Messenger

Messenger (b. 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. 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. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Thoroughbred race horses The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known as a race horse. ... A stallion. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies that... Diomed the Marvel Diomed, born in 1777, one year into the American Revolution, was an English bred thoroughbred race horse who led a life of ups and downs worthy of Anna Sewells fictitous Black Beauty. ... Filly is also a town in Belgium. ... A colt or filly with its mother A Colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. ...

Messenger was a grey by Mambrino out of an unnamed mare by Turf. Mambrino went straight back to Blaze, the father of trotters. Messenger has crosses to all three of the Thoroughbred foundation sires, particularly the Godolphin Arabian, and 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. The Godolphin Arabian (ca 1724 - 1754), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was one of three horses which were the founders of the modern thoroughbred horse racing broodstock. ...

No one knows just how Messenger arrived in the States, or who brought him here, but he was not only a great sire of thorougbreds, he was the founding father of the harness breed, or standardbred. (It's possible that Messenger was purchased by Henry Astor, the brother to John Jacob Astor, and imported in 1788. It's more than possible he was brought to the US by a Thomas Berenger who fled Philadelphia at the outbreak of a plague. If so, it was then, in 1793, that Messenger was sold to Henry Astor. At some point, Cornelius W. Van Ranst got his hands on the horse...and that appears to be an actual fact.) Standardbred harness racing horses are so called because in the early years of the Trotting Registry, the standardbred stud book established in the United States in 1879 by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, only horses who could race a mile in a standard time or better, or whose... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... John Jacob Astor, detail of an oil painting by Gilbert Stuart, 1794 John Jacob (originally either Johann Jakob or Johann Jacob) Astor (July 17, 1763 - March 29, 1848) was the first of the Astor family dynasty and the first millionaire in the United States, the creator of the first Trust... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: , Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ...

However Messenger got here, it seems that he simply appeared one day, advertized 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.

Like the other three English stallions, and as was the custom of the day, Messenger stood here and there in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. The mares he covered were not of the highest quality, but even so he proved himself a superior stallion, siring a great many successful racehorses. He was also bred to all sorts of mares: Morgans, and Narragansett Pacers among them. Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... NY redirects here. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Horse-racing is an equestrian sporting activity which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example, as was the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. ... The Morgan is one of the first horse breeds developed in the United States. ... Image:RI towns Narragansett. ...

Messenger's daughter, Miller's Damsel (known as "Queen of the American Turf") gave birth to the horse his breeder named American Eclipse in the belief the impressive foal would be as great as the very great English Eclipse. By Duroc, a fine son of Diomed, American Eclipse did indeed turn out to be a legendary champion. American Eclipse (1814 to 1847) was a light chestnut Thoroughbred race horse named for the great English champion Eclipse. ... Eclipse Eclipse (April 1, 1764 - February 26, 1789) was an 18th century British thoroughbred racehorse, descendant of Godolphin Arabian and Regulus that was undefeated during its entire career. ...

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. Hambletonian 10 (May 5, 1849 - 1876) was a stallion bred by Jonas Seely, Jr. ... Standardbred harness racing horses are so called because in the early years of the Trotting Registry, the standardbred stud book established in the United States in 1879 by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, only horses who could race a mile in a standard time or better, or whose... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... A breed is a domesticated subspecies or infrasubspecies of an animal. ... A trotter training at Vincennes hippodrome Harness racing is a form of horse-racing in which the horses race in a specified gait. ...

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

See also

• Equestrianism
• Horse breeding

A young rider at a horse show in Australia. ... Horse breeding is the process of using selective breeding to produce additional individuals of a given phenotype, that is, continuing a breed. ...

References

• Messenger's pedigree, with fine drawing