The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-26
|BOST0N THE KING
OF HIS PERIOD |: B i J
Bred by MIR. vVickhafn
at Hickory Hill, in
Old Hanover 4
STARTED \. ! as TIMES Z. /. u,
AND WON q o r A C.ElSSl
After Defeating the Greatest
Horses in America, the Old
Horse at Last Went
Down in Honorable
Defeat to
Fashion.
ny THOMAS NELSON GARTER

-. Df THOMAS NELSON CARTER.
Boston. the greatest American horse
o, OF his day. was bred by Mr. John
Wiekham. OF Richmond. Va, ana was q
toaled at Hickory Hill. the present
homo of the Wlckhams, In Hanover II
county. in the year 1888. rs
A chestnut. with white stockings on &
both hind legs and a white stripe
down his face. he was by no me ans s
big horse, as many OF the cracks % tN
to-day go. He stood fifteen hands two j
Inches, while many OF. the most dis
ttngulshed OF this day and genera-s
ton measure up to 16 1-2 and even IL
hands under the standards; but the
yielded to none In the points that 10 Z
TO make strength and endurance. Hia
chest was of tremendous depth. giving
place for lungs that never "pumped.S
His loins. thighs and hooks and back
We're beyond criticism. full OF power
his body long, and the only defect "a K,
modern horse-show Judge could PICK
In his conformation were his head
and neck. which were unsightly rather
than bad; his hips, which were rag
gsed. but strong. and his barrel, which;
was rather fiat than round and we'll
ribbed up--a real eakness. But as the
old prcverb has y They run in all
shapes" and certainly Boston did.
Looking at his picture "a Judge
would Immediately pick him for a.
horse OF tremendous power and en- ys
ldurance without any marvellous turn:
of speed: that is, as speed Is meas
ured in the twentieth century. That
he was good enough to win In any
and all company OF his day is attested
by his marvellous performances DUR
turf, from which he retired sound as
dollar. Unlike the modern racing
machine, which-more IS the pfty--is
put to work at one and q half years
old and kept at ! t as long as he can
stand Boston never raced until he
was three years old and was entered
then only three times-once at Broad 4
Rock, Va, for sssRstakcs at one
mile heats, once q petersburg, Va,
once at Hanover Courthouse. for II
purse at three-mlle heats. In the e
first he bolted. the other tW - won
beating the best horses wi H. reach.
In his four-year-old form - was en-
tered only four times. twice Mt Wash
ington. once at Baltimore and oncA
at Camden. He won all of these races
which were three-mile heats. and this
time beat horses outside OF Virginia.,
1T will be noted how carefully his
| owners were taking him along-thress
races, only one over two miles In his
|three-year-old form; four, none over
three miles, In his four-year-old FORM
In his fifth year, 1888. they started
him. then fully developed. first at the
Union course, Long Island, in three
mile heat race, which he walked over
| his life's work, running and winning
four mile-heat races. Hcs was ems
1 tered for eleven races in this season.
| all except the one above mentioned att
four miles. and got the money in ALL
In the first he walked. In the Gig hth:s
and ninth he was paid $500 not stt
start. In the other eight hes won
hands down. In the third f.6thesss
races he beat Decatur, who had disc
tanced Fanny Wyatt in match fol \
$4,000 ing57:45 Mt Washington
AS a six-year-old. Boston met HIT
first defeat In two-mlle heat race
! at Petersburg, where he was heateE
1 by Portsmouth. It was. however, tbs
4 first race OF the season, and he wai Z
not IT. as shown by the fact that ten
days later, he beat Lady Cltfden and
i Brocklesb by at three miles in b:4 s. tbs
\ hest time ever to that date made OF h
n the Broad Rock course. During tbs
.Itrcst OF this season he never lost onss
! LOT the six races he was entered FOR
!, lone he walked for, but the other five \
). were fotly contested. The one at
| Petersburg on 10Th September, 1899
I. for a stake OF $1,000. was won by
!; Boston In the best time for the course
! In 1870 he was entered in seven
:, Traces, all except one four-mile heatsfE
i, walked for one and won the otherts
| lwith ease. In his hrst race OF this
| season at Petersburg for 9 purse ofs
Z s7OO, four-mlle heats. he beat An--sSs
drewetta. famous mare. belonging
= to Mr. Thomas N, Carter. OF Pam
4 patike, King William county. Va.,s In
81 the best time ever made on the course,
s although Andrewetta won the first
! heat. In this year, too. lleSwon8 q : o,yS
9 . 1Contlnued onI Second Page.l 4.