174 THE TROTTING-HORSE OF AMERICA. 



In 1841 1 took Ripton to Philadelphia, and trotted him 

 over the Hunting-park Course, two-mile heats, in harness, 

 against Dutchman, Confidence, and Spangle. Confidence 

 was a very fine horse, a handsome long-tailed bay, fifteen 

 hands and an inch and a half high. He belonged to Mr. 

 James Berry, of whose death recently in Cincinnati I was 

 sorry to hear. Spangle was a horse fifteen hands and an 

 inch high, and was so called because he was spotted. In 

 this race, William Whelan drove Confidence, Hammil Dutch- 

 man, George Woodruff Spangle, and I Ripton. Ripton won 

 the first heat in 5m. 19s., Dutchman took the second, and 

 the third was a dead-heat between him and Confidence. 

 Spangle was now ruled out for not winning a heat in three ; 

 and I drew Ripton, leaving Dutchman and Confidence to 

 contend. The former won it. 



That summer I went to Saratoga with a stable of horses 

 belonging to a well-known gentleman named Beach. On 

 my return to New York in the fall, I borrowed Ripton of 

 his owner, Mr. Thomas Moore of Philadelphia, and entered 

 him in two sweep-stakes, two-mile heats in harness, with 

 the brown mare Duchess and the roan gelding Quaker. 

 The latter was a one-eyed horse, fifteen hands and an inch 

 high. Duchess was a plain little mare, scant fifteen hands. 

 The first of these stakes was to come off over the Hunting- 

 park Course, Philadelphia, and the other in two weeks' time 

 over the Beacon, New Jersey. At Philadelphia, Ripton 

 won in two straight heats handily. At the Beacon he was 

 the favorite against the field at small odds, and won again 

 in two heats with ease. 



His next trot was at Philadelphia, in the winter of that 

 year. It was in the month of December, over the Hunt- 

 ing-park Course, four-mile heats under saddle, against a 

 gray horse called Revenge. William Woodruff rode Kip- 

 ton. The course was very heavy, as was to be expected. 

 Eipton won it in two heats. He wintered that season in 

 Philadelphia, and came back to me in the spring. 



