20 



Island, New York, on the 25th of May, 1814, was reared by 

 General Nathaniel Coles, the breeder, in whose possession 

 he remained until the I5th day of March, 1819, when he 

 changed hands and became the property of Mr. Van Ranst. 

 He was sired by Durock; his dam was Miller's Damsal, 

 by imported Messenger, grandam the English Pot-8-os 

 Mare, imported when three years old in 1795 by William 

 Constable, Esq., of New York. Pot-8-os was sired by English 

 Eclipse, his great-grandam by Jim Crack, he by Crip- 

 ple, and Cripple by Godolphin Arabian. This horse was as 

 much of a success when turned to the stud as a brood horse 

 as he was famous as a performer, when on the turf, meeting 

 and defeating all the best horses at all distances of his day. 



(Borrowed of Volume I, American Turf Register and 

 Sporting Magazine.) 



A portrait accompanying this number of the celebrated 

 racer and idol of the North, by name American Eclipse, was 

 engraved by Du Rand and Wright, taken from the original 

 painting, the property of Henry Hall, Esq., of New York, 

 and was acknowledged by all good judges to be an excellent 

 likeness. This horse was then 15 years old, a chestnut with 

 a star and near hind foot white, was 15 hands i inch high, and 

 possessed a large share of bone and muscle. 



At the death of Sir Charles, Eclipse was purchased by 

 some Southern gentlemen, to take his place, who had up to 

 this time stood at the head of the list of successful stal- 

 lions in the South, and in this capacity Eclipse continued 

 to add to his fame. 



At first in this country there were just the straight 

 courses of England, and many a merry race was had in 

 Governor Gary's Lane. It is said that General Washington 

 once presided as judge at a race there, and that his decision 

 was satisfactory to everybody. Thomas Jefferson, the father 

 of Democracy, owned a race horse in those days. While 

 there is no recorded instance of the horse having won any 

 great races, he must have been victorious in some of them, 

 for he sold for a big price. There were many great races of 

 the olden times, and thousands of dollars were wagered and 

 won and lost on the results, for the pioneers were sports- 

 men of the most noble and liberal type. If they fancied 



