The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-27 00:00:00

GRAND TROTTING MATCH FOR FOUR

HUNDRED SOVEREIGNS.

UNPARALLELED PERFORMANCE.

The long-talked-of trotting match between RA.-
tier, the American horse, and Miss Turner, tic
Welsh mare, was decided on Saturday, over ten
miles of ground, betw:een Cambridge and Godinan-
chester, commencing at the second mile-stone from
Cambridge, and terminating at the twelfth. This
was the first occasion on which the merits of Rattler
had been brought into action in this country, al-
though he had won all his matches in America. The
fame of Tom Thumb, his brother traveller from
New York, who recently trotted 100 miles in little
more than ten hours, had placed Rattler so high in
the scale of excellence, however, that few persons
could be found to bet against him, and consequently
the match produced but little speculation. By the
articles, it was stipulated that the mare should have
a minute's start, which, upon calculation, was esti
mated at about six hundred yards in distance. Both
Rattler and Tom Thumb were at Six-mile Bottom,
near Newmarket, from Sunday last. The former
after the match was made, was attacked by a severe
cold, but by due attention this was got over, and
during the last week he was considered in good
working order, although far from that high state of
condition which two or three weeks' further training
would have effected. Miss Turner had been in
training at Smitham-bottom, Surrey, for two months,
and was completely up to the mark. Both were in
Cambridge on Friday—Rattler at the Greyhound,
and Miss Turner at the Eagle and Child—and Elie
Newmarket Meeting having closed, several of the
Turfites came over to witness the match. A meet-
ing between the proprietors of each horse took
place at the Hoop, in Cambridge, on Friday evening,
when the time, place of trotting, and some other
necessary preliminaries, were adjusted ; but betting
was still shy, and two to one on Rattler would be
accepted only to a very trifling amount. Some small
bets were made on time, the American being backed
to do the ten miles in thirty-two minutes.
Twelve o'clock being the time appointed for start-
ing, long previous to that hour the groupes of horse-
men were seen approaching the scene of action, and
the whole line of road to the twelfth mile-stone was
more or less thronged. Shortly before twelve both
the animals and their proprietors were at the starting
stone. Rattler was ridden by William Haggerty, the
American groom, dressed in a light flannel jacket,
blue silk cap, olive-green velveteen trowsers, and
boots without spurs, and a small whip in his hand ;
his stirrips were wrapped round with list to prevent
his feet from slipping; he rode with a common
snaffle bit and martingale. The mare was ridden
by little Davy, in a jockey silk cap and jacket, boots
and spurs. According to the terms of the match,
the American groom was to weigh ten stone, while
the mare was not confined to weight, and Davy,
saddle and all, did not weigh more than seven stone.
The colour of the horse was dark bay, and the mare
a chesnut, both were about the same size, fifteen
hands two inches, and in age we believe they were
pretty much upon a par—between eight and nine
years. The coat of the American was rough, while
that of the mare „was sleek, and indicative of fine
training. Previous to the start the American was
trotted up and down several times, and at last the
groom, whose appearance was any thing_ but
of the dandy cut, exclaimed to his master
that he was fully ready for his task ; and, in-
deed, the fire and vigour which the animal
displayed confirmed this assertion. The mare was
also full of spirit and activity, and excited general
admiration. The umpires were now ch'osen—Mr.
Morton, jun., of Croydon, for the proprietor of the
American, and Mr. Angles for the proprietor of the
mare. The former, of course, rode with the mare,
and the latter with the horse, with the understand-
ing, according to the terms of the articles, that
should either break from the trot into a gallop, he
or she should be turned round, according to the usual
laws of trotting. Independent of the umpires, Mr.
Harry England rode with the horse, and a Mr.
Burton rode with the mare, as watchers, and each
of these gentlemen wore white flannel jackets to
distinguish them from the host of other horsemen
who followed. Shortly after twelve, all being in
readiness, the road was cleared, and at a given signal
the mare was started at a spanking pace of at least
twenty miles an hour. A clear minute having
elapsed, Rattler, who was all activity and impa-
tience, as if perfectly conscious of the struggle he
was about to be engaged in, was then let go, and
almost instantaneously laid himself down to his
work, with extraordinary speed. It was soon seen
that he was gaining on the mare, and he was urged,
we think rather unwisely, to increase his pus: and
improve his advantage. Both soon broke out in a
profuse perspiration, and by the conclusion of the
third mile, Rattler was fast closing on the mare,
and in about half a mile further he was alongside of
her. The mare was now urged to increased swift-
ness, and in consequence broke, and was turned
twice. This accident gave Rattler, who kept on
steadily to his work, an additional advantage, and
by the fourth mile headed her in grand style. Still
the mare proceeded with unabated vigour, while
Rattler continued to stretch farther a-head. Shortly
before she reached the fifth mile, the mare again
broke twice and was turned, while Rattler, on pass-
ing the fifth mile-stone, was full sixty yards in ad-
vance, and his proprietor, as well as Harry England,
called to the groom to keep steady—an order which
he obeyed, and kept pulling the horse with all his
strength. Both horse and man were now in a corn-
plete bath of sweat; and in the course of the sixth
mile, in which there was a slight descent, the mare
broke, and was turned no less than four times—a
circumstance, in our opinion, attributable to one of
her friends riding too close to her quarters, and urg-
ing her to increased exertion. In passing through
the village of Fenny Stanton, the horse was full
two hundred yards in front, when a sharp trotter
was laid alongside of him, and produced such a
degree of irritation that it required all the physical
strength of the groom to.hold him in so as to prevent
his breaking. The interference and remonstrance of
harry England at last prevented the continuance of
this unfair conduct ; but the effect of it was that the
mare, who had been going in admirable style,
although she broke four times afterwards, was fast
gaining on the horse, and had approaches within
ninety yards of him at the commencement of the
ninth mile. From the short distance which was yet
to be completed, and from the difficulty of check-
ing the progress of the horse, it was now clear that
the mare had not a eaance, and in fact, at the close
of the tenth mile the horse was full sixty yards in
front, having completed the distance in thirty mi-
nutes and forty seconds ! a feat unparalleled in the
history of horse-flesh in this country. The time of
the mare was thirty-one minutes forty-two seconds,
and, making allowances for breaking and turning,
the credit due to her was scarcely inferior to that
given to the horse. In speed tha latter, however,
had a decided advantage; and we have no hesita-
tion in saying, that had he been in better trim, or
had he been urged, certainly without occasion, to
greater exertion, that he would have done his work
in shorter time. Giving to Rattler all due praise,
and he certainly must be pronounced a phenomenon,
we must still say, that the mare has proved herself
the fastest trotter which has'yet been bred in this
country; and as a brood-mare, for which her mas-
ter intends her, must be highly valuable. On being
Pulled up, both were somewhat distressed ; and
we need not say, that the horses of the umpires
and followers, which were kept at the top of
their galloping speed the whole distance, were
not a little blown at the conclusion of their la-
bours. The horse and mare were then walked
gently back to Fenny Stanton, a distance of two
miles and a half, where the American groom
dismounted, and went to scale ; his weight being
then found, including the saddle, and without the
bridle, upwards of lOst. 51bs. With this the um-
pire of the mare expressed himself perfectly satis-
fied, and thus ended this extraordinary match, in a
manner highly honourable to all parties, and without
the most distant approach to wrangle on either side.
Both horse and mare were immediately taken to

