11 



JEXINGTON was foaled in 1850, and bred by 

 Dr. Warfield of Lexington, Ky. He was got 

 by Boston, out of Alice Carneal, by imported 

 Sarpedon. Her son Lexington, her fifth foal, 

 was always of exceeding great promise so much 

 so, that Dr. Warfield named him Darley. after the renowned 

 Darley Arabian. He was entered in the Phoenix Stake, 

 mile heats, to be run in the spring of 1853, at Lexington, 

 and in the Citizens' Stake, two-mile heats, for the same 

 meeting. The race was run in rain and mud. There was 

 a false start, in which Darley and Garrett Davis ran three 

 miles before they could be pulled up. In five minutes they 

 had to start again with a lot of fresh horses, among whom 

 was Wild Irishman, by Glencoe, a fast miler, as was after- 

 wards abundantly proved. Nevertheless, Darley won in 

 three straight heats. Meantime, the powers of the colt 

 had been recognized, and two parties were after him to run 

 in the Great State Stake at New Orleans in the following 

 spring, which stake was about to close. ' Mr. Louis Smith 

 of Alabama wanted him for that State. Captain Viley 

 and Mr. Ten Broeck wanted the colt to represent Ken- 

 tucky in the State Stake, and they finally got him. Mr. 

 Smith was vexed at not having got Lexington for Alabama, 

 and matched Sallie Waters against him to run three-mile 

 heats in the fall, staking $5,000 to Lexington's $3,500. 

 The latter was sent for preparation to Natchez to Mr. J. 

 B. Pryor, a man of great natural sagacity, of much skill 

 as a trainer. After some time had passed at his new 

 home, Lexington was brought out at early morning to run 

 a trial. He did so, and pulled up in great distress, for 

 which Mr. Pryor was unable to account. But upon ques- 

 tioning his boys, one of them confessed that Lexington had 

 broken into the feed-room, through the board partition, in 

 the night preceding the trial, and eaten up a large part of 

 a barrel of wheat. The result of the matter was, that the 

 horse went all to pieces, and Mr. Pryor is inclined to believe 

 that the infirmity of his eyes and his early blindness re- 

 sulted in part from that cause. They now proposed to 

 draw the match with Sallie Waters, but Mr. Smith and his 

 trainer (Tom Patterson) refused, although their mare was 

 herself badly off. The race was run, Lexington won it, 

 and the mare never recovered from its effects. She did not 

 long survive. A four-mile trial before the Great State 

 Stake in the following spring proved that Lexington was 

 all himself, and a horse of ten millions. Four horses were 

 run against him, mile about, Little Flea and Jim Barton 

 being among them. None of them could keep anywhere 

 near Lexington, and when Little Flea cut in to run the last 

 mile the grand young horse ran clean over him, and knocked 

 him into the ditch ! The Great State Stake was run in 

 mud, and Lexington won in two straight heats, beating 

 Lecompte, Highlander, and Arrow in 8:08 J 8:04; Arrow 

 distanced in the first heat and Highlander in the second. 

 After the State Stake, Captain Viley determined that Lex- 

 ington should race no more that season. His shoes were 

 pulled off and he was turned out. But Mr. Ten Broeck 

 wanted to run him in the Jockey Club Purse, four-mile 

 heats, and as Captain Viley would not consent he bought 

 his half of the horse. Lexington had but two gallops 

 before he started, and was beaten by Lecompte, but even 

 under those circumstances many attributed his defeat to 

 the fact that his rider thought he had gone four miles 

 when he had only run three, and partly pulled him up. 



After that Lexington and Arrow were brought to Sara- 

 toga, and thence to the Fashion Course, Long Island. 

 There had been some talk of sending them to England to 

 run, but the match was made for Lexington to run against 

 Lecompte's time (7:26), and he returned to Mr. Pryor at 

 Natchez to be trained for it. That famous match was 

 decided on the Metairie Course, New Orleans, April 2, 1855. 

 The horse was to beat Lecompte's time (7:26) for $20,000. 

 Lexington won with great ease, running in 7:191- The 

 track is commonly supposed to have been in extra good 

 condition, but that is an error. There had been no rain for 

 about three months, and it was very hard. The tanbark and 

 sawdust laid near the pole did but little good. When Lex- 

 ington reached Natchez to be trained for this race he was 

 somewhat scarred. He had run away at Mr Lloyd's, and 

 galloped through a cornfield, in which the stalks had bruised 

 his legs. He was not hurt seriously, however, and Mr. 

 Pryor got him into splendid staying condition. Some said 

 he was a little big when he arrived at New Orleans, but 

 Mr. Pryor said in reply, " If he is it is my fault, for he 

 has never missed a feed nor a gallop." In the match 

 Joe Blackburn ran the first mile with him, Arrow the two 

 middle miles, and Joe Blackburn the fourth. Lexington went 

 clean away from them, and the time of his miles was l:47i 

 1:52J 1:51 J 1:48 J. Only once did Arrow get up to 

 him, which was when Lexington's feet had been made very 

 hot by the hard ground, and he swerved out into the middle 

 of the track, where it was softer. But a touch of Gilpat- 

 rick's spur and a pull forced him to the pole, and finding 

 Arrow near him, he shot off again. He had the advantage 

 of an excellent rider, for Gilpatrick's seat was beautiful, 

 his hand light and artistic, and he was a good judge of pace. 

 The best judges say that Lexington could have run in 7:12 

 on this memorable day, and that when he beat Lecompte 

 twelve days afterwards for the Jockey Club Purse in 7:231, 

 he could have run in 7:10, or better. The style and action 

 of this king among horses were of the finest description. 

 He went stealing along with a low, easy stride, his head 

 levelled and generally inclined a little in towards the fence, 

 on the other side of which the carriage horses were. His 

 speed was so great that he could go within himself while 

 other horses were running nearly their best rate and tiring, 

 and for staying qualities which result from good wind, good 

 disposition, sound legs, and easy action, he was unrivalled. 

 His gameness was unquestionable, for when his feet were 

 burning hot in the time race, and both the fore plates were 

 badly twisted, he no sooner heard Arrow approaching than 

 he shot away like an arrow from a Comanche bow. He 

 was not a horse of the large bone, which some declaim 

 about as the summum bonum, but his joints were large and 

 strong, and his legs clean and sinewy. He was a very 

 bloodlike horse, much more so than his sons of some fami- 

 lies, and his head was clean cut, as if struck out of marble 

 by the chisel of a great sculptor. When blind in his pad- 

 dock his appearance was grand as that' of Belisarius in his 

 old age. He died at Woodburn Stud Farm, in Kentucky, 

 July 1, 1875. 



Lexington hit with nearly all sorts of mares, but those 

 who were by English horses seem to have suited him best. 

 The cross with the daughters of Glencoe was generally 

 happy in its results. The same may be said of that with 

 those of Yorkshire, and the Leviathans and Albions also 

 suited him well. Sportsman. 



