AMERICAN TROTTINO HORSE. 525 



scoring and had to be withdrawn. He did not trot any more that 

 year, but on June 2, 1865, he came out and defeated General Butler 

 at the Fashion Course, trotting the third heat in 2 m. 24} s. Ten 

 days afterwards he was pitted against the mighty Lady Thorne, who 

 had a few dnys previously trotted in 2 m. 24} s., but the lady beat 

 him in four heats, the best of which was 2 m. 24 s. This was the 

 only time Lady Thorne ever beat him. June 26th, Dexter 

 defeated Stonewall Jackson, of Hartford, three-mile heats, to 

 saddle, and then beat General Butler, to saddle, and Butler 

 and George Wilkes, in harness, in straight heats, in both races. 

 He was then backed to trot against time and beat 2 m 19 s., and 

 won easily in the first trial, in 2 m. 18^ s. He then defeated Gen- 

 eral Butler on the Fashion Course, to wagons, in 2 m. 271^ s. and 2 

 m. 29 s. On the 27th of October the horses met again, two-mile 

 heats, to wagons. Butler had a two-mile record to wagon of 4 m. 

 56 J s., and was considered a fit antagonist for the young champion. 

 Dexter, however, won easily in two straight heats, in 5 m. f s. and 



4 m. 56J s., and closed his second senson in a blaze of glory. 



He commenced the season of 1866 by defeating General Butler 

 and Commodore Vanderbilt, in two races at the Union Course, the 

 California stallion, George M. Patchen, Jr., also being in the first of 

 them. He had now become so famous that there was a general 

 desire all over the country to see him, and a hippodroming cam- 

 paign, with the California stallion, was arranged, in which Dexter 

 invariably won. In 1867 he defeated Goldsmith Maid once and 

 Lady Thorne three times, and then, despairing of finding any one 

 to make him extend himself, a match was arranged on the Fashion 

 Course between him and Ethan Allen and running mate. The team, 

 contrary to general expectation, won in three straight heats, in 2 m. 

 15 s., 2 m. 16 s., and 2 m. 19 s. Dexter's real time, though, of 

 course, not a matter of record, was 2 m. 16 s., 2 m. 17 s., and 

 2 m. 21 s. Mr. Charles J. Foster, in an admirable essay in 

 Wallace's Monthly, says of this race : " This, though a losing one, 

 was the best performance Dexter ever made upon the course. To 

 trot mile after mile at such a rate, against winning opponents, 

 runner and trotter on the outside, and never to flinch an inch, 

 manifests the most admirable resolution. He never broke, and 

 was not forced out at the end of the heats. I never saw another 

 trotter that could, in my estimation, have stood the pinch. I have 

 seen some very fast ones that would have gone all to pieces when 

 collared in the second heat, as Dexter was." Eight days after this 

 severe race he defeated Lady Thorne, two-mile heats, to wagon, in 



5 m. 1 s. and 5 m. 9 s. ; and on July 4th, he met with his second 

 defeat from Ethan Allen and running mate, over the half-mile 

 track at Morristown, N. J. On July 10, at Trenton, N. J., he and 