boxes prepared for them, where gruel was in readi-
ness, and every propar attention was paid to them.
Great credit is due t both riders, especially to the
American groom, 100 sat as if glued to his saddle;
and little Davy, in making his turns after each
br,ak, did so ►vith a steadiness and quickness which
txeited general appr :bation ; indeed, had there been
a little more'caution in those who rode alongside
the mare, we doubt whether she would have broken
so often, and whether her chance of success would
not have been still greater. The road was good,
and full of gentle undulations, and not a single
accident occurred to mar the sport of the day.—
There were several fast trotter on the road, one of
which (a Norfolk horse) was said to have accompanied
the American the whole way without breaking, but
this we doubt, and rather think he came fresh to the
co►►test about three miles from home. After a short
rest of half an hour, Rattler was again mounted by
his groom, and returned to Cambridge, a distance
of ten miles, at the side of his master's post-chaise,
in little moor than one hour, and as fresh as if he
had but just conic out, thus proving the soundness
of his constitution and the little effect produced by
the severity of his exertions. When we left him,
at fonr o'clock, his proprietor stated his intention to
put him in harness and take him a stage towards
London the same night. Upon the result of this
extraordinary match it is unnecessary to offer any '
observation. It is unprecedented ; and when it is
considered, that in the short distance of four miles,
the American, having given a full minute's start,
overtook the mare going at the rate of twenty miles
an hour, some estimate may be formed of his almost
incredible speed ; and when to this is added the
fact of his carrying so much extra weight, the task
becomes the more surprising. There was some
talk of a fresh match, fcr a longer distance, but this
was met by the owner of Rattler offering to back
him against any thing living, for any distance in or
out of harness, for any sum from 200/. to 5,0001.