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announced in the advertisement, and that the lots sold should be put up 

 again. Rather than enter into a dispute, it was agreed by the auctioneer 

 and company, that Mr. Wildman should have his choice of any parti- 

 cular lot, which exactly suited his purpose, and secured to him Eclipse, 

 at the moderate price of seventy or seventy-five guineas. Previously 

 to Eclipse's running for the King's Plate at Winchester, in 1769, Mr. 

 Wildman sold the half of him to Mr. O'Kelly, for six hundred and 

 fifty guineas, and afterwards Mr. O'Kelly bought the other half of 

 him for eleven hundred guineas. Why Eclipse was withheld from the 

 course, until five years old, 1 have never heard, but he was privately 

 tried at Epsom, about that time; and indeed, it is impossible his pro- 

 prietor could have remained so long unconscious of his vast powers. 

 When I first saw him, he appeared in high health, of a robust consti- 

 tution, and to promise a long life. I paid particular attention to his 

 shoulder, which according to the common notion, was in truth very 

 thick, but very extensive and well placed ; his hinder quarters, or 

 croup, appeared higher than his forehand, and in his gallop it was said, 

 no Horse ever threw in his haunches with greater effect, his agility 

 and his stride being upon a par, from his fortunate conformation in 

 every part, and his uncommon strength. He had considerable length 

 of waist, and stood over a great deal of ground, in which particular he' 

 was of the oppossite form to Flying Childers, a short-backed compact 

 Horse, whose reach laid in his lower limbs ; and if there be any common 

 sense in forming suchacomparative judgment, I should suppose Eclipse 

 calculated to excel over the course, Childers, for a mile. Eclipse was 

 an excellent, but thick-winded Horse, and breathed hard and loud in 

 his exercise. W^hen viewed in his [flesh, as a stalhon, there was a cer- 

 tain coarseness about him, but a critical eye could discover the high bred 

 Racer in every part. 



Eclipse won eleven King's Plates, the weight for ten of which was 

 twelve stone, the remainder ten. He was never beaten, never had 

 a whip flourished over him, or felt the tickling of a spur, or was ever, 

 ibr a moment, distressed by the speed or rate of a competitor; out-foot- 

 ing, out-striding, and out-lasting, every Horse which started against 

 liim. His proprietor acknowledged that he gained twenty-five thou- 

 sand 



