The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-08-28
LEXINGTON's TIME BEATEN.
FeIlOweraft King Of the Turf.
The Great Four Mile-Race at SaratO-
ga Won by Littell's Horse in the
Remarkable Time "a
Graphic Description OF the Contest
and the Winner.

Thursday was the last and greatest
regular day of the second meeting Of
the Saratoga Racing Association, at
Saratoga. The great race was for
purse Of 81 400, of which $500 and the
money was TO go to the second
horse; distance four miles. Three horses
started, Rice & Company's Wanderer,
Littel's Fellowcraft and Cages Katie
Pease, Fellowcraft being favorite in the
pools before the start, having been the
only one of the three which had hitherto
run In four-mile race. An excellent
start was effected. but before two hun
dred yards had been run Fellowcraft
showed slightly in front, and before the
quarter-mile pole had been reached was
a length ahead. He gradually increased
this distance until at the three quarter
pole he was two lengths in advance of
his competitors, who had kept up neck
aus7neck race throughout. The second
mile was finished in the same relative
order, Katie Pease and Wanderer still
running abreast of each other. Fellow
craft showed as fresh as at the begin
ming of the race, and Wanderer showed
no signs of fatigue. When about two
miles and quarter had been run, Katie
Pease began to show signs of failing
strength, and fell to the rear, respond
ing to the efforts of her jockey by toss
ing her head and tail impatiently. In
the next half mile Fellowcraft increased
his lead to five or six lengths, and Katie
Pease was four lengths behind Wander
er, and so the struggle continued, Eel
lowcraft forcing his pace with giant
strides that seemed to defy competition
Turning into the homestretch on the
third mile, Wanderer made gallant eff
fort, and lessened the distance between
himself and Fellowcraft to three lengths,
but it was only a squirt, for in a short
time Fellowcraft again increased his
lead, and passed the stand after the third
mile four lengths and a half ahead,
amid vociferous cheering. Katie Pease
was six lengths behind Wanderer.
Though Fellowcraft clearly had the
laurels within his grasp, the last mile Of
the great contest was watched with in
tense interest and irrepressible enthusi-
asm. Wanderer continued undaggingly
in the effort to close up the gap between
himself and Fellowcraft, but it was in
vain. The latter maintained his lead with
the same ease and freshness that he had
shown at the outset of the race, and
Wanderer, whose powers seemed to have
been held in check during the first and
second miles, was powerless to overtake
his feet-foOted adversary. Katie Pease
was eight lengths behind Wanderer, and
was still less able to prove a dangerous
opponent for the laurels of the contest.
The fourth mile was run in this order:
Fellowcraft finally winning the race by
six lengths, Katie Pease being eight
lengths behind Wanderer. Time MIN.
49, sec, the announcement of which
was received with tremendous cheers.
AS the intelligence fed with electric
rapidity through the crowd, that this
was the fastest four miles in the annals
of the American turf, being one-quarter
of a second faster than Lexington, cheers
were again and again renewed. Fellow
craft was more heavily weighted than
the celebrated horse whose time he has
beaten.
THE WINNER.
The great four mile race described
above, in which the fastest four-mile
time on record was made and Lexington's
time beaten, is the event of the racing
season of 1874, and will be naturally
looked upon as a remarkable achieve.
ment in the annals of the American turf
Nineteen years ago last April, LexIng
ton ran himself blind on the then famou,
Metairie course, in making his, until
yesterday, unsurpassed 7:192. Time anc
again have some of the best horses in the
country essayed to eclipse the perform
ance, and as often have they failed. i
has stood since 1865, and it might have
stood twenty years longer had not Eel
lowcraft sprung from the loins of tina
/ great imported sire, Australian, by
/ West Australian, the latter of whom il
1885 won the English Derby, the St
Leger, and the Two Thousand Guineas
| Australian has been the sire of many o
our great racers. Looking at the list
and leaving Fellowcraft, now the great
est of them all, the last, we find Helm
bold, who ran many a game race owe
great distances in good time, and wht
was the conqueror of Longfellow at fou
miles; Abd-el- -Koree, who ran four mile
when three years old at Baltimore in z:
80, the best performance ever made by
colt of the same age; ofJoe Daniels, VIII
has a remarkable turn Of speed, and VIII
beat Thad Stevens in the first heat O
the great four mile race for $4,000 il
gold at San Francisco last November il
remarkably good time; Of the gallan
Springbox who leads the Mcdaniel Con
federacy. And now to Fellowcraft, c
whose dam Aerolite we have no record
He is beautiful chestnut colt, and
owned by NJ. A. Littell. Up to Wed
nesday of last week, when he won a mil
and half race in 2:434 he was littl
thought of, the betting men just pre-
viOus to that event not caring to ris
more than $S5 upon him in total poe
of S7O5.
As a three-year-old We find him fft
to such horses as Springbok, Connt DO
say, Strachino and Waverly in the Sc,
enth renewal of the Belmont stakes ;
the jerome Park. He next turned u
second to Chamberlain's Survivor sire
by Lexington, in dash of mile and
half at the same meeting, and little !;
ter on he dropped to last place in
string of five, started for the Weathert
stakes, Count D'Orsay, Strachino, Crocl
; ford and Silk Stocking, all leading hil
, up the homestretch. The race for ii
Jerome stakes, however, brought OF
some of that wonderful speed for whiC
he will now be famous. In this he WI