origins of the breed
If you believe baseball was invented in Cooperstown, you will believe that only three stallions are the entire basis of the thoroughbred.
"These were not the only three stallions to originally contribute towards the foundation of the breed, however, and according to calculations made by Joeseph Osbourne in 1881, at lest 475 other stallions, all of them or Oriental origin, made up the original contribution, although they failed to secure a descendancy in the direct male line capable of continuing to the present day. Only 40 of the original 100 broodmares originally entered in the stud book have managed to keep their female line active through their descendents."
Horses of the World by M Bongianni
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