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History of American Thoroughbred ! ! ! j j Twenty-Sixth Installment, It will be recollected that time, which should always be progressive, stood still for twenty years on the heels of the renowned Eclipse, which ascended into glory over Sir Henry on the Long Island track in a four-mile heat in 7:37. At length the brilliant mare Fashion sprang up and exceeded it by five seconds, on the same course. She thereby gained a double victory by beating the until then unconquerable Boston in a four-mile heat of 7 :32 1-2. The world was astonished and so miracu-ilous was this considered that a report was current that the judges were almost afraid to proclaim it. Indeed, it was stated that the actual time was 7:31 1-2 and that two of the judges who had so taken it yielded to the third, who was the second slower, for fear the public would be dissatisfied with their decision. THE ERSTWHILE CnAMPION. This time of Fashion held the field for about nine years and the lovers of the turf, as they dolefully contemplated her decline, feared they would never look upon her like again. But there is a term for all worldly glory and it was destined that the wondrous Lexington and the phenomenon Lecompte should both shoot forth together to outdazzle all previous luster and to turn the possibility of racing speed into a bewildering maze of doubt. These rivals, not knowing each other and themselves unknown, first came together on the Metairie course at New Orleans and there, as all the world knows, Lexington was the winner, although not as yet inside of Fashions time. The following week the rivals met again and it was on that occasion the superb Lecompte reversed his late defeat and, at one astounding stroke, reduced Fashions time to 7 :2G. Five seconds and a half of glory at one single bound. It might have been supposed that a defeat like this would have quite satisfied the owner of Lexington that he had contended against impossibility or lightning, but what was the surprise of the whole racing world to hear, in the midst of the roar of this exploit, Mr. Ten Broeck offer to wager 0,000 that his horse Lexington, which had just been beaten, could beat Lecomptes late time, and ,500 more that he could afterward beat Lecompte himself. BOTH CHALLENGES ACCEPTED. Both offers were, of course, accepted. April 2 was selected for the first trial and April 14 for the second. On the morning of the race I found the excitement in no way decreased. Everybody was inquiring about the starting of trains or making arrangements with hackmen to take them to the course. Practiced parties of bon vivants were displaying a world of intelligence or instinct in packing champagne baskets with layers of ham, chicken, cold tongue, brandy, beer, Bo"kers bitters, cigars and soda water to regale themselves with during the dry stages of the afternoon. The race was set for three oclock. At one oclock the town began to move toward the track. At two it was pretty nearly deserted and at three it was as silent and abandoned as at midnight. All the roads leading to the track streamed with pedestrians and vehicles and the line condensed toward the gateway into a choked column that could move onward and in only by the most tedious series of installments. At length all was in readiness. The bugle sounded the signal for the horses to be stripped. Everybody pressed forward to se-! cure eligible places. Every neck was stretched. Even those in the alleys underneath the public stands dropped their gambling paraphernalia and became innocent lookers on. Wagers on the contestants had a small revival and the odds on Lexington went up again to the mark of 00 to 0. The wagers were freely taken, however, by the gentlemen from Red River, where Lecompte jwas raised. They reasoned that if Lexington could perform a four-mile heat in 7:1934 there was no reason why Lecompte could not also do it, if required. -The contest now stood equal between them and it must not be forgotten that in Lecomptes victory in 7:2G he had trailed Lexington and then turned out and passed ahead of him. On the strength of these calculations there was considerable betting on time, but with none did I hear it set at less than 7:26. Many believed that the heat would be run as low as 7:15 or 7:1G. I do not know that anything can furnish a better idea of the revolution made in racing time by Lecompte and Lexington than this state of expectation shows. When the blankets were stripped from the horses and their magnificent combinations of blood, heart and muscle stood glistening and flickering in the sun, the crowd near by could not resist an involuntary burst of admiration, at which Lecompte stepped coquettishly about, showing his beautiful chestnut coat and branching muscle, rhile the darker Lexington, with a sedate and intelligent aspect, looked calmly around as if he felt the sensation was quite what he expected and deserved. Both animals were in the finest possible condition and the weather and the track, had they been manufactured to a sportsmans order, could not have been improved. At last the final bugle signal floated on the breeze. Gil Patrick slipped his foot in Lexingtons stirrup and the negro boy of General Wells sprang into the saddle of Lecompte. They advanced slowly and daintily forward to the stand and when they halted at the score the immense concourse that had up to this moment been swaying to and fro were fixed as stone. It was a beautiful sight to see theso superb animals standing at the score, filled with unknown qualities of flight and quietly awaiting the conclusion of the directions to the riders for the tap of the drum. OFF WITH A BOUND. At length the tap of the drum came and instantly the stationary steeds leaped forward with a start that sent everybodys hear into the mouth. With bound on bound, as if life were staked on every spring, they flew up the quarter stretch. At the turn Lexington drew his nose a shadow in advance, but when