Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-20
BY HON. BALE PEYToN.

Heat Racing-Haynie's Maria and
walk in the WateE-The Modern
English System.
BY HON. BALE PEYToN.
GALLATIN, TENN, Nov. 81, 1873
| have read with much interest and en-
tire approval, the views recently ex-
pressed by you in condemnation of the
growing evil Of running twO-year-old
colts. After long observation l fully
concur in your opinion, that this is the
main cause why there are, at this time,
SO few aged horses on the turf, and so
many msound ones leave it. 1t seems
to me that if the present ''colt-killing"
system is pursued, IN a few more horse
generations we VIII have no proved
four-mile horses to breed from. AT
the late fall meeting OF the Nashville,
Tenn Blood Horse Association, there
were more than one hundred horses III
attendance, and not one aged animal
among them; while two-y ear-olds were
''as plenty as blackberries. - This
meeting furnished strong evidence Of
the decay of matured racing stock IN
this section and It's cause, which is to
be- found IN the dollhouse system OF
raising, and prematurely running OF
two-year-clds. With a view to the ell
ovation Of the turf, and TO peTpetUate
the highest type of American thorough
breds, number of experienced turf
men assembled at Louisville, KY
soon after the war, and formed Turf
Congress" Among other things 1t
was agreed that each club composing
the Congress" should become sub
scriber to Post Stake" fom-mile
heats, $3.50 entrance, to come off, con-
secutively, over the different courses,
the club ON whose course the race was
to be run giving purse Of $1,000; the
second horse to save his entrance.
This Turf Congress" was composed
of seven clubs, embracing many of the
States, and leading turfmen Of the Mis-
sissippi Valley. Six out. of seven OF
these great four-mile stakes had been
run, and the last Of the series adver-
tised to run over the Nashville course
at the last fall meeting. 1t was ex-
Dected that the best four-mile horses III
the Southwest would be on hand to
compete for this great prize, but 1t
failed to come off for want of four
mile horses. Darlington was amlss,
Euchre had "let down" and Arizona
alone was ready to run. A compromise
being effected with her owner, two
mile-heat race, purse $500, was sHbStI-
tuted for the Congress Stake L
refer to this only as evidence Of the
scarcity of four-milo horses IN the
Mississippi Valley, where they were
once SO abundant. AT the above meet
inc there came off two stakes for two
year-olds, one mile each, the winner OF
tie first to carry ten pounds extra
weight III the second race. There were
thirty-five entries in one Of these stakes,
and twcnty-eight in the other. Twelve
started in the first, and eleven III the
second race. which last WAS won by the
fine Kentucky colt Astral, Mr. Cheat
ham s filIy Vaultress, winnCrOf the first
stake. carrying ten pounds extra, beng
a good second; time, l:46a, over track
unfavorable for fast time. Astral at
Lexington two weeks before won his
stake IN l:4ff.
| met several old friends on this &C.
casion whom had not seen at a race
meeting for twelve or fifteen years, who
Informed me that they came tsomc OF
them a great distance in the nope OF
seeing one more four-milc race. But
they were sadly disappointed; and L
fear neither they nor their descendants
will ever witness another iour-mlle ana
repeat over the Nashville course. And
this discouraging prospect is not OWING
to the want Of thoroughbrcds OF the
highest form. | have never seen such
a collection of promising two-ycar-olds
torcthcras met at Nashville ltwaS to
me a sad reflection that in all probable
ity not one of that splendid throng of
hirh-bred colts would be suffered to az
rive at maturity. distinguish himself as
A four-miler, and take his place IN the
long list of racers and sires recorded III
the turf history Of America.
From 1872. when Gen. jackson I'M
dertook the (cven to him impracticable
task of beating Haynes Maria, to the
commencement of the late Jump lcasant-
ness" there never went by fall meet
mo over this time honprcd course with
ont heat races from one to four miles.
Havnic's Maria by imp. Doomed, dam
bv Tayloe's Bellair) ran her first race
in the fall of 1911, when three years
old; her second race the fall she was
four years old, and after beating all
competitors in Tennessee and hent4cAy
she was. at nine years old, sold to / Oh
I,rd Brown of New York. who ran her
in large stake, four mile heats, at
Charleston. S. c.. where she was, for
the first time, beaten by Lottery and
Little John; after which she retired
from the turf sound in all respects. A
few years before his death Gen. Jack
son. who was a man dehghting IN
horses" said to friend at the Hermit
age. that he had never failed IN any
+5ing he undertook in earnest. except
in the effort to beat Haynie,s Mara;
The famous Sir Arohy gelding Walk
WHITEWATER was purchased by Green
Berry Williams Father Of the Iennes-
see Turf, now living at Gallatin' Tenn,