Messenger Bred Trotters, Runners
Thoroughbred Eclipse Blood and Hambletonian Pacers Trace to Him
Messenger was a Thoroughbred, but he would stride into a trot on his own when given his choice. His blood traces to Man o' War and to Little Brown Jug.
Trotters were the first choice of horsemen who admired the Standardbred. Pacers were originally considered unstylish and something from the cheap seats when harness racing took a serious hold as an American-born sport.
It was the phenomenal Thoroughbred Messenger, imported from England, who gave trotting its star quality. When he died at the age of twenty-eight on January 28, 1808, grown men wept at the loss, and a rifle squadron fired a salute over his grave near Oyster Bay, Long Island.
Father of Trotting and Running America
Messenger's blood combined the likes of all three stallions known to give descending birth to American Thoroughbreds, particularly from Eclipse. Mambrino, an English trotting coach horse, sired Messenger. The gray son of Mambrino established a modest racing career from the age of three. English-bred horses routinely didn't begin their competitive running careers until the age of five.
The record on Messenger shows 14 starts, eight wins, two seconds, two thirds, and total earnings of $7,365.
Blood is what Messenger offered most prolifically, phenomenally in two different areas of expertise -- the running Thoroughbred and the trotting and pacing Standardbred. Messenger enjoyed trotting. He often would dispense with running when left to his own choices and break into a trot.
His bloodlines passed to great Thoroughbreds, Whirlaway, Equipoise, Gallant Fox, and Man o' War, and to great early trotters such as Topgallant, Whalebone, Betsy Baker, and Screwdriver.
Hambletonian Carries Messenger Blood to Pacing
Harness horses are generally referred to as trotters, but the harness breed also includes pacers. In American today, the pacer out does the trotter as the more popular harness performer.
A grandson of Messenger, Hambletonian sired outstanding pacers. His line is the only one that continues to consistently produce pacing champions.
In the beginning of harness racing, horses were raced to saddle. Later, they were hitched to wagons for competitive trots. An important Standardbred was a trotter. Pacers didn't have smooth action, didn't have the "good looks" of the trotter, and couldn't quickly recover their gait after breaking off stride.
French-Canadian breeders weren't so English. They weren't that impressed with Messenger, apparently. They liked racing their horses at the pace. Their roan named Copperbottom was sent to stud service in America in 1816. A short time later a man named Tom Hal came from Canada to the United States and founded a family name in pacing. And along came Little Brown Jug, pacing's first world champion.
Star Pointer became the first pacer to break the two minute mile. Soon, Dan Patch did it regularly. The first hobbled under-two-minute pacer was Hambletonian's great grandson, Prince Alert. Before long, the Hals and other branched-out pacing bloodlines wore thin, until only Hambletonian's continued.
At today's pari-mutuel windows, the pacers draw the crowds.
