Messenger (horse)

Messenger

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.

Breeding

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

In May 1788 Sir Thomas Benger imported Messenger to Pennsylvania. In 1793, Messenger was sold to Henry Astor. Messenger 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.^[2]

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.^[3]

He was not only a great sire of Thoroughbreds, he was also the founding father of the harness breed, or modern-day American Standardbred through his great grandson, Rysdyk's Hambletonian 10). His genes have also contributed to the American Saddlebred, and Tennessee Walking Horse breeds.^[2]

Messenger died on January 8, 1808 at the age of 28.^[2] He's buried on Long Island.

Tabulated pedigree

Pedigree of Messenger (GB), gr. h. 1780

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 Sister to Hyacinth 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
			Sister (1740) to Slipby (1)

See also

• Horse breeding

References

1. ^ TesioPower 2000, Stallions of the World
2. ^ ^{a b c} Thoroughbred Heritage: Messenger Retrieved 2010-4-17
3. ^ Montgomery, E.S, “The Thoroughbred”, Arco, New York, 1973 ISBN 0-668-02824-6

External links

• Thoroughbred Bloodlines: Early stud book
• Messenger's pedigree, with fine drawing