The New York herald., 1921-12-25

70 give the marc five lengths, or she was
TO be declared the winner IL she came out
within five lengths of Watt at the fin.
ish. The race is thus described in the
petition Of the plaintiff:
The horse named Watt and the marc
named Bonny were brought upon the
aforesaid ground to run upon the first
day OF July. 1897, and the word being
given by the person appointed to start
the said horse and tho said mare the
aforesaid mare did leap off and, out
running the aforesaid horse, came In
first between the poles which were placed
at the coming in Of the said race, COM
monty called the Ware, one-quarter Of a
mile distant from the starting place ap-
lointed. and was by the said mare, with
her rider of about 100 pounds weight as
aforesaid fairly rum
Verdict for Jefferson's Bonny.
A jury empaneled to hear the evidence
brought in q. verdict for the plaintiff
Among the Jurors were Edward Good
and Phil Childers, names associated with
very early Virginia racing.
Benjamin Harrison, the ancestor or
kinsman OF two Presidents Of the United
State, was witness In one of the many
trials growing out of quarter racing in
Henrico county in the seventeenth GEN.
tury. One Richard Ligon appears to have
been busy belligerent turfman OF the
period. for his name figures as a prin-
cipal In several law suits between 1877
and 1900. In one of his matches with
Thomas Chamberlayne to run their
horses over the race path at Conecocls,
IN Henrico county. the stakes were 40
shillings side and a gallon of rum for
the company"
The absence of court records concern
ing races at a greater distances than
a quarter of a mile is strong indica-
tfon that the day of the four milers. for
which Virginia became noted in the
next century. had not yet arrived.
What manner of horses ran in the
seventeenth century quarter races is
nowhere disclosed. Doubtless. how
ever. they were Of native stock. as dis
tinguished from imported English
racers. for the matches imnortalized
In the records of Virginia courts are of
a period before the Godolphin Arabian,
the Darley Arabian or even the Byerly
Turk had arrived in Britain to become
the foundation sires of the breed Of
English race horses. II the quarter
horses were like the common run of
Virginia stock at that period they were
mere ponies in stature, since the aver
age height at a considerably later day
was otdiNSiy ihO4O Iiidh 10 diiN
one inch.
Whatever they were they must have
furnished a pretty good foundation on
which to build up the breed of long
distance heat runners, when the larger,
finer, faster and stouter English racing
stations began to come over for stock
purposes about the middle OF the eigh-
teenth century. Among certain racing
men Of to-day who can swallow the i'm
possible fairy tales found in the stud
books of Mason. Edgar, Wallace and
Bruce It is fondly believed every thor
oughbred horse on the turf races back in
every line OF his pedigree to inn
ported English stock. and that in
turn to Arabs, Barbs and Turks
OF "unsullied' Eastern origin. If the
truth were known, however. It is not
unlikely that many a tap root mare"
credited to one of the hypnotic Bruce
Lowe numbers was In reality winning
quarter horse of early days In the low
country OF Virginia.