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RACING IN LONG GONE DAYS Virginia had no such faithful chronicler as fell to the lot of South Carolina and though she boasted a noble line of horses prior to the revolution their records are Incomplete The Old Dominion was the home of the fourmilers for seventylive years the only race horse worth considering must be a four miler milerVirginian Virginian pedigrees rise from the importation of Diomed in 1799 by Colonel Hoomes who brought him Into the country against the adrice of friends when the horse was twentyone years old Diomed be ¬ came the most famous horse America has ever en ¬ tertained his most famous son Sir Archy at the age of thirtytwo years liring one year longer than the sire sireNew New Yorks four horses imported by James De Lancey amazed little old Manhattan by their speed The beginning of the modern northern turf may be dated from the foaling of Maria Slamerkiii by The Cub mare one of the four Iloweror a firstclass race meeting was not held near New York until 1819 Before that date one may safely say that in the greater number of races a poor sort threw the cobbles and turf In each others eyes as the field lumbered around the green greenAt At Bath on Long Island the green was laid out in 1S19 Later the Union Course became the seat of fashionable racing The Union Course is the most prominent in American turf history Here the fa ¬ mous battles between northern and southern horses were fought It took many years for the Lirings tons De Lanceys Gibbous and others to work up a fast breed of horses but the opening of the Union Course found Xew York challenging the south for turf honors honorsThe The first clash came in 1S22 when American Eclipse won a race on the Washington course from a famous southern horse That night at a banquet the northern horsemen offered to match Eclipse against any horse the south cared to bring forth the race to consist of fourmile heats to be run on Long Island the following day for 20000 a side The offer baring been accented the southern men set out for New York the following spring with fire horses They met many misfortunes losing two horses before arrlring at their destination destinationSir Sir Henry was the farorite matched finally against Eclipse All arrangements baring been completed on the day previous to the race the southerners gare themselres up so completely to seeing New York that it was said the chief among them Col ¬ onel William R Johnson their field general did not reach the green the next day until the race had been run runThe The disappointment of his friends is well summed up in the now famous remark of the fiery John of Roanoke RoanokeIt It was not Eclipse but the lobsters that beat Henry HenryThree Three hard heats were run before 00000 enthusi ¬ astic people It was said that orer 200000 was lost to Dixieland that day
