BRITISH TURF. 131 



to about 25 feet of groiuid covered at a single 

 stride ; the most which has been done by any horse 

 before or since, with the exception of Flying Chil- 

 ders,"^ to which horse the same feat is likewise 

 ascribed. Hambletonian, in his famous match with 

 Diamond, is asserted to have covered 21 feet at a 

 stroke at the finish. But much doubt has been 

 throw^n of late years upon these instances of un- 

 common speed on these two grounds, viz : in the 

 first place that they are unsupported by autho- 

 rity, and, therefore unworthy of belief; secondly 

 that the race horses of the present day, being in no 

 ways inferior to those of whom these wonderful feats 

 are recorded, cannot, it is wxU known, anything 

 like equal their reputed performances. Although 

 we are perfectly ready to admit that the wTiters 

 who have recorded these wonderful performances, 

 have advanced to the utmost verge of possibility, 

 nevertheless a proper investigation of the subject 

 teaches us that w^e should be guilty of illiberality 

 and even selfish prejudice in entirely rejecting their 

 evidence. In the first place, we find on making 

 a careful research, that these accounts have been 

 written (the greater part at least) by cotemporaries, 



* It is said that this celebrated horse, carrying nine stone, two 

 lbs. ran over the round course at Ne^vmarket, (three miles, six fur- 

 longs and ninety-three yards in length) in six minutes and forty 

 seconds. Also that he ran over the Beacon course, (four miles, one 

 furlong and 138 yards in length) in seven minutes and thirty seconds; 

 covering at every bound a space of about twenty-five feet. 



K 2 



