RACE HORSE. 



47 



Of the beauty, yet peculiarity of his form, much has been said. The 

 very great size, obliquity, and lowness of his shoulders were the objects of 

 general remark — with the shortness of his fore-quarters, his ample and 

 finely proportioned quarters, and the swelling muscles of his fore-arm and 

 thigh. Of his speed, no correct estimate can be formed, for he never me* 

 with an opponent sufficiently fleet to put it to the test. 



He was bred by the Duke of Cumberland, and sold at his death to Mr. 

 Wildman a sheep salesman, for seventy-five guineas. Colonel O'Kelly 

 purchased a share of him from Wildman. In the spring of the following 

 year, when the reputation of this wonderful animal was at its height, 

 O'Kelly wished to become sole owner of him, and bought the remaining 

 share for one thousand pounds. 



Eclipse was what was termed a thick-winded horse, and puffed and roared 

 so as to be heard at a considerable distance. For this or some other cause, 

 he was not brought on the turf until he was five years old. 



O'Kelly, aware of his horse's powers, had backed him freely on his 

 first race, in May, 1769. This excited curiosity, or, perhaps, roused sus- 

 picion, and some persons attempted to watch one of his trials. Mr. John 

 Lawrence says, that " they were a little too late ; but they found an old 

 woman who gave them all the information they wanted. On inquiring 

 whether she had seen a race, she replied that she could not tell whether 

 it was a race or not, but that she had just seen a horse with white legs 

 running away at a monstrous rate, and another horse a great way behind, 

 trying to run after him ; but she was sure he never would catch the white- 

 legged horse if he ran to the world's end." 



The first heat was easily won, when O'Kelly, observing that the rider 

 had been pulling at Eclipse during the whole of the race, offered a wager 

 that he placed the horses in the next heat. This seemed a thing so highly 

 improbable, that he immediately had bets to a large amount. Being called 

 on to declare, he replied, " Eclipse first, and the rest no where !" Tlie 

 event justified his prediction : all the others were distanced by Eclipse with 

 the greatest ease ; or, in the language of the turf, they had no place. 



In the spring of the following year, he beat Mr. Wentworth's Bucephalus, 



Forest. He was afterwards purchased by the Earl of Abing-don, for one thousand guineas, 

 and before his death covered for one hundred guineas. Squiht, when the property of 

 Sir Harry Harpur, was ordered to be shot, and while he was actually leading- to the dog-- 

 kennel, he was spared at the intercession of one of Sir Harry's grooms; and neither 

 Bartlett's Childer's, nor Snake, was ever trained. On the side of tlie dam, Spilet: a 

 never started but once, and was beaten : and the Godolphin Arabian was purchas»d 

 from a waler-cart in Paris. — Smith's Breeding for the Turf, p. 5. 



