THOROUGHBREDS. 4Q 



property of Mr. O'Kelly. Eclipse had not the grandeur of form of the Flying Childers, 

 and might have escaped notice but for the accidental trial of his stupendous powers. He 

 was about fifteen hands and one inch high. His shoulders were very low, and so thick 

 above that, according to the observation of the times, a firkin of butter might have rested 

 upon them. He stood very high behind, a compilation suited to his great power of pro- 

 gression ; he was so thick winded as to be heard blowing at considerable distance. In 

 the language of the honest John Lawrence, ' He puffed and blowed like an otter, and 

 galloped as wide as a barn door.' No sooner were his powers exhibited on the turf, than 

 every eye was set to scrutinize his form, and he was then admitted to possess in perfection 

 the external characters indicative of great speed. A volume was written on his propor- 

 tions by M. Saint Bel, a veterinary surgeon, whose investigations showed that his figure 

 differed greatly from the conventional form which speculative writers had assigned as the 

 standard of perfection. He was of an indomitable temper, and his jockeys found it in 

 vain to attempt to hold him, but contented themselves with remaining still on the saddle 

 while he swept along, his nose almost touching the ground. His full speed was not deter- 

 mined, since he never met with an opponent sufficiently fleet to put it to the proof. He 

 not only was never beaten, but he was able to distance some of the best horses of his 

 time, and the fleetest could not keep by his side for fifty yards together. This remarkable 

 horse first appeared on the turf at the age of five, in 1769. In the first heat he set off of 

 his own accord, and easily gained the race, his rider pulling in vain with all his force for 

 the last mile. O'Kelly observing this, and aware of his horse's powers, offered in the 

 second heat to place the horses, and he took heavy bets that he did so. When called 

 upon to declare, he said, 'Eclipse first, and the rest no place.' He gained his wagers; 

 Eclipse was first, and all the others were distanced, or, in the language of the turf, had 

 no place. From this time Eclipse was continually on the turf, and gained every race ; 

 no horse daring to contend with him, he closed his career of 17 months by walking over 

 the Newmarket Course for the King's Plate, in October, 1770. During this brief period, 

 it is said that he gained 25,000 for his owner. He was then employed with prodigious 

 profit" as a stallion. He got 334 winners at our numerous race courses, who are com- 

 puted to have gained about 160,000 to their owners, besides cups and plates. He died 

 in 1789, at the age of 25." 



The later English racers have been horses of great speed and "idur- 

 ance great in those things that go to make up a great hors*. ; but 

 many seem to think that the modern English Thoroughbred is not the 

 equal of his former self. Sharper races, more of them, and especially 

 coming at an earlier age very frequently at the age of two or three 

 years have, it is claimed, decreased somewhat the stamina and wonder- 

 ful endurance found in the earlier horses of note. 



The American Thoroughbred is, of course, a lineal descendant of 

 the parent stock (English) ; in other words, all American horses eligible 

 to entry in the American Stud Book for Thoroughbred Horses -edited 

 and published by Col. S. D. Bruce, of New York are either imported 

 from England, or are the descendants of horses so imported. 



In the United States, it has been found advisable to permit a certain 

 relaxation of the rigid rules adhered to in the English Stud Book, and 

 to admit animals that show an unmixed descent for five generations of 

 pure blood. This necessarily admits animals which are not strictly 

 Thoroughbred, but if for five generations nothing but Thoroughbred 

 stallions are used, the resulting animal is so nearly Thoroughbred as to 



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