18« 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



June 18, 1831- 



the world. In color he resembled his sire 

 Duroc— being of a chesnut. He had one 

 white foot, and a star in his forehead ; was 

 fifteen hands and one inch high ; generally 

 well proportioned ; of large bone and mus- 

 cle : 



Eclipse was foaled at Dosoris, Queens 

 County, L. Island, on the 20th May, 1814, 

 and was reared by the late Gen. Nathaniel , 

 Coles, the breeder, in whose possession he ] 

 remained till the 15th March 1819, when he 

 became the property of Mr. Van Ranst.— 

 His sire was Dnroc ; his dam, Miller's Dam- 

 sel, by Messenger; his grandam, the Eng- 

 lish Pot-8-o's mare, imported at three years 

 old, in 1795, by William Constable, Esq. of 

 New-York. Pot-8-o's was sired by the cel- 

 ebrated English Eclipse ; his great grandam 

 by GimcracU; Gimcrack by Cripple; and 

 Cripple by the Godolphin Arabian. 



From a memorandum in the hand wri- 

 ting of Gen. Nathaniel Coles, the breeder, 

 it appears that he was reared in he follow- 

 ing manner : The colt was weaned on the 

 10th of November. At the commencement 

 of winter, fed with four quarts of shorts, 

 which was increased during the winter to 

 eight quarts per day ; hay, clover dampen- 

 ed 3 . 



Second year, in the spring turned to grass 

 with no grain. November 10th, put up — fed 

 with eight quarts shorts per day ; during 

 winter shorts increased to ten quarts ; hay 

 the same as first winter. 



Third year turned to grass with four 

 quarts of shorts pet day. September lst,eom- 

 menced breaking ; feed, eight quarts oats ; 

 through the winter, hay as formerly; grain, 

 ground corn and oats, equal to eleven quarts 

 of oats. March 1st, commenced and trained 

 for nine weeks, then gave a trial of two 

 miles and found the colt very superior. 



Fourth year, in summer turned to grass; 

 fed with ground oats and corn, equal to nine 

 quarts oats ; in winter, hay as formerly, 

 with nine quarts of oats per day, till the 1st 

 of March, 1818, when commenced training ; 

 feed, oats and cracked corn, equal to twelve 

 quarts oats. 



Fifth year late in May, 1818, ran the three 

 mile heats at New Market on Long Island, 

 and won the first days with ease; beating 

 Black-eyed Susan and Sea Gull, then cal- 

 red the best three mile horses of the day. — 

 Turned out to grass the first of June, with a- 

 bout six quarts of oats a day ; in winter fed 

 with hay as before, with ground coin and 

 oats. March 15th, 1819, sold Eclipse to 

 Mr. Van Ranst. At five months old, while 

 a suckling, he gave his owner such a sample 

 of stride, strength and speed, that he was at 

 that time named "American Eclipse," 



While a colt he was not confined, but du- 

 ring the winter season, turned out every fair 

 day. He was first shod in the spring when 

 three years' old. 



In June 1814, he won the Jockey Club's 

 purse of #500, running the four mile heats 

 over the Bath course ; beating Mr. Purdy's 

 horse Little John, by the Virginian Poto- 

 mac ; Mr. Bond's horse Eclipse, by First 

 • ,'ons'il ; and Mr. Potter's horse James Fit/. 

 James, by Sir Archy. In October 1819, he 

 again run the lour mile at Bath, winning the 



pnvse of $500, beating Mr. Purdy's horse 

 Little John; Mr. Schenck's horse Fear- 



naUght, and Mr. Bond's colt; the two lat- 

 ter be'rng withdrawn the second licit. The 



Bath course measured fifteen links over a 

 mile; the first heal of this race was run in 

 eight minutes and thirteen seconds ; the sec- 

 ond in eight minutes and eight seconds. In 

 the spring of 1820, Eclipse stood to mares 

 on Long-Island, at gl2 00 the season. In 

 the spring of 1821, he again covered as a 

 common stallion at #12 50 the season, and 

 covered eighty-seven mares ; nor was it 

 contemplated to bring him again upon the 

 turf, but the legislature of the State of New- 

 York having new modled the law respecting 

 racing, and a society being re-organized, 

 specially for the improvement of our breed 

 of horses, Mr. Van Ranst was induced again 

 to put Eclipse in training for the four mile 

 heats, to be run over the New-Union course, 

 eight miles from Brooklyn, and near the 

 Jamaica turnpike, in October of that year. 



From an opinion long entertained by 

 sportsmen, that covering renders a horse un-l 

 fit for the race, the friends of Eclipse ques- 

 tioned the policy of again running him ; — 

 but the event proved that so far as he was 

 concerned, the opinion was unfounded. 



The races commenced on the 1 5th of Oc- 

 tober, 1821, when four horses started for the 

 purse of #500, to run the four mile heats : 

 viz. American Eclipse ; Mr. Sleeper's brown 

 mare " Lady Lightfoot," by " Sir Archy ;" 

 Mr. Schenck's horse " Flag of Truce," b' 

 " Sir Solomon," and Mr. Schamp's horse 

 " Heart of Oak." The two last named hor- 

 ses were drawn after the first heat and " La- 

 dy Lightfoot" was distanced in the second, 

 being nine years old ; she had run upwards 

 of twenty races — some very severe ones, and 

 was out of order. 



