THE RACE-HORSE. 71 



not, but tliat slie had just seen a liorse, Avitli a Avliite leg, running away at 

 a monstrous rate, and another horse a great way behind, tidying to run 

 after him ; but she was sui-e he would never catch the white-legged horse 

 if he ran to the world's end.' 



The first heat was easily won, when 0' Kelly, observing that the rider 

 had been pulling at Eclipse during the whole of the race, offered a wager 

 that he placed the horses in the next heat. This seemed a thing so highly 

 improbable, that he immediately had bets to a large amount. Being 

 called on to declare, he replied, ' Eclipse first, and the rest nowhere !' The 

 event justified his prediction, for all the others were distanced by Eclipse 

 with the gi'eatest ease, and thus, in the language of the turf, they had 

 no place. 



In the spring of the following year, he beat Mr. Wentworth's Buce- 

 phalus, who had never before met with his equal. Two days afterwards, 

 he distanced Mr. Strode's Pensioner, a very good horse ; and in the August 

 of the same year, he won the great subscription at York. No horse daring 

 to enter against him, he closed his short career, of seventeen months, by 

 walking over the Newmarket course for the King's plate, on October the 

 I8th, 1770. He was never beaten, nor ever paid forfeit, and won for his 

 o\vner more than twenty-five thousand pounds. 



Eclipse was afterwards employed as a stallion, and produced the extra- 

 ordinary number of three hundi-ed and thirty-four winners, and these 

 netted to their oivners more than 160,000Z. exclusive of plates and cups. 

 The produce of King Herod, a descendant of Flying Childers, was even 

 more numerous. He got no less than four hundred and ninety-seven 

 ^^dnners, w^ho gained for their proprietors upwards of two hundred thou- 

 sand pounds. Highflyer was a son of King Herod. 



The profit brought to the o'svner of Eclipse by his services as a stallion 

 must have been immense. It is said that ten years after he was "svith- 

 dra^vn from the turf, O'Kelly was asked at what price he would sell him. 

 At first he peremptorily refused to sell him at any price, but after some 

 reflection, he said that he would take 25,000Z., with an annuity of 6001. a 

 year on his O'wn life, and the annual privilege of sending six mares to 

 him. The seeming extravagance of the sum excited considerable remark ; 

 but O'Kelly declared that he had already cleared more than 25,000?. by 

 him, and that he Avas young enough still to earn double that sum. In 

 fact, he did live nearly ten years afterwards, covering at 50 guineas a 

 mare, for some pai't of the time ; but his feet having been carelessly and 

 cruelly neglected, he became foundered. His feet rapidly grew w^orse 

 and worse until he was a very uncei"taiii foal-getter ; and the value of his 

 progeny was more than suspected. He died in February 1789, at the 

 age of twenty-five years. Of the beauty and yet the peculiai'ity of 

 his form there has been much dispute. His lowness before was evident 

 enough, and was a matter of objection and reproach among those 

 who could not see how abundantly this was redeemed by the extent 

 and obliquity of the shoulder, the broadness of the loins, the ample 

 and finely-proportioned quarters, and the swelling and the extent — 

 the sloping and the power of the muscles of the fore-arm, and of 

 the thighs. 



A little before the death of Eclijise, M. St. Bel, the founder of the 

 Veterinary College in St. Pancras, had arrived from France. In teaching 

 the French pupils the general conformation of the horse, and the just pro- 

 portions of his various parts, it had been necessary that reference should 

 he made to some horse of acknowledged excellence. It occurred to St. Bel 

 that this extraordinary and unbeaten horse would be the proper standard 

 to which the English student might be referred for a similar purpose, and, 



