History of American Thoroughbred, Daily Racing Form, 1922-12-09

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History of American Thoroughbred Twentieth Installment. 1839. April 16 Petersburg, Va. Hatch. Two-mile heats; lost. Beaten by Portsmouth in 3:50. 3:43. Boston was off his foot. April 27 I! road Rock, Va. Purse. Three-mile heats; won 500 Beating Lady Clifden and Brocklesby in 5:40 with ease in the best time ever made on that course up to the time of the race. May 9 Washington City. Purse. Four-mile heats; won 1922.sh0 Beating Tom Walker, Black Night, Iteli-ance and Sam Brown. Time, 7:33, 8:00. May 24 Camden, N. J. Purse. Four-mile heats; won 1,000 Boston, now six years old, walked over, though several cracks were on the ground. May 31 Trenton, X. J. Purse. Four-mile heats; won 1,000 Beating Decatur and Vashti with eaFe. The latter had just won a second four-mile heat in 7:45. June 7 Union Course, L. I. Purse. Four-mile heats; won 1,000 Beating Decatur and Balie Peyton cleverly in 7:47, 8:02. Sept. 2G Petersburg, Va. Purse and stake. Four-mile heats; won 7,000 Beating The Queen and Omega in S:02, 7:52, the best time made on the course to that date. Oct. 17 Camden, N. J. Purse and stake. Fonr-mile heats; won 7,000 Beating Omega :n 7:49. Omega had won a heat at Washington in 7:40. Oct. 23 Trenton, N. J. Purse. Four-mile heals; won 1,000 Beating Decatur and Master Henry in 7:57, 7:50. 1340. May 1 Petersburg, Va. Purse. Four-mile heats; won 7,000 Beating Andreworra, which had won the first heat in 7:50, the best time made on the course to that date. Oct. 2. Petersburg, Va. Purse Four-mile heats; won 700 Beating Bandit, which was drawn after the first heat, in 7:57. Oct 8 Broad Rock, Va. Purse. Three-mile heats; won 500 Beating Texas, ISalie Peyton and Lane-vine. Time, 5:50, 5:49. Dec 7 Augusta, Ja. Match. Four-mile heats; won 10,000 Beating Guua in a canter in 7:57, after which Gana was withdrawn. Dec. 17 Augusta, Ga. Purse. Four-mile heats; won 800 Beating .Santa Anna and Omega. Time, 7:59, 7:49. 1841. In the spring Boston was bred to forty-two mares at Chesterfield, Va. Sept. 30 Petersburg, Va. Purse. Four-mile heats; won $ 700 Beating Texas without an effort. Oct. 8 Alexander, D. C. Purse. Four-mile heats;won 800 Boston walked over, though several cracks were present. Oct. 15 Washington, D. 0. Purse. Four mile heats; won 800 Beating Accident, Ned llazzard and Greenhill with case. Oct. 21 Baltimore, Md. Purse. Four-mile heats; won 600 Beating Mariner, which had won the first heat in S:05 over a heavy course. Oct. 28 Camden, N. J. Purse Four-mile heats; lost Distanced by John Blount and Fashion Jn 7:42. John Blount broke down in the second heat, which was won by Fashion in 7:48. Boston was dead amiss and unable to run a mile under 2:10. Starting thirty-eight times and winning thirty-five races, twenty-six of them at four-mile heats and seven at tluce-mile heats, winning hB19,500 Add for his earnings in the stud in the spring of 18-11 4,200 Bostons winnings and earnings amounted to 3,700 It is due to Boston to state that, in his four-year-old form, he was prevented from starting for the large purses offered for four-mile heats by being in the same stable with Atalanta, Lady Clifden, Argyle and Mary Blunt. And it is no less due to him and to his liberal and high-spirted owners to add that, from a regard to the best interests of the turf, they had frequently allowed him to remain in his stable when, by starting him, they could have taken the purses without an effort. BOSTOX AVITIIDRAW BY REQUEST. Boston, after his match with Gano, at Augusta, could have won a Jockey Club Purse there and alsD at Savannah and Charleston. Id the spring of 1840 he started but twice, though he could have easily won every four-mile purse given between Petersburg and Long Island. His owners, in the latter instance, were personally appealed to and consented to sind him home from "Washington, while one of the northern proprietors proposed to exclude him from running. Several other occasions might be named on which Boston had been withdrawn from the contest, at the request of the proprietors of the courses, upon a representation that his entrance would destroy the sport and disappoint the public. At eight years old, after a racing career of unparalleled severity, Boston was as sound as a dollar, with legs as free from blemish as when a three-year-old. The field of his brilliant, never-fading victories extended from New York to Georgia and he not only beat, one after another, every horse within his reach, but challenged all others, offering to meet them on their own ground. Napoleon found a Waterloo, and so did Boston, but the latterrwas beaten, not defeated. Like the former, it will be found that "he was never to be more feared than in his