The bets at starting were two to one on 

 the mare. The mare led until the last quar- 

 ter of the first heat, when Eclipse passed 

 her, coining in two lengths ahead. In the 

 second heat Eclipse passed her in running 

 the third of a mile and from that time left 

 her alone. The time was first heat eight 

 minutes and four seconds ; the second heat 

 eight minutes and two seconds, and the 

 course measured thirty feet over a mile. 



In the following week. Eclipse was exhi- 

 bited at the annual exhibition of the New- 

 York County Agricultural Society, and re- 

 ceived the society's first premium of #50 

 for the best stallion. 



In May 1822, Eclipse won the purse of 

 #700 for the four mile heats at Union 

 Course, beating Mr. Badger's five year-old 

 horse Sir Walter, by Hickory. A bet of 

 considerable amount was made by the own- 

 ers of the two horses on the first heat, which 

 with the second heat, was won by Eclipse. 

 Time, first heat seven minutes and fifty-four 

 seconds: second heat eight minutes. 



In May 182-2, he again run the four mile 

 heats at the Union Course for the #1000 

 purse, which he won ; beating a second time 

 Mr. Badger's horse Sir Walter; Mr. Sleep- 

 er's bay mare the Dutchess of Marlborough, 

 by Sir Archy ; and Mr. Jackson's mare 

 Slow-and-Easy, by Duroc. The first heat 

 was run in seven minutes and fifty-eight sec- 

 onds, when the two mares were withdrawn, 

 and Sir Walter stopping short in the s< cond 

 heat, Eclipse came in at his leistnc 



A day or two previous to this race, a chal- 

 lenge appeared in the New-York papers h\ 

 Mr. James .1. Harrison, of Brunswick, (Va.) 

 in which he offered to " run Sir Charles a- 

 gainstthe American Eclipse over the Wash- 

 ington course, four mile heats, agreeable to 

 Che rules of the Cour.se, for 5 or #10,00X1." 



This challenge was promptly accepted b^ 

 Mr. Van Ranst, « ho as two sums w ere na- 

 med by Mr. Harrison, chose the greatest ;— 

 that the object of the contest might corres- 

 pond with the fame of the horses. 



The forfeit money was #5,000, each hav- 

 ing been deposited, the time for running was 

 fixed for the 20th of November. At the 

 hour of starting both horses were brought 

 out and the riders mounted ; but instead of 

 running agreeably to the challenge, Mr 

 Harrison gave notice that as his horse had 

 met with an accident, he would pay the 

 forfeit. He at the same time proposed 

 to run a single four mile heat for #1500 

 each, which being instantly agreed to, the 

 horses started — Eclipse takim: the lead. — 

 On the last round Sir Charles broke down 

 The two first rounds were run in one minute 

 and fifty-five seconds each ; and the heal in 

 eight minutes and four seconds. In this 

 race Sir Charles carried 120 lbs. — Eclipse 

 126 lbs. 



In the evening of the same day, William 

 JR. Johnson, Esq. of Petersburgh, Va. offer- 

 ed to produce a horse on the last Tuesday 

 in May. 1823, to run the four mile heats a 

 gainst Eclipse, over the Union Course on 

 Long-Island, agreeable to the rules of that 

 Course, for #20,000 a side — #3,000 forfeit. 

 This challenge was immediately accepted 

 by Mr, John C. Stevens ; in consequence 

 of which, Col. Johnson on the d y mention- 

 ed appeared on the race with with a 4 year- 

 old chesnut colt, called Henry ; (John Rich 

 aids, intended for the race having been la- 

 med) about fifteen hands and one inch high, 

 which had been bred by Mr. Lemuel Long 

 near Halifax, N. C. Henry was sired by 

 Sir Archy ; his dam by Diomed, her dam 

 by Bellair ; hers by Valiant; hers by Ja 

 nus, hers by Jolly Roger — imported horses. 

 About half past 12 o'clock, both horses 

 started. Eclipse was rode by Wm. Crafts, 

 Henry by a young lad. Henry took the 

 lead and maintained it through the heat. — 

 They came in together. Henry beating E- 

 clipse by half a length, but apparently "hard 

 in hand." Bets on the second heat, three 

 to one on Henry. Dur rig the second heat. 

 Eclipse was rode by Purdy. Henry again 

 took the lead and kept it until the last quar- 

 ter of the third mile, when Purdy made a 

 push, and Eclipse passed his rival at the 

 commencement of the fourth mile. An at- 

 tempt was made by Henry's rider to recov- 

 er his ground, but in vain. lie was beat by 

 about thirty feet. Henry reined in on par- 

 sing the distance pole, the loss of the heat 

 being evident. 



When the horses were brought out for the 

 third heat, the great trainer, Arthur Taylor, 

 mounted Henry, instead of the boy who rode 

 him in the two first heats. On starting E- 

 clij m took the lend, which he kept to the 

 end of the race ; coming in about three 

 lengths ahead of Henry, both at their utmost 

 speed. Henry in this heat having been re- 

 served for the last quarter. 



The time of running the three heats as 

 given by the judges, Gen. Ridgely of Balti' 

 more, Capt. Cox of Washington, and John 

 Allen, Esq. of Philadelphia, was as follows : 

 First heat, 7 minutes 37 seconds. Second 

 heat, 7 minutes 49 seconds. Third heat, 

 8 minutes 24 sccorids. 



Twelve miles in tuznty-threc minutes and 

 fifty seconds. 



The weights carried were — Ecjipse 12t 

 lbs.; HeTrry 108 IK Weight? accofding tc 



