian—it will be seen he inherited much of his blood; he has been described to me by one who knew him well as a splendid animal, but perhaps hardly deep enough in the chest. Looking at his portrait by Herring which is before me, I should say the deficiency was in appearance only; he seems to have been a very level-made horse, with deep back ribs, which formation always takes off from the appearance of a deep chest. This formation (of deep back ribs) seems to have been general among the racers of an elder period, and is characteristic of Arabian blood. The modern racer is lighter in his ribs, not so round, and less deep in the back ribs, which shows the chest as more deep. He had a fine head, with much of the Arabian character in it, small and finely-formed ears, well pricked. I am not sure whether Sultan ought not to be written down as the best representative of the Woodpecker line, if not of the Herod, but of that opinions can be formed hereafter. His career at the stud was certainly most brilliant. Among others he was the sire of the following horses :-Beiram, Ishmael, Jereed; of Greenmantle, winner of the Oaks, 1829 (her dam Dulcinea, by Cervantes); of Augustus, winner of the Two

Thousand Guineas in 1830 (his dam Augusta, by Woful); of Galata, winner of the One Thousand Guineas and the Oaks in 1832 (whose dam Advance was by Pioneer); of the magnificent Glencoe, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas in 1834 (whose dam, Trampoline, was by Tramp out of Web, by Waxy). Glencoe was the sire of Pocahontas (the dam of Stockwell); of Ibrahim, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas in 1835, whose dam, a Phantom mare, was sister to Cobweb (Bay Middleton's dam); of Achmet (own brother to Bay Middleton), winner of the Two Thousand Guineas in 1837; of Destiny, winner of the One Thousand Guineas in 1836, and of that splendid racehorse, Bay Middleton, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas and the Derby in 1836. Before proceeding further with the Sultan family, I purpose taking up the history of Langar, the other son of Selim, before mentioned, to enable us to review the career of his son Elis, who was contemporary with Bay Middleton, and to some extent his rival. Langar, a chestnut horse, foaled in 1817, from a Walton mare (whose dam, Young Giantess, was by Diomed, out of Giantess, by Matchem, son of Cade, son of Godolphin Arab or Barb), was the sire of Elis and Epirus, both chestnuts, and own brothers; their dam was Olympia, by Sir Oliver. Elis, foaled in 1833, had a white face, and both hind legs white, was the winner of the St. Leger in 1836, beating among others the celebrated Beeswing. Epirus, foaled in 1834, was the sire of Pyrrhus the First, a bright chestnut, with two hind feet white, and a white reach down his face; his dam was Fortress, by Defence; he won the Derby

C

He was a bay

in 1846, beating Sir Tatton Sykes by a neck. Having such stout blood as Defence's in his veins from his dam, it was expected he would have been a success at the stud-that, as is often the case with expectations, was not realised (the blood on his dam's side was too good to allow of his being a successful sire)-however, he was the sire of the celebrated Virago, winner of the One Thousand Guineas in 1854. But to return to Bay Middleton, his dam Cobweb (herself winner of the One Thousand Guineas, 1824) was by Phantom out of Filagree, by Soothsayer out of Web, by Waxy, &c. colt, but in after years more nearly brown than bay, and mottled on his quarters; standing nearly 16 hands and a half, without white, except on three of his coronets. Although not what could be called a symmetrically made horse, yet he was a splendid animal, and full of character. He ran first without a name, and in the Newmarket Craven Meeting won the Riddlesworth Stakes of 200 sovs. each, beating, among others, his half sister, Destiny, the winner of the One Thousand Guineas. He won as he liked. He had been considered a bad tempered horse up to this time, but after winning his race he was changed into a high-couraged one. For the Two Thousand Guineas he met Elis and five others; the Cobweb colt beat Elis on the post by a neck; 'the others were beaten off an immense distance by the extraordinary severity of the pace;' he was then named Bay Middleton. Elis was not in the Derby, 1836, which was won by Bay Middleton by two lengths, with such horses as Gladiator, Venison, and Slane, respectively

second, third, and fourth to him. Bay Middleton was not in the St. Leger, which was won by Elis very easily by two lengths. In the same year Bay Middleton and Elis met again in the Newmarket First October Meeting, for the Grand Duke St. Michael Stakes; twenty-one horses were frightened out of the field by their appearance; the race was won by the former by a length. Mr. George Tattersall has thus described it: 'After all, it was a falsely run race, the pace being poor, and each on the lurching order till they passed the Bushes, where Bay Middleton went up; at the top of the hill he was leading, and in going down it his wonderful stride enabled him to show his tail to his gallant opponent. "Honest John" (the rider of Elis) tried what whipping would do, but it was "no go," and the winner of the St. Leger was beaten in pace, stride, and stoutness, by the winner of the Derby.' Here, I think, is a case in point: The greater number of crosses of the Darley Arabian blood in Bay Middleton and his sire Sultan than in Elis and his sire Langar-although Sultan and Langar were half-brothers, both being sons of Selimwill account for Bay Middleton being stouter than Elis. His career was brilliant, but short. A foreleg already looking suspicious prevented his training on, and he retired to the stud in 1838. As a sire he cannot be said to have equalled Sultan. He was the sire of Ellen Middleton, the dam of Wild Dayrell (winner of the Derby, 1855), of Cowl (1842), of The Flying Dutchman (winner of the Derby and St. Leger in 1849), of Aphrodite (winner of the One Thousand Guineas, 1851),