reverses." When dead amiss he was beaten, it is true, in one of the best races ever run in America at the time. Boston had no part in it. He could not have beaten a cocktail on that occasion. Instead of being backed, as usual, at 1,000 to 300, his owners did not lay out a dollar on him. Following his services in the stud his owners determined to give him a trial to see whether his speed or gameness had been affected. An eye-witness of this trial assurd us that it was not only the best trial Boston ever made, but it was the best trial ever made over a race course which had been trained on for half a century. Following that event Boston offered to run four-mile heats against any two horses in the world for 5,000, which was not accepted. Bostons pedigree, as given in "Vol. 13, American Turf Register, is as follows: 1833. Boston, chestnut horse, by Timoleon, foaled by Robin Browns dam, own sister to Tuckahoe and Revenge, by Florizel ; her dam the granddam, too, of Luda by English Alderman ; g. g. dam, by English Clockfast, and her dam by Wildair. The residue of the maternal line lost, but of the purity of the blood there is no doubt. 1S13. Timoleon, by Sir Archy, dam by English Saltram, granddam by Wildair. 1S05. Sir Archy, by English Diomed, dam by English Rockingham, granddam Tabitha, own sister to Miss Kingsland, by Trentham, foaled by Pegasus dam. 17S1. Rockingham, as a race horse, the best son of Highflier Herods best son foaled by Purity, by Matchem. 1780. Saltram, by Eclipse, foaled by Virago, by Snap. 1S01. Florizel, by English Diomed, dam by English Shark, granddam by Harris Eclipse, son of English Fearnought Cassandra, etc., Fearnought Jolly Roger, etc. Like English Eclipse, Florizel in his brilliant career, was neither touched by whip nor spur, no competitor being able to come near him, yet Sir Archy is regarded as the best son of Diomed. 1777. Diomend, chestnut, by Florizel son of Herod, dam by Spectator, Blank, Childers, Miss Belvoir, etc. 1787. Alderman, by Pot8o, foaled by Lady Bolingbroke, by Squirrel, foaled by Herods dam, Cypron, by Blaze. 1774. Clockfast, by Gimcrack, foaled by Miss Ingram, by Regulus. 1777. Wildair, by English Fearnought, dam by English Jolly Roger, foaled by English Kitty Fisher, by Cade. 1757. Fearnought, by Regulus son of the Godolphin Arabian dam by Whitenose, Dar-ley, Arabian Bay, Arabian Helmslet Turk, etc. 1741. Jolly Roger, by Roundhead, son of Childers, dam by Partner, etc. Those conversant with English pedigrees will at once see how largely Bostons blood partakes of that of the Darley and Godolphin Arabian and of the Byerly Turk, through their renewed descendants, Flying Childers, Eclipse, Snap, Herod, Highflier, etc We! will here take a review of some of these I patriarchs of the turf connected with Bos- tons pedigree and of some others as found in Fashions pedigree. It is deemed unnecessary to more than mention Childers, Eclipse and Highflier, the nonpareils of their respective eras. 1718. Partner, by Jig, son of the Byerly Turk, dam by the Curwen Bar Barb, etc, succeeded Flying Childers as the best race horse at Newmarket. 1734. Cade, by the Godolphin, Arabian, foaled by the famed plate mare Roxana, by the Bald Galloway, gained especial celebrity as the sire to Matchem. 1739. Regulus, by the Godolphin Arabian, foaled by the famous Gray Robinson, by the Bald Galloway, was the best race horse of his day. He was the sire of Fearnonght, of Eclipses dam and others of note 174S. Matchem, the best horse of his era, was sired by Cade, dam by Partner, etc 1749. Spectator, by Crab, dam by Partner, He was the only horse, except Mirza, that beat Matchem. 1750. Snap, by Snip, son of Childers, dam by Fox, etc., was the best race horse at Newmarket succeeding those above named. He twice beat Marske, of the same year, the sire to Eclipse. He was also distinguished for beauty and symmetry and as a stallion of the first celebrity. He was the sire of twenty-one noted brood mares, including the darns of Sir Peter. -Medley. Saltram, Shark, etc. I 1758. Herod, by Tartar, dam by Blaze. Because of Herods renown on the turf of his day and in the stud no comment is required, i 1760. Gimcrack. by Cripple Miss Elliott, by Partner. Of thirty-seven races he won twenty-eight, matches and plates to an immense amount. 1771. Shark, by Marske, sire to Eclipse, dam by Snap Maryborough son of the Godolphin Arabian Natural Barb marc This extraordinary horse won upward of 100,000 in stakes, etc., beating the best horses, Dori-ment, etc. He was equally good for speed I and stoutness, beating the best of his contemporaries at their own play. He was sire to the dams of American Florizel, American Maid of the Oaks, Lady Lightfoot, etc. 1773. PotSo, chestnut, by Eclipse, Spcrts-mistress, etc He was the rival to Dungan-non, by the best race horse sired by Eclipse ! and to King Fergus as the best stallion. Lineally, Waxy, Whalebone, Camel, Touchstone, etc., are descended from Pot8o. 1776. Medley, by Gimcrack, foaled by a sister to Sir Peters dam, by Snap. He was an excellent and stout runner frequently beating the celebrities of his day. He won the most renown, however, at stud in Virginia. 