they reached the half-mile post both were exactly side by side. On they went at the same flying pace. Lexington again drawing gradually forward, first his neck, then his shoulder and increasing up the straight side amid a wild roar of cheers, flew by the stand at the end of the first mile three parts of a length in the lead. Time, 1:49 1-2. Onward they plunge! Onward without pause. Entering the backstretch of the second mile Lecompte made his most desperate effort, reaching first the girth, then the shoulder, then the neck of Lexington and finally, when he reached the half-mile post, laid himself alongside him, nose by nose. Then the mass, which during the few seconds of this special struggle had been breathless with hope and fear, burst into a shout that rang for miles. Lexington threw his eye jealously askant. Gil Patrick relaxed a little of his rein, which, up to this time, he had held close in hand, and without violence or startling effect the racer of racers stole ahead, gently, but steadily and surely until he was a clear length in the lead, in which position they closed the second mile. Time, 1:51. LEXINGTON INCREASES LEAD. Lexington increased his one length to three from the stand to the turn of the back-stretch. In vain Lecompte struggled; in vain he may have called to mind his rormer laurels ; in vain his rider struck him with the steel ; his great spirit was a sharper spur and when his tail fell, as it did from that time out, I could imagine he felt a sinking of the heart as he saw streaming before him the waving tail of Lexington, now held straight out in race horse fashion. The time of this mile was 1 :51. To Be Continued. The last crisis of the strife had now arrived and Lecompte, if he had any resources left, must call upon them immediately. The steel went into his sides, but it was in vain. He had already done his best. With Lexington it seemed as though he had just begun to run. Gil Patrick now gave him a full rein and, as he went down the backstretch, it seemed as if he were running for the very love of the thing. At this inglorious prospect Lecompte rallied desperately and escaped the humiliation by drawing himself a few lengths within the distance post. Lexington dashed past the stand, hard in hand, and actually runnig away with his rider. He made the last mile in 1:52-1-4 and completed the four miles in the unprecedented time of 7:23 3-4. The term unprecedented is used advisedly as Lecomptes time, the fastest heat ever made in a match up to that period, w-as 7 :2G. Thus ended the greatest match that happened on the turf for many years. I will add that no one who saw Lexington walk quietly through the cheering crowd that flocked around him at the close, as if his triumph were a matter he fully understood, doubts that he has sense, memory and powers of reflection horse sense at least. And yet presumptuous mortals will aver that such an animal has no soul. PERFORMANCE OF ARROW. Arrow first appeared on the turf in 1S52, when he took a three-year-old sweepstakes, at mile heats, beating two fillies, by Boston and Belshazzar, in 1:51 3-4 1:50. In 1853 he ran four times, winning three of the races, two of which were at mile heats and one at three-mile heats. He beat the best three out of five, Caddo Maid and Berry, four-year-olds, and Mecca, a five-year-old." On the same course, April 9, he was beaten for a three-year-old sweepstakes, in which there were five subscribers, at 00 each, with 00 in added money, by Sally Waters. The race was at two-mile heats, Arrow talcing the first. A few days later, on the same course, he beat Hilariot in a purse for all ages, to be decided by the best three out of five one-mile heats, taking the first three heats straight. His time was 1:52 1-2 1:52 1-4 1:51 3-4. On the Pharsalia course at Natchez, Miss., lie won the Association Purse on November 24. This was an all age affair, in three-mile heats. Arrow defeated Mary Taylor, by Sovereign Wade Hampton, by Boston, and Hugh Fresnch, by Glencoe, in two straight heats. The time was 5 :51 1-2 5 :53 1-2. The following .year he made his debut in four-year-old form on the Metairie course when he beat Flying Flea, by Grey Eagle, and White Eagle, by Grey Eagle, in an all age sweepstakes at four miles. His time for the race was 7 :39. On January 13 he ran for a jockey club purse, for all ages, in three-mile heats, as follows : J. S. Hunters ch. f. Blonde, 3, by Glencoe Cherry Elliot, by Wagner 1 1 D. F. Kenncrs ch. c. Arrow, 4, by Boston Jeuneton 5 2 T. B. Goldsbys b. f. Maid of Orleans, 4, by Itcthune Alice CarneHl 3 3 S. M. AVetmores b. g. Flying Flea, 5, by Grey Eagle 2 4 W. J. Minors b. h, Jericho, 5, by Jordan Brittania 4 5 Time of First Heat. First mile 1:."SU Secoad mile ..1:5G Third mile 2:01U " Heat 5:50 Time of Second Heat. First mile 1:51 Second mile 1 :56 Third mile 1:59-. Heat 5:52" At his next appearance, April 1, 1S54, he met Lexington, Lecompte and Highlander in the great State Post Stakes, of four-mile heats, which was won by Lexington, Lecompte running second. Highlander was distanced in the second heat and Arrow was distanced in the first. The time of the race was slow S :0S 1-4 S :04. The course was excessively heavy. A few days late, however, he again beat his old adversary, Little Flea, in a jockey club purse of three-mile heats. Little Flea taking the first heat. Time, 5:36 1-4 5:36 5:42 1-2. In the next year Arrow was used to put Lexington to ins speed in the great mate 11 race won by that horse against Lecomptes time of 7 :26. It is worthy of recollection that Mr. Ten Broeck had declared to start Arrow for the match in case of Lexingtons being amiss. At the time of the declaration the people did not understand, as Arrow up to that time had exhibited no powers which might justify an expectation of his beating that hitherto unrivaled time. On April 10 of the same year he showed of what stuff he was made in the best raco of three-mile heats ever run up to that time, To Be Continued.
