THE TliOrTIXG-IIOn.^E OF AMERICA. 131 



31 ^s. in whicli lie ti-ottcd them, it miglit have a v^jist differ- 

 ence at the end of his twenty miles. 



But we have not done witli this gallant veteran yet. 

 True, he was then in his twenty-second year, and spavined 

 in both legs ; but he was a young one compared to some of 

 tlie poor decrepit animals we sometimes see staggering 

 about, overkneed, and twisted up and knuckled behind, and 

 utterly ruined in constitution, as well as in their legs, before 

 they are ten years old. We must follow the evergreen, 

 live-oak, old Topgallant into his twenty-fourth year, and 

 see what he did when liis days were nigh unto those of a 

 quarter of a centur3\ It was in 1831, two years after the 

 race above mentioned, and when the old' horse was in his 

 twenty-fourth ^'■ear, that he and Whalebone and six others 

 met on the Hunting-park Course at Philadelphia, and 

 trotted a race of three-mile heats. Thus there were eight 

 trotters in the race: Dread, ridden by George Spicer; 

 Topgallant, ridden by IVIatt Cliutock in the first three 

 heats, and by Uncle George Woodruff in the fourth ; 

 Collector, ridden by Peter Whelan ; Chancellor, ridden by 

 Frank Duffy ; Whalebone, ridden by Frank Tolbert in the 

 first two heats, but in the third by George Woodruff; 

 Lady Jackson, ridden by John Vanderbilt ; Moonshine, by 

 James Hammil ; and Columbus, by George Woodruff, until 

 he broke down in the second heat. Dread was a handsome 

 bay gelding, about fifteen hands and an inch, a beautiful 

 goer, and a horse of capital bottom. Columbus was a 

 bright bay horse, sixteen hands high. In the first part of 

 his career he was called the Acker Colt, and at that time 

 George Spicer took care of him. He afterwards went to 

 Philadelphia, and passed into my uncle's care. He was 

 the first horse that ever beat eight minutes in a three-mile 

 heat. Peter Whelan rode him in 7m. 58s. ; James Black 

 of Philadelphia owned him at that time. Chancellor was 

 a handsome dapple gray, with a long tail. At that timw 

 most of our horses were docked. Ho was about fiftoop 



