The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-01
BLACK MAR|A's
ROYAL BREEDING.
(t,ontinnsd t'rom l'lrsI rage.l


tiIc list. This was called tie peytor
u stake. Out OF all the nominations only
four came to the post-produce oi
II Eliza, by Rubcns and Glcncor, entered
III BY u. Kirltnlar, of Louisiana; produce
OF Imported Dclphinc. by WhIsker AM
u Pltnipo, entered by Colonel Hampton
produce OF Lilac, BY imported Leviathnl
and imported Skyiark. and produce oi
Black Maria, by Eclipse and imported
Luzborough. Tho race was won by
MIR. Kirkman's3 entry. which he, in con-
sequence. named Peytona.
An examination of the portrait OF
our Maria, done by ,rroye, and put at
the head OF this sketch shows that
her conformation was faulty in many
FL respccts.-shouldcr too straight, her
waist too small, and her body and back
too long. but she had tile deep chest
necessary 10 hold lungs and heart, and
b tile reach necessary to get speed. Her
stride was very long. her head and
neck were good better than was usual
In Eclipse colts. She was coal black,
and stood fifteen hands three inches
under the standard.
M She ran Twenty-Five races. and won
thirteen of them. Eleven of these were
! jockey club races at three and four
miles Seventeen OF her races We're
at four-miles heats--forty-two heats
OF four miles making 16S miles. She
seems to have been run as often unit
as ut. due To the characteristics of her
owner. who, for sport sake, never paid
forfeit. Size was much hammered in
consequence, and if more carefully
handled would. no doubt. have won =
much larger proportion of her races,
as she was mare of considerable
i, ,tyo Ivy ~
and ndomitablc game, inherited from
her ancestors.
TO Black Maria belongs the distnc-
ticn, unique among American horses.
so far as / can find, of having been
the only American horse to run five
four mile heats in one day In a regular
race. and win the race.
The race Is one of the notable ones
of this country. 1T was participated In
by four mares Black Maria, Trifle, d
little chestnut mare, bred by Mr..
Thomas Graves. of Chesterfield. Va.
only IA hands inches high. by Sir
Charles. by Sir Archy. entered by Mr.
William Il. Johnson; Lady Relief, a
mare owned by DR.. Il. A. Darcy, and
by Eclipse, out of Maria Slammerkin
and Slim, by Flying Chelders. out OF
Molly Longlegs, by HARDWOOD. the prop
crty of j. c. Tillotson, but entered by
Mr.. Bella Badger.
Maria was six years old, Relief five.
Trifle and Slim four.
Horses ages are now arbitrarily
reckoned from the LIST of January. At
that time they were reckoned in the
South from the LIST of May: that is
under the prcsnt system colt foalcd
in February, 1907. would be one year
old on the 1st of January, 1905. and
fhn yrt %.f
December. 1905, when he would I'M
reality be year and eleven months
old Under the old Southern system
the colt became a yearling on the LIST
of MAY in the year following that III
which he was foaled.
The four mares carried Northern
weights. which were less than the Eng
fish, but greater than the Southern. In
South Carolina a twoyear-od carried
"a feather" about so pounds a three
year-old 80 pounds, a four-y year old
l0a pounds. a five-year-old IL: pounds,
siS-year-old 100 pounds, and aged
horses 12s pounds This matter of
weights is all important. Seven pounds
is considered TO make a difference of
$40 yards in four miles, and 1 have
heard ii said that Major Tom Dos
wells father had TWO horses SO nearly
matched that the boy who carried the
stable keys in his pocket would lose
the race.
The intervals between heats in the
North We're thirty minutes, and Cor
four mile heats in the South forty-five
minutes.
This race of the mares" as it was
called, was run in 1882 over the Union
Course, l.. l., for Jockey club purse
in 500. 1855. S:i3, S:Ss and SAT. an
average of $40 to the heat, and 2:o5
10 the mile, which is very slow for to-
day, if we take the race by miles, but
no mean feat II we take it as whole
twenty miles in 414O is going
some At any rate 1t created intense
excitement at the time.
The race was a srewelinG one in
every heat. Ma.Gia won the first hca.
from Trifle .bTa TREMENDOUS burst in
the home stretch. -
These two. TrIflc and Maria, ran a dead
heat In the second, distancing Slim, but
leaving Relief in. The third heat was
won by Trifle, who beat out Relief
100 yards from the wire-Maria third.
When they saddled for the fourth
heat Maria was in no way distressed
Relief full of running and Trifle In
good shape" This heat was won by
Lady Relief who beat out Maria in
the stretch.
When they came up for the fif,h
heat "Relief was all fire Trine very
sorry and Maria now begins TO paw the
the ground. This she had never done
before. Off they go Relief ahead
Trifie after her and Black Maria allow
ing no gap. She sticks to them like
"a spirit In the nineteenth mile tn,
gallant little Trifle is reluciantly com.
PEELED 10 give it ,lp. The Eclipse mares
are ohstinately determined to play
out the play" and tho little chcstnu
Is taken off the track. completed,
done up Now comes the struggl
for tho honors of the twentieth mills
between two Observation-Disclosures
both and never give ups the word.
They fight each other, each rushing tn
other in turn. until finally Maria's III
perior courage and stamina win gu
Neither of the mares" says the write
"seemed much dJstressed and they IA
the last mile with the greatest spir
and stoutness." but they suffered a
forwards. Relief died within fe
weeks from a cold and eNhausto