The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-09-17
The American Horse ON IT. e Turf and Roa \
Very Hard to Beat-'can IL he Dones

commencement was made last week by four
capital races on Long Island, and splendid
exhibition Of fine horses at Providence Rhode
Island. Our oTn State Fair win soon take
place, which viii bring out another array OF
fine animals We give reports of two Of the
four races in this mornings paper.
The interest taken in the horse IN this coun-
try seems to correspond with that manifested
in every other department Of life; and his
rearing and training receive as much attention
as is paid to any other legitimate branch Of
trade. Nor is this to be wondered at when we
consider the immense amount of capital in
vested, and the number Of individuals de-
pendent on the services Of this useful ami
NAL. In fact he is so interviewer with do
nestle life in this country, that he may be re-
| garded as o peculiar institution" and quite
| indispensable. The number Of horses in the
| United States, as nearly as can be arrived at,
reaches the enormous aggregate OF five mil
lions. The number in Great Britain, according
to the last census returns, was somewhere in
the neighborhood Of one million.
There has been q progressive increase in the
value Of the horse for some twenty years past,
and prices are now readily obtained for supe-
rior animals that would have appeared IN
| credible to our ancestors half a century
ago. Agricultural societies and horse shows
| have exerted great influence on breeders
and owners Of horses-for, as every farmer
who has really valuable animal is sure Of re-
| ceiying q premium Of some description, it
operates as an incentive to raising none but
the very best stock, particularly az the cost Of
rearing fine horse is not greater than one Of
an inferior description. Even if the first
premium should not be obtained at an exhibit
ton, horse commended by committee at
either a horse show OF an agricultural fair,
would bring figure remunerative and graft
flying to his owner.
Perhaps no country can exhibit 80 great d.
versity in its stock Of horses as the United
States We have levied contributions on the
world. Here may be found, more or less re-
moved from the original stock, The descend
ants Of the famous mares Of Mahomet, on
which he made his celebrated fight from Nee
ca to Medina, A. D. 622, and said to have
been Immediately descended from the magni-
ficent animals sculptured on the Assyran mar
bles aisentombed by Layard at Ninoveh. Egypt,
Turkey, Barbary, the Sahara desert and Cont
mental Europe, have all lent their enriching
all. Here may be seen the draught horses Of
Normandy, Germany and Great Britain, the
carriage horse Of Hanover, and the Spanish Sa-
racen. The blood Of the famous steeds brought
into England from the East during the cru
sades, and Of the renowned Godolphin aud
Darby Arabians-sires of the famous Flying
Childers and Ecipse--coursos IN all lis fresh
ness anu purity in the veins OF Lexington, Lee
| comte, and q host of other noble animals
which space will not permit us to enumcrate.
We will merely observe, IN pGsscnt, that not
only has no deterioration taken place in cur
running horses, but on the contrary their per-
| formances on the turf have she'd additional
lustre on their ancestry. From materials such
we have enumerated has The American
horse been bred; and Lie now stands CRAP
preached and unapproachable in all that
constitutes speed, yigor beauty, and cndur-
ance.
Apropos Of our trottcrs, PAGERS, and running
horses The exhibitions Of speed On our race
courses show pretty conclusiyely that in
trotting aud pacing we are entirely beyond
competition from abroad 4 three minute gait
would be considered extraordinary in Europe
for trotting horse, even on a race course,
whilst here il is of daily occurrence with road
| sters, even with two in wagon. And il rala-
ton to pacing we may safely say that the
time made by Pocahontas on the Union Course
| in July last--2l7 ,-mile heats, 70 wag0n--so
closely approximates to that made by running
horses, that it is considered doubtful whether
many race nags could be found able to com
pete successfully with it under similar oond
tiong such as going IN harness, &c. Our
racing list is also . formidable one, and IN il
may De found tho names Of such Distinguished
nags as Lexington, Lecomte, Arrow, Brown
Dick, &C., &c, al winners at threc aud four
nile distances.
Boston, lie great rival Of Fashion. now
sleeps the sleep that knows no waking
Fashion herself still lives, although long
since withdrawn from that turf on which she
gathered so many laurels, She is at present
trcalng The green sward Of Westchester,
having been sold by NJ. Gibbons several
years since, to gentleman Of that county.
Boston, though dead, still survives in his gal
liant sons, Lexington and Lccomte by the
by. when are we to have match between these
horses? \ perpetual warfare appears 10 be
going on among their admirers North and
South, as to their relative merits, which even
the beating Of Lccomtc in 7.22, and the result |
Of the great four mile match against time-ac-
compli3hed in 7:l9S--has not been able to
settle Now we al the North helievo-in
Wow Of the fact that the Netairie course at
New Orleans Is acknowledged to 10 rather
short Of mile, and that the wei ght carried in
both instances did not exceed l03 pounds
that the proper place to decide this controver-
~ would BE on the Union Course, J. ]. This |
course is the one on which all the great yicto-
res Of the turf have been achieved There