His background remains partially a mystery, but his stud service while in the possession of the Earl of Godolphin is written, an indisputable testimony to the importance the Godolphin Arabian lended to the modern bloodlines of America's racing Thoroughbreds and, eventually, to its Standardbreds.
Philip A. Pines and the Standardbred
Philip A. Pines, in his The Complete Book of Harness Racing (Fourth Edition Revised and Enlarged) of 1982 shares his investigative work in the field of tracing the American Standardbred horse.
Standardbreds are the nation's number one pacing and trotting heroes, and their work is followed across the country at local fairgrounds and in the Grand Circuit races, the official harness racing competition sites run annually for seasonal championships.
Pines relates the story of the Standardbred from his very early pre-Colonial American beginnings, almost 300 years in the making.
Volume One of English Stud Book
The first most influential stallion in the making of Standardbred history was Messenger, a Thoroughbred from English stock. As an eight-year-old, Messenger imported to Philadelphia in 1788.
Today's Thoroughbreds in American borders are direct descendants of Messenger, but also owe their heritage to the Godolphin Arabian, the Byerly Turk, and the Darley Arabian.
It is thought that all three stallions came to England about 1687.
The Earl of Godolphin owned his Godolphin Arabian as one of the most influential stallions at stud, according to the Earl's stud record, Pines' book records.
Arrival of the Godolphin Arabian
Whether he was a gift to King Louis XIV of France from the Sultan of Morocco, or from the Bey of Tunis, the Godolphin Arabian (or "Barb" if he came from the Barbary Coast of Moroccan history) took on monumental bloodline importance in the history of the Thoroughbred.
His most famous grandson was Matchem, born in 1748. Matchem runners, still traceable today, gave life to Man o' War, Discovery, and Busher.
Captain Byerley and the Byerley Turk
Captain Robert Byerley was in need of a horse while battling with forces in Hungary attempting to turn out the Turks. He purchased a stallion said to be a product of Persian and Arab blood.
When his battles were over, Captain Byerley turned his prized stallion to stud service and the Byerley Turk sired numerous horses that were observed to be some of the swiftest available.
First Fiddle, The Tetrarch, and Epinard descended from the Byerley Turk.
Mr. Darley and His Arabian
Thomas Darley of Yorkshire, England, had a horseman's eye. To pleasure his father, Darley purchased a stallion when he was in Allepo, Syria. The horse was four years old when he began an English residency.
Neither of the Darleys could predict the huge, wide-spread influence this Arabian stallion would have on generations to come. And most of that influence would be felt in America, not England.
The Darley Arabian line begat Eclipse, a great, great grandson foaled in 1764 and the greatest ever English racer and sire. Eclipse lended most of his fine genes to American Thoroughbred racing, producing Citation, Whirlaway, Native Dancer, and Domino by way of Messenger sire Mambrino.
Messenger Plus Three
The Standardbred owes its ancestry to Messenger, who had borrowed blood from all three of the original breeding stallions of the Godolphin Arabian (Barb), the Byerley Turk, and the Darley Arabian before he set hoof on American soil, and Hambletonian, a Messenger great grandson.
Later registered as Hambletonian 10, it was Hambletonian who solidified the Standardbred line.
/Additional Resource: Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing, by Thomas Ainslie, 1968, New York/
BarbaraAnne Helberg - Barbara Anne Helberg, Supporter of Better Lives for Animals and Clean, Spirited, Competitive Sports
