THE TROTTING-HORSE OF AMERICA. 147 



Shortly after this, a match was made-between Dutchman 

 and Rattler to go three-mile heats under saddle, for two 

 thousand dollars, on the Beacon Course. Dutchman was 

 the favorite, but Battler was in fine condition that day ; 

 and a desperate struggle ensued between the horses and 

 their riders, William Whelan and myself. In the first 

 heat, we went away together ; and at any time in the course 

 a sheet would have covered both horses. It was very close 

 at the finish ; but Battler won by half a length. Dutch- 

 man made a break in the heat, the only one he made in the 

 race ; and that enabled Battler to win it in 7m. 45 Js. The 

 second heat was like the first. We went away together; 

 and it was hard to say which had the advantage for two 

 miles and a half. ' Sometimes one would be a head in front, 

 and then the other would come up and get the lead by a 

 neck. But they were never clear of each other ; and, at the 

 drawgate in the third mile, it was ' head-and-head. But 

 Battler now broke (this was the only break he made in the 

 race), and Dutchman won the heat in 7.50. 



I have not since seen such a heat as that which ensued. 

 Over the whole distance of ground, three miles, it was liter- 

 ally a neck-and-neck struggle. Nothing could have been 

 finer to the spectators than the desperate and long-sustained 

 efforts of these capital horses, aided by the exertions and 

 judgment of the riders. Neither horse was clear of the 

 other at any time ; and, when we had both used our utmost 

 endeavors to land a winner, if only by half a head, the 

 judges declared that it was a dead heat in 8.02. In the 

 fourth heat, the struggle was again as close as could be for 

 upwards of two miles ; but then the unrivalled bottom of 

 Dutchman obtained the superiority. At the end of the 

 eleventh mile, the pace and distance began to tell on Bat- 

 tler; and Dutchman won it handily in 8.24. 



Just such a race as this it has never been my fortune to 

 see since, and nobody had seen such a one before. For 

 eleven miles the horses were never clear of each other 5 



