SIR ARCHY

From an Original Painting in the possession of Charles H.Hall Esq" of New York. Engraved for the American Turf Register and Sporung Magazine

MEMOIR OF STE AU 7

Tais justly celebrated horsesh

ch we have been assured is

seat number, was foaled in the spre gut, and was bred by Col. Archibut their joint property.

Si Archy is of rich bay colour, byg a his relu had foot. He is a hor

teon hands high, with great power und a superior in all those points indispensable sk

ly tritory to strength and action. His thusly food inecial part of the horse, is strikingly distapushed, being way deep fairly mounting up to the top of the withers d'aughey inclined to the hips. His girth is full and deep, back short and strong, thighs and anthe long and muscular, his bone good. The front appearance je fite, and commanding-his head and neck are well formed, the latter rising well out of his withers. Take Six Archy apon the whole, and he, has more size, power and substance than we often see rouloned in the full bred horse. As a racer he was considered way 213147407 He did not run many races, but beat all the best horses or his day, among them were Wangler, Tom Tough, Palafox, Gallatin, and also Gen, Carney's celebinted racer When Sir Archy quit the turf, he had no equal in be seen in the following extract of a letter from "I have only to say that, in my optar Ahh ever saw, and I well know that Fever that was at all his equal; and this world, will run against him at any according to the rules of racing, you my

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THIS justly celebrated horse, whose portrait, from a painting, which we have been assured is a striking likeness, ornaments the present number, was foaled in the spring of 1805, on James river, in Virginia, and was bred by Col. Archibald Randolph and Col. John Tayloe, as their joint property.

Sir Archy is of rich bay colour, having no white about him, except on his right hind foot. He is a horse of commanding size, fully sixteen hands high, with great power and substance. He is eminently superior in all those points indispensable to the turf horse, and mainly contributory to strength and action. His shoulder, the most material part of the horse, is strikingly distinguished, being very deep, fairly mounting up to the top of the withers, and obliquely inclined to the hips. His girth is full and deep, back short and strong, thighs and arms long and muscular, his bone good. His front appearance is fine and commanding-his head and neck are well formed, the latter rising well out of his withers. Take Sir Archy upon the whole, and he has more size, power and substance than we often see combined in the full bred horse. As a racer he was considered very superior. He did not run many races, but beat all the best horses of his day; among them were Wrangler, Tom Tough, Palafox, Minerva, Ratray, Gallatin, and also Gen. Carney's celebrated racer Blank, by Citizen. When Sir Archy quit the turf, he had no equal in this country, as will be seen in the following extract of a letter from Col. W. R. Johnson: "I have only to say that, in my opinion, Sir Archy is the best horse I ever saw, and I well know that I never had any thing to do with one that was at all his equal; and this I will back; for, if any horse in the world, will run against him at any half way ground, four mile heats, according to the rules of racing, you may consider me $5000 with you on him. He was in good condition this fall, (1809) and has not run with any horse that could put him to half speed towards the end of the race. W. R. JOHNSON.

Yours,

Sir Archy was got by the imported horse Diomed; his dam the imported mare Castianira-she was got by Rockingham, out of Tabitha, by Trentham; her dam (Tabitha's) out of the dam of Pegasus. Vide Gen. Stud Book.

Rockingham, the best son of Highflyer, and he the best son of old King Herod. The dam of Rockingham, Purity, by Matchem, out of the famous old Squirt mare.

Trentham, a horse of great power and celebrity of his day, was by Sweepstakes, out of a South mare.

Diomed, (the sire of Sir Archy,) was got by Florizel, one of the best sons of old King Herod; his dam (Diomed's) by Spectator; his grandam by Blank, Flying Childers, Miss Bellvoir, by Grey Grantham, Paget Turk, Betty Percival, Leeds Arabian.

Diomed was one of the best racers on the English turf; and was unquestionably the finest formed horse ever imported into this country; and as a foal getter, he has had no equal except in his son. Diomed had the rare faculty of getting colts of size and form from almost all the mares that he covered, and he more generally got racers than any other stallion that had preceded him; and as to the celebrity of his colts, as first rate racers, they have far eclipsed those of any other horse's get, except those of Sir Archy. What stallion, then, so worthy to be the sire of Sir Archy as Diomed? Yet a report has been in circulation a dozen years or more, calculated to rob Diomed of this honour, and to confer it on another stallion called Gabriel, sire of Postboy, Harlequin and Oscar.

This report first originated among grooms, who, of all others, are best calculated to give currency to reports without foundation. Col. Tayloe, who jointly with Col. Randolph, bred Sir Archy, confidently avers the fact that Diomed was the sire of Sir Archy.*

In the Spring of 1804, the season that Sir Archy was got, old Diomed stood at Col. Selden's below Richmond. Mr. Selden, his son, who is now living, saw Castianira (the dam of Archy) covered on the same day by Diomed, that he got Wrangler. This declaration of Mr. Selden puts the question beyond all doubt. But if we were to reason on other circumstances, I should reject Gabriel as the sire of Sir Archy. Gabriel's stock were not large, but only common size; hence the improbability of his being the sire of so large a horse as Sir Archy. Whereas, Diomed's stock were generally of good size, and Sir Archy bears a strong resemblance to the Rockingham and Herod stock; of which blood, he possessed a large share, not only through Rockingham, but also through Florizel, the sire of Diomed.

* Vide his letter to J. S. Skinner, Esq. in Am. Farmer vol. 9, p. 143.