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Hambletonian 10

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Hambletonian 10
Rysdyk's Hambletonian 10
BreedStandardbred
GaitTrot
Mile record2:48 1/2[1]
SireAbdallah
GrandsireMambrino
DamCharles Kent Mare
DamsireBellfounder
SexStallion
Foaled1849
Died1876
CountryUnited States
ColorBay
BreederJonas Seely, Jr.
OwnerWilliam Rysdyk
Honors
Hambletonian Stakes
Harness Racing Hall of Fame Immortal (1953)

Hambletonian 10, or Rysdyk's Hambletonian (May 5, 1849 – March 27, 1876), was an American trotter and a founding sire of the Standardbred horse breed. The stallion was born in Sugar Loaf, New York, on 5 May 1849.[2] Hambletonian has been inducted into the Immortals category of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.[3]

Origin and early years

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Hambletonian 10 was bred by Jonas Seely, Jr., on his farm at Sugar Loaf in Orange County, New York. He was sired by Abdallah, a grandson of the hugely influential Thoroughbred sire, Messenger. Abdallah was ugly in body and temperament, so much so that he was sold to a fish peddler for $5. Hambletonian's dam was known as the Charles Kent mare or the "Kent Mare", sired by Bellfounder (GB), an imported Norfolk Trotter.[4] Hambletonian was inbred to Messenger (GB) (1780) in the third, fourth, and fifth generations.[5]

Seely's hired hand, William Rysdyk, cared for the mare and foal. Rysdyk became so attached to the pair and was so convinced that the foal would someday be great that he asked to purchase them. Seely finally agreed, and for $125, William Rysdyk took his prize possessions home.[6]

Hambletonian had an unusual build, being low at the withers (15.1 hands), but high at the croup (15.3 hands). This length of hind leg provided a great deal of thrust with each stride, and he passed both characteristics on to all his get.

Racing record

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Plaque in Goshen, NY commemorating Hambeltonian's success as a sire.

Hambletonian 10, from his Standard registered number,[7] made his first public appearance at the age of 6 months at the nearby Orange County Fair in Goshen. He caused quite a sensation, and horsemen started referring to him as "Rysdyk's Abdallah colt." Meanwhile, another son of Abdallah, Abdallah Chief, owned by Seeley C. Roe, was looming as a competitor for the local stallion honors. Roe had nothing but contempt for Hambletonian, and claimed he would never be a trotter, only a show horse. This issue was settled in 1852 at Long Island's Union Course. Hambletonian and Abdallah Chief were hitched to skeleton wagons with their owners driving. Three minutes and three seconds after the start, Hambletonian crossed the finish line ahead of his rival. Roe still was not satisfied and insisted on another race. A time trial was held. Abdallah Chief went the mile in 2:55½. Then Roe watched Hambletonian, in what would be the only time trial of his career, trot the mile in 2:48½.

Stud record

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Hambletonian monument in Chester, on Hambletonian Avenue just northwest of Oakland Avenue

Hambletonian 10 began his stud career at age two when Rysdyk allowed him to cover four mares. The horse's reputation as a speed sire quickly grew, and Rysdyk then placed Hambletonian at stud in Chester and bred him to mares for a fee upwards of $500, with Rysdyk making a modest fortune from the horse's services.

In the 1860s, one of the stallion's sons, Dexter, trotted the mile in 2:17¼; a record. Dexter was immediately bought for $25,000 by a Robert E. Bonner for his own private driving pleasure.[8] A rigidly moral man, Bonner did not approve of racing or betting, so no one would ever know if Dexter could have trotted even faster. Ever since, though, no horses lacking lines to Hambletonian 10 in their pedigree have ever done better.

In 24 seasons at stud, between 1851 and 1875, Hambletonian produced about 1,335 foals. Through four of Hambletonian's sons (George Wilkes, Dictator, Happy Medium, and Electioneer), the lineage of virtually all North American Standardbred horses can be traced to him.[6]

Death

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At age 27 on March 27, 1876, Hambletonian died. Both his owner, who had died in 1870, and he were buried in Chester, New York. Seventeen years after Hambletonian's death, a granite monument, the gift of many people who had fond memories of the horse, was placed over his grave on Hambletonian Avenue.[6] William Rysdyk is buried in the Community Cemetery on the Old Seely Ward Farm in Chester, New York.

Honors

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The Hambletonian Stakes race, the most prestigious harness race for trotters in North America, is named in honor of Hambletonian 10.

