XII. 



Early Reminiscences. My first Race. My Second. Lady Kate against 

 Time. Paul Pry against Time. The Riders of Thirty Years Ago. 

 Requisites of a Good Rider. Drilling Horses. Lady Sefton. 



I) EFOE.E we proceed much farther, I purpose, in answer 

 I -) to letters which I have received, to say a little ahout 

 the commencement of my career among horses, and some of 

 those events in which I then participated. The writers 

 have been good enough to say that they think some of my 

 personal reminiscences and recollections of the horses of old 

 times will be of great interest and some use. The first 

 race for money in which I was engaged took place thirty- 

 four years ago, and I was then fourteen years old. It was 

 at Philadelphia in 1831 ; I being then with my uncle, the 

 trainer, George Woodruff, at the Hunting-park Course. 

 We had Topgallant, Columbus, and a number of other 

 trotters in the stable. The course used to be a favorite re- 

 sort of such gentlemen as Gen. Cadwallader ; Mr. William 

 Fetterall, who owned Daniel D. Tompkins ; Mr. Jeffries, 

 who afterwards owned Dutchman; and the like. These 

 gentlemen were always anxious to see a little sport ; and one 

 day they got up a small purse, to be trotted for under sad- 

 dle by any horses that we boys could pick up. I started 

 off from where they were all assembled, and took a horse 

 out of the plough in a neighboring field. It was Shaking 

 Quaker, who had belonged on Long Island prior to that 

 time, and could go a little. Opposed to me, there were 

 Peter Whelan and James Hamill, both of whom had got 

 horses taken promiscuously out of some of the vehicles 01} 



121 



