THE TROTTING-IIOESE OF AMERICA. . 165 



mouthful. Otherwise, he was all that any one could wish 

 for. He was very fast ; he was one of the stoutest horses 

 that ever was called upon to go long heats, and repeat them 

 until the day was done ; he had one of the best constitu- 

 tions that ever came under my observation ; and he kept on 

 improving until he was ten or eleven years old, in spite of 

 the many hard races at long distances in which he was 

 engaged. He still remains the champion three-miler; 

 though I am confident I should have beaten his time with 

 Dexter in his late race against Stonewall Jackson of Hart- 

 ford, if we had had a fair day and good track. In fact, 

 although Dutchman's time has stood so long at the head of 

 the column, and is pretty hard to beat even in these fast 

 days, it will not do to let it become a superstition with us. 

 We should take a lesson from what occurred in respect to 

 Fashion's running four-mile time on the Island ; which was 

 long deemed invincible by gentlemen of the old school 

 hereabout, until one fine day, not very long ago, Capt. 

 Moore's mare Idlewild and John M. Clay's colt Jerome 

 Edgar met in a four-mile race on the Centreville Course, 

 and both of them beat Fashion's time all to pieces. 



As I have said before, Dutchman did not do his best 

 when he made his 7m. 32s. He never was fully extended 

 but once in the race, and almost walked in ; I having pulled 

 him to a mere jog-trot two hundred yards from the stand. 

 I put down his mark that day at 7m. 27s., or better ; and 

 therefore I certainly think that a good horse in these times, 

 and carrying only a hundred and forty-five pounds, ought 

 to do it in 7m. 32s. My weight, without the saddle, was 

 about a hundred and fifty pounds. Of course it will take a 

 horse that can stay the distance to beat Dutchman's time J 

 for one that is going to come back before the three miles 

 are accomplished can never do it, no matter how fast he 

 may be. The fact that it has stood so long unequalled 

 should admonish us, I think, that we have of late rather 

 neglected to cultivate lasting qualities in our trotters, and 



