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JDLEWILD is a brown mare, blind in one eye, 

 foaled 1859. She was bred by W. S. Buford, 

 Esq., and was got by Lexington out of Florine 

 by imported Glencoe. She first started at 

 Lexington in a sweepstakes for three-year- 

 olds that had never won a race. In this she won the 

 first heat, and was placed third in the race, two Glen- 

 coe colts being first and second. There were six others 

 behind Idlewild, and three of them distanced. That was 

 in June, 1860. In the Fall of the year she was taken 

 down the river, and ran at Memphis, Mobile, and New 

 Orleans. At Memphis, October 29th, she won the Walker 

 Stake for three-year-olds, and it was after this that she 

 received the name of Idlewild In December, at Mobile, 

 she was again victorious, winning the Grant Stakes for all 

 ages, beating Twilight, Neil Robinson, and James Cropper. 

 In the Club Purse for all ages, mile heats, at the same 

 meeting, Idlewild was ruled out. Idlewild next appeared 

 at New Orleans, in the Spring Meeting of 1861, and 

 on the 5th of April, and running as a three-year-old 

 according to Southern rules, she won the Club Purse of 

 $400, mile heats. She beat the two-year-old filly Regret, 

 by Brown Dick, and an imported two-year-old colt by 

 Stockwell, running the two heats in 1:45 J 1:46J. Four 

 days afterwards she defeated Dick Edward for the Club 

 Purse of $600, heat of two miles, in 3:38^3:41. On 

 May 18th, at the Woodlawn Course, in the Purse for All 

 Ages, mile heats, she beat Austerlitz and three others, in 

 1:48 1:44 J. Five days afterwards, at the same meeting, 

 she beat Pope Swigert, Lucy Fowler, and a Sovereign filly, 

 in the Purse for All Ages, mile heats, best three in five, in 

 three straight heats, in 1:46 1:47 J 1:47. 



The outbreak of the great civil war for a while crushed 

 out the sports of the turf, but the Lexington Fall Meeting 

 was held as usual, despite the fact that many of Kentucky's 

 bravest sons were facing each other on the fatal battle-fields 

 scattered over that State. September 25th, in the Purse 

 for All Ages, mile heats, best three in five, Idlewild beat 

 Pope Swigert, and four others, in three straight heats ; 

 time, 1:47 J 1:45 1:46 ; and the next day she beat Bettie 

 Ward, a Vandal filly, Simon Kenton, and Pope Swigert, 

 two mile heats, in 3:571 3:55. She then went to Louis- 

 ville, and, on October 5th, beat Ella D. and Bettie Ward, 

 for the Challenge Vase, valued at $1000, a dash of three 

 miles. Her first race in 1862 was at Georgetown, Ken- 

 tucky. May 21st, where she beat Kansas easily, two mile 

 heats, in 3:47 3:50. At Lexington, June 3d, she beat 

 Ella D. and Jerome Edgar, two mile heats, easily, over a 

 very heavy track, in 4:32 4:28. For a Purse for All 

 Ages, three mile heats, run June 7th, for which six started, 

 she was the favorite, at evens against the field, and seemed 

 to justify the confidence of her admirers by winning the 

 first heat in 5:43J, but was absolutely last in the second 

 heat, which was won by the colt by imported Sovereign 

 out of Sallie Lewis. She was then drawn, and the 

 Sovereign colt won the third heat and the race in good 

 time. She now left the Sunny South, and at Philadelphia, 

 June 28th, she won the three-mile-heat race easily, from 

 Ella D. and Bettie Ward, in 5:48| 5:48. At Boston, 

 July 20th, she defeated Wagram and Avalanche, in the 

 three-mile-heat race easily, in 5:425:48. At Philadel- 

 phia, October 25th, she won the Post Stake for All Ages, 

 three-mile heats, beating Blackbird, Avalanche and Wo- 



gram, in 5:45 5:35}. In 1863 she made a wonderful 

 performance. It was at the Centreville Course, June 25th, 

 in the four-mile dash for all ages; weight for age; and 

 Idlewild, 6 years, carrying 117 Ibs., ridden by Tom Patton ; 

 Jerome Edgar, 4 years, 104 Ibs., ridden by the famous 

 Gilpatrick; and Dangerous, 4 years, 104 Ibs., ridden by 

 Gordon Davison, were in it. The track was excessively 

 hard, and very trying upon the horses. 



The following report of the race is from The Spirit of 

 the Times : " Dangerous had the inside the blind side 

 of the mare Jerome on the outside was on that of her 

 good eye. She, sandwiched in between, reminded one of 

 the great Queen Bess, with Philip of Spain on one side and 

 Louis of France on the other, and more than a match, in 

 craft and power, for both. At the word they jumped off 

 together, but Idlewild was soonest on her legs in earnest, 

 for she was ahead of the others going round the turn. But 

 Tommy Patton's orders were to wait, and he pulled her to 

 the rear as soon as he could. Gilpatrick now made the 

 running, but not at a strong pace. At the half-mile pole 

 he was four lengths ahead of Dangerous, and the mare as 

 much behind that stout little horse. Idlewild was pulling 

 as hard as Glenartney when Lord Jersey's other colt, Mame- 

 luke, beat him for the Derby, and all the fielders exclaimed, 

 " If the bridle had a broke, he couldn't have lost it." Going 

 around the turn, Tommy indulged the mare with a little of 

 her head, and she ran by Dangerous, taking a place about 

 three lengths from Jerome, while the other colt fell as much 

 behind her. Thus they came along to the stand in 1:59, 

 the pace not having been strong in any portion of the mile. 

 Perhaps Gilpatrick now received a signal to that effect, for 

 they were no sooner out of the crowd than he put on steam. 

 The mare followed suit and maintained her relative position, 

 but Dangerous fell a little more to the rear. The pace was 

 maintained by Jerome all through the mile, which was run 

 in 1:48}. Idlewild just lay about three lengths behind the 

 leader, while Dangerous was some five behind her when 

 they came to the stand. Another mile was run, and there 

 was no change worth mentioning in the relative positions 

 of the horses, save that Dangerous dropped a little further 

 back. This mile was not quite as fast as the second, 1:51 

 being the time of running it. As they ran along the back- 

 stretch of the fourth mile, the mare began to creep towards 

 Jerome Edgar. At the half-mile there was but a length 

 of daylight between them. Now the great struggle in reality 

 began. Inch by inch the stride of the mare closed this 

 gap of daylight. Soon it was all gone. And then steadily 

 but inevitably, as the shadow of the moon during an eclipse 

 advances over the face of the sun, she fore-reached to his 

 head. But Jerome was not to be passed, and streamed away 

 from her. Carefully nursed by Gilpatrick, he had a run 

 yet in him, even at the rate they were going. Neck-and- 

 neck with the mare in the hollow of the turn, as though 

 cheered on by the clarion voice of Clay of Kentucky, the 

 capital game colt raced. As they swung into the home- 

 stretch the mare had about half a length the best of it, and 

 no more. Once in the straight, however, her stroke, strong 

 and elastic as the Saxon bow that strewed the field of 

 Cressy, soon decided the matter. She got clear of her gal- 

 lant opponent, took the track, and won it by two lengths 

 (such was the fiat of the judge) in 7:26}, the last mile 

 having been run in 1:47|." Her son Wildidle won a four- 

 mile heat, at San Francisco, October 22, 1875, in 7:25-}. 



