The New York herald., 1922-01-22
Gen. WashingtOn's Friend
Swept the Virginia Turf
William Fitzhugh of Chatham Met Flower of Colonies
With His Four Milers and Won Three Races
Out of Four at Last Meeting Before War.
by GURNEY c. CUE.


When racing was suspended through
out the Colonies in response to q request
OF the first Continental Congress at Phil
adelphia. in 1774. the last meeting In
Virginia. and probably the last OF the
Colonial period in America. took place
at Fredericksburg in the autumn of that
year. 1t wound up the pre-war sport In
a blaze of glory. The racing continued
four days. and the performances, which
to this day never have been chronicleo
in any sporting periodical or turf his
tory. brought into action many Of the
best horses of the time. A single race
constituted the daily program, which,
however. produced far more actual rae
ing. as measured by time and distance,
than any days program run off in the
United States last season.
On the first day there was the race
for the Jockey Club Plate of 100 guineas,
open to the horses of members only. to
run four-mile heats. William Fitzhugh's
bay horse Regulus. rival OF Nancy
Bywell. Selim and other Colonial cracks,
won 1t in three heats with 140 pounds on
his back, beating Alexander Spotwood's
Eclipse, who took the first heat; Mann
Pages Demon. William Brent's Figure,
Moore Fauntleroy's Faithful Shepherdess
and Mr.. Fitzhugh's Master Stephen.
One for Col. TayIoe.
The second days race was an open
event at four-mile heats for purse or
$50, which. according to the Virginia
Gozotte, went to John Tayloe's Single
pepper, with 122 pounds up, and with
Benjamin Grymes's Miss Spot, Walker
Taliaferros Valiant. Alexander Spot
woods Fearnought. Charles Jones's Reg
ulus. Mr.. Proctor's Jenny Bottom. Rob-
ert Slaughters Ariel and Peter Presley
Thornton's Ariel behind him.
Again on the third day the purse
amount not stated--was for four mile
heats and with two Of the horses that
had run on the opening day as starters.
Mann Pages Damon demonstrated the
stuff these repeaters were made of by
winning the first heat, but Mr.. Fitz-
hugh's gray mare. Kitty Fisher. winner
of two races at Annapolis the previous
year. outlasted him in the next two
rounds. The other starters were Mr..
Proctors Whitefoot, Mr.. Fauntleroys
Faithful Shepherdess and William
Smiths Why Not.
The Town and Country purse of the
fourth and last days program resulted
in another victory at four mile heats for
the stable of Mr. Fitzhugh. whose chest
nut gelding, Volunteer. carrying 40
pounds-the weight for aged horses
won the third and fourth heats, running
sixteen miles in the race. OF this hard
fought contest. the last on record before
the revolutionary war, the Gazette gives
he summary:
rown and Country Purse; four mile heats.
william Fitzhughs CHI. g. volun-
,tter conwsy;s sD avs z. M Mary Gray.
Nexsnder r. spctwood's ch. g.
r'iomas Minors IS Fearnoushti. iiioc
Ecsert siaughter's blk. II. Ariel.
~. lbs......... ................ dis.
stud Books Incompete.
IT Is an indication of the incomplete
character of American stud books and
turf histories that scarcely any of these
four mile runners of $50 years ago can
be found on record in Mason, Edgar.
Wallace or Bruce. What is true of the
horses is equally true of their owners.
The man who won threee races out OF
four at this historic meeting was appar-
entity unknown to Frank Forester and all
who have followed him.
And who was this William Fitzhugh
that possessed a string OF racers good
enough to meet the flower OF the vir-
GINA and Maryland turf and beat them
all in this remarkable manner? Search
the early volumes of the Spirit of the
Times and the American Turf Register
and then go to New York's wonder
full Public Library and browse among
the books on Virginia genealogy and
social life in Colonial days and you may
learn that he was Somebody in his
time and generation. When you have
scratched the surface. so to speak. of
virginias equestrian aristocracy you
win not be surprised to find, first of all.
that he was. like his horses, bred to play
the part he played on and off the turf.
Born in 1741 at Eagles Nest, in King
George County. Va. William Fitzhugh
was the son OF Henry Fitzhugh. whose
mother was Ann Lee, II q sister of both
Squire Richard Lee, owner of Lees
Mark Antony, and Col. Henry Lee,
father of Light Horse Harry" Lee and
owner Of the racehorse Apollo. The
rrogenitor OF the Fitzhughs in America
vas one earlier Henry. who came from
Bedford County, England, before 1850
as Councillor for the King. His son,
Col. William Fitzhugh. Of Bedford. Va,
was lawyer. planter and burgess and
his son. William Fitzhugh. of Eagle S
Nest and father of Henry Fitzhugh, held
the same Office.
'Ixing Carter's'' Daughter.
William Fitzhugh's mother, Lucy Car
ter, was the youngest daughter of Col.
Robert Carter of Corotoman, In Lam
caster County, who was Treasurer OF
the Colony and was called king Car
ter" because he owned 1000 slaves and
10000 acres of land. The Carriers as
well as the Lees were a racing family
and were intermarried with the Ran
dolphs. Byrds Corbins. Wormleys and
the rest. William Fitzhugh married
into the same set, his wife. Ann Ran
dolph, having been daughter of Col.
Peter Randolph. son of the prolific
duarterhorse racer. William Randolph OF
Turkey Island.
Our turfman OF 1774 was Burgess
at the time of the Fredericksburg meet
ing. and a year later was a member OF
virginias republican convention. and
later still OF the committee of safety
In Tyler's Virginia Biography" there .,
in DIR. Edmund j. Lees Lee OF vir.
ginia" he Is referred to as the "neaI
neighbor and trusted friend OF Wash
ington."
Mr.. Fitzhugh--one marveis on seeinr
his portrait how this merry looking but
round headed. pugnacious appearing Bot
Evans type OF a century and half ag'
escaped the title OF Colonel In Virgins