1777. Diomed, pedigree given above, being so distinguished on both sides of the Atlantic in the early days, little more need be said of him. He won the Derby, the Claret, the Fortesque Stakes, etc In Eagland his blood has been widely diffused through Young Giantess, etc. As sire to Sir Archy, Florizel, Potomac, Duroc, etc, Diomed was a turf patriarch in America for more than half a century. 1780. Saltram, a favorite race horse of the Prince of Wales, since King George IV., won the Derby, beating all competitors in his career, including Dungannon and Phenome non. He was beaten just once when Dungannon won. 1781. This year produced Rockingham and Miss Kingsland, the best race horses of their time. Rockingham won thirty-two prizes. 1784. Citizen, by Pacolet Princess, by Turk. Citizen was a good and stout runner. Fashion was bred by William Gibbons, of Madison, N. J., where she was foaled April 26, 1S37. It would be difficult to sit down oyer a stud book and compile a richer pedigree than hers and the same remark applies to Boston. Each is descended from the most eminently distinguished racing families on the side of both sire and dam that have figured in the early history of the American turf. Fashions sire was Mr. Livingstons imported Trustee which was foaled by the celebrated Bonnets o Blue, by Sir Charles Reality. "The best race horse I ever saw," said Colonel Johnson. Reality was sired by-Sir Archer and her pedigree extends back through the imported horses Medley, Centi-nel, Janus, Monkey, Silver Eye and Spanker to an imported Spanish mare. Trustee, the sire of Fashion, was a distinguished race horse in England and sold at three years old for 0,000 to the Duke of Cleveland, after running third in a race for the Derby of 101 subscribers. He was subsequently imported by Messrs. Ogden, Corbin and Stockton. Trustee, by Catton Emma, by Whisker, was foaled in 1829 and combined the blood of Hermes, Pipator and Sir Peter on his dams side with that of Penelope, by Trumpa-tor and Prunella, by Highflyer, o;i the .side of his sire Trustee is not a chance horse. In addition to other winners of his family, his own brother, Mundig, won a Derby of 12S subscribers in 1835. Fashion was a rich, satin-coated chestnut with a star and a ring of white above the coronet on her left hind foot. On her right quarter she was marked with three dark spots, like Plenipo. She was about fifteen and a half hands high, under the standard, and rising high on the withers, with a light head and neck, faultless legs, an oblique, well-shaped shoulder and a roomy, deep and capacious chest. She had good length of barrel which was well ribbed out and her loins were well arched and supported by strong fillets. Though finely put up and forehanded, her great excellence consisted of the muscular developments of her quarters, thighs and gasbins. As in the greyhound and the hare, the seat of the propelling power in the horse which enables him to mcve with a great degree of velocity is centered in his hind quarters. Necessarily, in proportion to their strength, there will be the impulse which impels tha whole mass forward. Fashion was trained for her engagements by Samuel Laird at Colts Neck, N. J., and was ridden by his son Joseph, the best jockey in the north. Mr. Gibbons, her owner, having-been unfortunate with his former trainer who nearly ruined Mariner in breaking him and who was opposed- to the general plan of training colts at two years old, resolved that Fashion should not be taken up until her form had attained a greater degree of maturity. Consequently, she was not brought out until the fall of her three-year-old year. Fashion went with a long, rating stroke. She gathered well and moved with the utmost ease to herself. AVhiat i is singular is the fact that she ran with a loose rein. She was true as steel and had a , remarkable turn of speed. She could be placed anywhere and nothing was finer than her disposition. A more bloodlike, honest 1 mare was never brought to the post. Being in a public training stable with Clarion and I Mariner, her half-brother, both of them win-ners at three and four-mile heats. Fashion was compelled to "take her turn" in running for "the big things," else the amount of her winnings might have been increased as well as the number of her performances. The Be Continued.


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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800