Messenger (foaled 1780) was an English Thoroughbred stallion bred by a John Pratt and imported into the newly formed United States of America just after the American Revolution.
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Lineage
Along with three other stallions, (Medley, Sharp, and Diomed), Messenger provided the type of foal, both filly and colt, that was needed for the era of long distance (stamina and speed) racing popular in the early days of the American sport.
Messenger was a grey by Mambrino out of an unnamed mare (1774) by Turf. He was inbred to Cade in the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.[1] Mambrino traced straight back to Blaze, the father of trotters. Messenger has crosses to all three of the Thoroughbred foundation sires, particularly Godolphin Arabian. Although his sire was a trotter, Messenger never ran a trot race. While still in England, he started in 16 flat races and won ten of them. Messenger's races, usually less than two and half miles, were mainly "match" races in which the side bets far exceeded the purse.
Arrival in America
No one knows just how Messenger arrived in the United States, or who brought him here. He was not only a great sire of thoroughbreds, he was the founding father of the harness breed, or Standardbred. One possibility for his arrival in the United States is that he was purchased by Henry Astor, the brother of John Jacob Astor, and imported in 1788. It is also possible he was brought to the United States by a Thomas Berenger. If true, it was then, in 1793, that Messenger was sold to Henry Astor.
However Messenger arrived in the United States, he was once advertised in a Philadelphia newspaper as: Available for service: Inquiries to be made to a certain Alexander Clay at the sign of the Black Horse in Market Street.
Stud career
Like the other three English stallions, and as was the custom of the day, Messenger was bred throughout Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. The mares he was bred with were not of the highest quality, but even so he proved himself a superior stallion, siring a great many successful racehorses.
Messenger's daughter, Miller's Damsel, also known as "Queen of the American Turf", gave birth to the horse his breeder named American Eclipse in the belief the foal would be as great as the famous English Eclipse. By Duroc, a fine son of Diomed, American Eclipse did indeed turn out to be a champion.[2]
Through his great grandson, Rysdyk's Hambletonian (also known as Hambletonian 10), Messenger is the originator of modern-day American Standardbred horses, the principal horse breed of harness racing.
Messenger died on January 8, 1808 at the age of 28.[citation needed] He's buried on Long Island.
Pedigree
Pedigree for Messenger
1780 gray colt
| Sire Mambrino gr. 1763 |
Engineer br. 1755 |
Sampson 1745 |
Blaze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mare by Hip | |||
| Mare by Young Greyhound | Young Greyhound | ||
| Mare by Curwen Barb | |||
| Mare by Cade gr. 1751 |
Cade br. 1734 |
Godolphin Arabian | |
| Roxana | |||
| Mare by Little John gr. ~1741 |
Bolton Little John | ||
| Durham's Favorite | |||
| Dam Mare by Turf blk. 1774 |
Turf b. 1760 |
Matchem b. 1748 |
Cade |
| Mare by Partner | |||
| Mare by Starling | Ancaster Starling | ||
| Miss Romp | |||
| Mare by Regulus b. 1761 |
Regulus ch. 1739 |
Godolphin Arabian | |
| Grey Robinson | |||
| Mare by Starling blk. 1753 |
Ancaster Starling | ||
| Mare by Fox |
See also
References
- ^ TesioPower 2000, Stallions of the World
- ^ Montgomery, E.S, “The Thoroughbred”, Arco, New York, 1973 ISBN 0-668-02824-6
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