Magnolio and Lindsay's Arabian

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steward
Allowance Winner
Posts: 492
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 12:28 pm

Magnolio and Lindsay's Arabian

Postby steward » Wed Nov 22, 2017 2:57 pm

I have been trying to trace the authenticity of a race mentioned in Vol II of the American Turf Register about a race between Geo Washington's Magnolio and a colt owned by Thos. Jefferson. Most people tend to think that it is specious. Still trying, though.

However, I have been able to pin down dates for Magnolio and his sire. Lindsay's Arabian (aka Ranger) came to the US in this manner:

https://books.google.com/books?id=dIYvA ... 22&f=false

By using pay news archive sites, I found advertisements for his services. One was in Connecticut in 1778, early in the Revolutionary War. The next spring he was standing near Port Royal in VA for William Lindsay.

I found a series of 1785 ads for his son, Magnolio, for stud services at Mount Vernon. The ads were placed by Lund Washington, the caretaker for the estate when Washington was busy doing other things. Two years later, there was another ad for a "Magnolia," also standing at Mount Vernon, this time placed by a subsequent "overseer," John Fairfax. Whether that was the same horse is not clear, because there was no pedigree attached.

I'm still digging, but I have updated the pedigreequery entries with this and more information.

steward
Allowance Winner
Posts: 492
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 12:28 pm

Re: Magnolio and Lindsay's Arabian

Postby steward » Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:25 am

After more research, I've concluded that the subject race between Magnolio and a Jefferson colt was extremely unlikely. During the time that the Washington's owned Magnolio, Jefferson was in France pre-occupied by more important things. By the time that he returned, Magnolio had been long gone.

However, Jefferson did rekindle his interest in racing once that he was in the White House. I found one mention of him attending the Washington DC races when he was in power much further downstream. How that ever got conflated with Magnolio mystifies me.