The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-23

horses, ana Olcncoe. eQudIy notcu,
while bennington was inferior to
either of the others Through limo.
liam, Boston and Lexington we come
down to the period just before the civil
war, when Virginia and South Carolina
boosted three horses that were I'M
matched and peerless on the American
turf. Planet, Fanny Washington, and
Albine, the last being the South Caro-
linian.
In olden times no horse was anything
who could not run four-mile heats with
a chance of having three to run before
he could win, and around all the racing
of that day, patronized and fostered
by the jolly and genial planter gentry
OF the south, there is an interest which
needs nothing of the ideal tradition TO
impart charm and romance. The Me-
tairie and Washington courses were
especially noted for the brilliancy of
the meetings and the army of beauty
that crowded the grand stand, while IN
Virginia, Fairfield, and Broad Rock
courses were scarcely less famous,
and with the advantages of being
the center of that region Of
Virginia and North Carolina between
the Roanoke and the Rappahannocl
rivers, which all old racers unhorse
country in the world. The cock fight
ing gentry of the olden time may have
been questioned on their boast of an
! cestry, but no one can deny them the
glory of the -four milers
The greatest race in America. as old
turfmen view sit, was the match be-
tween Red Eye and Nina. half-brother
and sister. both sired in Boston. Red
Eye had about one-hundredth part of
Potomas blood in him, but even these
| few drops of the famous scrub racers
blood gave the noble steed weller
weight to carry that Handicapped him
in the prejudices of the Virgin
ians in spite of his great achieve
Eaents. He was very devil
for temper, and showed it in an
eye like Apolkyon's. He won the first
heat, and his owner told the boy, lit
tie pet negro named Anderson, to hold
him back and let the mare wiz the
second, so as to make Red Eyes bot
tom tell. but the horses look was per-
fectly diabolical, and he reared and
charged as if he would whip the entire
crowd, and the people ran from his
very look, while the little boys got off
the fences and climbed the trees to get
out of the way. The boy managed to
keep the reserve power in him four
| times around. and he was taken off
looking mad and fresh enough for an
other heat right then. The next heat
he won easily, making the greatest
achievement then or since known on
the turf, taking time and distance into
consideration.
If the district of country from Rich
mond to Raleigh was peculiar in the
quality of its horses, it was not less
noted for set of men gallant, amiable
and generous in the extreme, and the
chief by common acclaim was Col. Will
liam r. Johnson, handsome man of
low stature, but whose massive head
and full, lustrous eyes indicated the
unmistakable genius that gave him the
surname of the ''Napoleon'of the turf. !"
One of Col. Johnson's achievements
on the turf was at Camden, n. j., after
his horse Blue Dick had been beaten
three times by Fashion. He was BAN
tered to enter the horse once more, and
having repeatedly declined was told
by some one something to the effect
that Fashion could, of course. beat the
horse, but that to make the race. and
| in the interest of the turf, he should
| consent to run him again.
THE mare can certainly beat the
! horse" said the colonel, land / have
done enough to enter him three times,
| but if you insist on race l will bet
ten thousand dollars that the mare can
not beat him by ten feet"
This was such close calculation on
beaten horse that it did not take five
| minutes to raise the ten thousand dol
| lars. The mare won the first heat by
six feet and the second by seven and a
quarter, and this was justly considered
piece of racing work wherein perfect
knowledge of horsefiesh and subtle
calculation of circumstances and re-
spectiyc powers of the two animals
overcame chances and made the bet
certain.