526 A SHORT HISTORY OF THE 



Lady Thorne met for the last time, and with the usual result. 

 On the IGth, he beat Brown George and running mate at Albany, 

 and trotted the second and third heats in 2 m. 20 V s. He beat 

 them again at Providence, July 26. And on the 30th, he beat 

 them again at the Riverside half-mile course, Boston. In this 

 race he made 2 m. 21f s., 2 m. 19 s., and 2 m. 21 J s. After that, 

 at Buffalo, he beat his Boston time by trotting a mile in 2 m. 17^ s. 

 The course was then over a mile in length, and much slower than 

 it now is. He was now purchased by Mr. Bonner, and retired from 

 the turf. Mr. Charles J. Foster, in the essay already quoted, says of 

 him : " During his career of less than four seasons Dexter won forty- 

 nine races. The great majority of them were mile heats, three in 

 five, in harness. He also won at three-mile heats and at two-mile 

 heats, in harness, and to wagon he was never defeated. He lost a 

 race to Shark through hitting himself. Lady Thorne defeated him 

 once when he was not seasoned, and was oiF as well. He beat her 

 five times in much better races. General Butler beat him once in 

 a poor race, under saddle, when he was all ofi^. Ethan Allen, with 

 running mate, beat him twice. Dexter made the best mile under 

 saddle, the best mile in harness, and the best mile to wagon that 

 had been made. His two miles to wagon, second heat, was perhaps 

 his greatest performance. He had lots of speed left at the end of 

 it, and could have gone another mile without pulling up at a tre- 

 mendous rate. It is manifest to those who carefully consider the 

 breeding, the form, the wonderful exploits, and the rare character- 

 istics of this famous horse, that he never had an equal." 



After Dexter's retirement came the ladies' era, when the three 

 great mares, Lady Thorne, Goldsmith Maid, and American Girl 

 contended for the mastery. 



Of this brilliant coterie Lady Thorne, the big, one-eyed, thorough- 

 bred mare from Kentucky, was easily the first. Standing full IGi- 

 hands high, with a good head and neck, deep shoulders, remark- 

 able withers, long-bodied and leggy, she was one of the most blood- 

 like and thoroughbred trotters that ever stepped the turf. She had 

 lost an eye accidentally, and had an enlarged ankle behind from 

 her kicking propensities when breaking, and was unusually fiery 

 and high spirited. Her breeding was right royal. Her sire wa* 

 Mambrino Chief, and her dam a daughter of the thoroughbred 

 Gano, a son of the fiimous American Eclipse. Her career was 

 worthy of such high lineage, and as she stole around the course 

 with that low, long, sweeping stride of hers, woe betide those con- 

 tending with her; for, though not seeming to be g(»ing so fast, 

 she nearly always found herself well in front at the close of each 

 heat. She was on the turf- eleven years, and trotted sixty-six 

 races, of which she won fifty-one, and received in purses and 