The official mascot of the Chester Academy (formerly Chester Jr/Sr High School) in Chester, where Hambletonian is buried, is Hambletonian. High-school sports teams are referred to as the Chester Hambletonians, and Hambletonian's image appears frequently throughout the village of Chester. The road where Hambletonian is buried is also named Hambletonian Ave.

Sire line tree

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Pedigree

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Hambletonian 10 is considered a foundation sire of the Standardbred due to his pervasive influence on modern bloodlines.[1] The breed is older than Hambletonian by a few generations, though, and was formed by mixing Thoroughbred bloodlines with various trotting breeds,such as the Norfolk Trotter, Canadian Pacer, and Hackney Horse.[49] Hambletonian's sire Abdallah, one of the fastest trotters of his time, was sired by the Thoroughbred stallion Mambrino and was out of the Norfolk Trotter mare Amazzona.[50]

Pedigree of Hambletonian, bay horse, 1849[5]
Sire
Abdallah
1823
Mambrino†
1806
Messenger* Mambrino
Turf Mare
Sourcrout Mare Sourcrout†
Whirligigg Mare
Amazzonia
1810
Dove† Saratoga†^
Expedition Mare
Fasdown Messenger*
unknown
Dam
Charles Kent Mare
1834
Bellfounder‡
1816
Old Bellfounder§ Pretender - Wroots§
Smuggler Mare§
Velocity Haphazard†
unknown
One Eye
1815
Bishop's Hambletonian† Messenger*
Pheasant
Silvertail Messenger*
Black Jin (breeding unknown)

*^ Hambletonian 10 is inbred 3S × 5S x 4S x 4D x 4D to the stallion Messenger, meaning that he appears third generation, fifth generation (via Saratoga)^, and fourth generation, once each, on the sire side of his pedigree, and fourth generation twice on the dam side of his pedigree.

† Thoroughbred
‡ Norfolk Trotter
§ Hackney

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "HAMBLETONIAN". www.harnessmuseum.com. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Hambletonian". National Museum of American History. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "The Horse Immortals: Gr-Ni". harnessmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  4. ^ Hayes FRCVS, Horace M. (1969). Points of the Horse. London: Stanley Paul. p. 425. ISBN 0-09-038711-2.
  5. ^ a b "Hambletonian Standardbred". www.allbreedpedigree.com. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Hambletonian". harnessmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  7. ^ Summerhayes, R.S., “Horses and Ponies”, Warne & Co, New York, 1948
  8. ^ a b THE TURF AND THE TROTTING HORSE IN AMERICA
  9. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Hambletonian {archive}
  10. ^ Springfield Museums: The Celebrated Trotting Stallion George Wilkes By Rysdyk’s Hambletonian, Currier & Ives
  11. ^ a b c d Reminiscences Of Rysdyk’s Hambletonian, Orange County, New York
  12. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Abdallah
  13. ^ Robert McGregor 2985
  14. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Cresceus
  15. ^ Harness Racing Museum: George Wilkes
  16. ^ In Memory of Allan F1
  17. ^ Harness Racing Museum: John R Gentry
  18. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Single G
  19. ^ RetroIndy: Single G, the horse that time forgot
  20. ^ Single G: The Horse That Time Forgot — His Connection to the State of Maine
  21. ^ Single G Remembered
  22. ^ Harness Racing Museum: McKinney
  23. ^ Harness Racing Museum: San Francisco
  24. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Zombrewer
  25. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Belwin
  26. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Joe Pathen
  27. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Dan Patch
  28. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Axtell
  29. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Axworthy
  30. ^ Harness Racing Museum: St Julien
  31. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Dexter
  32. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Direct
  33. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Directum
  34. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Jay-Eye-See
  35. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Happy Medium
  36. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Peter The Great
  37. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Peter Scott
  38. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Peter Volo
  39. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Peter The Brewer
  40. ^ Harness Racing Museum: The Laurel Hall
  41. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Electioneer
  42. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Chimes
  43. ^ Harness Racing Museum: The Abbe
  44. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Abbedale
  45. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Bingen
  46. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Uhlan
  47. ^ Harness Racing Museum: J Malcolm Forbes
  48. ^ Harness Racing Museum: Arion
  49. ^ "Standardbred racing - Club Jockey du Québec". Club Jockey du Québec. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  50. ^ "Abdallah Standardbred". www.allbreedpedigree.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
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