The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-02-08

already see the bsueful erect Oh SUI" ~
| tenn Of breeding in the fact that tue o'o
FOUR.MILg HEATS
are weilrteh gone out OF yoguc-no. "se
horse In dozen OF the crack an,ina'S o' wv
harvest stables Of the present t'ne oo'"s
| ,bie IN stand "a four.mile race ana repuS''
Ia the heroic period OF th" nner'e.,, ,"'
,h., e g, saw. between 1915 and lSsV--no
| horse x.,s accorded any attention unless ne
| h.d ,eeIs and bottom for four-nlle race
hint II was Tr,fle and Black Maria VINO
| ran tiy. four.mile heats in great conIeSt on
Tho onion Course OF Long Island, ana
| otbout injury TO either animal. Il toere u
Gle racer In the popuIous ana uis',n-
ouisbed stables OF New 1ork's most ceie'
| t,ra,ed turfmen capable now OF doing such
worA rs tbatg There has been am"ng oar
cootemporary celebrities one rarWe' ou'
hos, many Longiellows AMI Basstt's nave
there not been 10 excite great expectation.
and disappoint them-to hold Tue "oi" oi
ptomise TO the ear and break 1t TO the nope.
| cts very true that the English Necaeis'
when they had once succeeded (tbroush ine
| great Godolpbin's crosses IN obta6lhS sN1
for their thoroughbreds. ceased aiterward
Ia breed TO pure Oriental horses, los le"' "
losing the size which they had gained. III
L
u>eurally comes TO an animal from tedic'oua
crossing and careful handling is reliable
and desirable when applied 10 the thorough
bred: but when we discover taat the
forcing methods of Kentucky and New
York have produced a race OF horses essen
| tiFsjy abnormal TO the Oriental type, un'
e0ial 10 the four-mile contests, ana capable
| only Of short dasbes. eXcelllng only IN the
onlz performances IN which reedS can eN-
eel. lnsomucb that the fouf-mile race Is
almost obsolete, | ihink we are forbidden
| to conclude that the places In when lhle
sort Of breeding Is carr led Oh are eEtitHd
| 10 he clgsScd aS a raCe-horse region.
For what is size without substance:
TIE GREAT AMERICAN ECLIPSE
WAS Llt fifteen hands and an inch high. The
lsiill greater Boston was but fifteen hands
and half In height. And Sir Archy, greater
than all American horses, The GOd0iphln OF
the Amerlcan stud. was but sixteen bands
bi"b. The average If the three was The ave-
race Of the GodOlpnin progeny. These were
periec; types OF the icGit'm0teiy lmPrCted
horses OF the desert. and as noble Animal n
ever put foot upon the sod. Kentucky blue
grass and New York cOdding, If they pro-
ducc lager animal than these, only sue
coed in obtaining legs. bone. and aNolrdu-
pois, at the expense of symmetry, muscles.
| endurance. and action; to that extent as
similating the noble horse to the premium
OK and pig.
II there is any part of the United states
entitled par cIceNepce TO be regarded A. the
race. horse egiou, Think i undoubtedly
| Eastern Virginia and the contiguous pOr-
lions OF MARYLAND and North Carolina. E.
pccia!iy /. il the home OF the four.miie race
horse. Ii bred class OF horses in which
any one which could not endure The four
mile heat was regarded rs an inferior and
pxceptiOna Gull TO 90 back no further
! than the beginning Of tAis century, what
other portion Of the United States has pro-
duced a class and succession Of such
performers as Sir Archy, Sir Charles, Nir-
gnian, TimOleon, Maria Wet, the dam OF
Wagner. Portsmouth, Andgewetta, Flo
riZel, Flirtila, and Duroc, the sire Of tie
great American Eclipse. Reality, Variety,
Bonnets O. Blue, Mark Anthony, Bertrand,
Henry, Goianna, Lady Lighlf0ot, Black
Maria, Sarah Washington, and host Of
dams, Boston, Revenue, Planet. and dozens
OF other superb horses and mares vino were
| their contemporaries Sir Arcby was brt q
on James river Boston and Planet in your
own eOuutg OF Hanover, TimoleOn in the
north edge Of North Carolina. Black Maria
(Steyens') on the Potomac, and most Of the
rest in SOuthside Virginia.
| II we contine ourselves TO single stables,
what one in the Union has cXceIled, or even
eQualled, that OF
| COLONEL WILLIAM II. JOHNSON,
Of Chesterfield, Va, "tbc Napoleon Of the
Turf" There were many others which
were as successful in their day a. the best
stables Of Kentucky and New York now
are, even though these latter possess in-
fniiey superior, and, indeed, unlimited Ie-
sources of capital. j know no instance Of
stable more worthy TO be cited in this ar
gument than that OF Bullfeld farm, in
| Hanover county, the native place OF OLD
Boston, 30 long presided over by your
father, which ] mention because /, is the
last aud only surviving stable IN Virginia.
| will run over the BUlliield list OF winners,
selecting only few for special mention,
and trusting to your own better infOrma.
ton for the correction Of mistakes.
There was Orator, by Boston, dam imp.
Waterwitch, conquerOr OF the renowned
| Fashion.
There was Inspector, by Boston, out Of
Sarah Washington. In October, as a three
vear-old. he won a large post stake over the
New Market Course, near Petersburg, Of
| four miles and repeat, at three heats, max.
ing twelve miles, and winning Il number OF
| important stakes and races afterwards,
amclg them The Hutchinson stakes. al
Charleston. s. e.. Out of all the races be
| started in, he was never beaten until in bis
| last race over the Washington Course, South
Carolina, he had his leg broken.
Passenger, By Bailey PeytOn, who won a
| l.or Of
nOwned Fashion.
| Sue Washington, by Revenue. dam Sarah
| Washington, was one OF The most success
full race nags OF her day, beating the best
horses at all distances, winning Il fOurmile-
| heat lace in four heats, sixteen miles, at
| Columbus, Ga, and having repeatedly de-
fcated Charleston and Nicholas the l,t.
Fanny Washington, full sister OF Sue
| Washington and stable companion 10
PLANET.
won almost as many races as Planet at all
distances; am0Og them the Jockey Club
purse-racc over the Metarie Course, Louis
iSna. Of three.mie heats. The last heat Of
this race was run In 5:334, and three days
afierward she won the JOckcyCiub purse
OF f0ur-mle heais--the first heat being run
in 1851, and, a will be seen by reference to
the racing calender, the last three miles Of
the second heat were ran in $500 which,
under all the circumstances. was REGARDED,
Nv all who Witnessed il Il wonderful per.
Torrance.
EcIiptic, by imp. Eclipse, dam Nina. by
Boston, lost the Dinner Party stakes OF two
miles at Baltimore ia 1872, valued al seven
teen thousand five hundred dollars, by two
feet. The loss OF the race was caused by
bad riding, as wa conceded by nearly All
present. Preakne>s was the winner. She
afterward redeemed her lost laurels by beat.
ing Preakne>s, tive miles aud repeat, with