33 



ARRY BASSETT was foaled 1808, and was 

 got by Lexington out of Canary Bird. He 

 made his entre'e into racing society at Saratoga, 

 August 13, 1870, by winning the Kentucky 

 Stakes for two-year-olds from seven opponents. 

 He next won in the Nursery Stakes, at the Fall Meeting 

 at Jerome Park, and concluded the season by carrying off 

 the Supper Stakes, at Baltimore, October 26, his solitary 

 opponent being Madame Dudley, the dam of Mr. Sandford's 

 Brown Prince, who ran so well in England this year in the 

 Guineas. He commenced the season of 1871 at Jerome 

 Park, June 8th, in the Belmont Stakes, one mile and five 

 furlongs, for which eleven horses mustered at the starting- 

 post, among them were the famous four-milers, Monarchist 

 and Wanderer, Mary Clark, Tubuian and Stockwood. Harry 

 Bassett, however, won the race, Stockwood second, and Mr. 

 Belmont's imported By-the-Sea, by the famous Derby win- 

 ner, Thormanby, third. Time. 2:56. He next won the 

 Jersey Derby, at Monmouth Park, Long Branch, July 4, 

 Monarchist second, Idaho third, and Wanderer, Nathan 

 Oaks, and four others not placed; and at Saratoga, July 12, 

 won the Traver's Stakes, Nelly Gray second, Alroy third, 

 and four others not placed. At the same place, August 16, 

 in the Kcnner Stakes, he defeated Nellie Ransom, Alroy, 

 Wine Cup, j35olus, Nathan Oaks and Express. At Jerome 

 Park, October 7. he won the Champion Stakes for three- 

 year-olds, Monarchist second, Alroy third, and Mary Clark, 

 Nellie Ransom and Stockwell not placed. At the same 

 place, one week later, he raced off with the purse for all 

 ages. Thence he went to Baltimore, where, October 24, he 

 walked over the course for the Reunion Stakes; and on 

 the next day defeated Preakness in the $1000 purse for all 

 ages, two-and-a-half-miles, in 5:41}; and on October 30, he 

 defeated his solitary opponent, Helmbold, in the Boone 

 Stakes, four-mile heats, in 7:54| 8:03J. 



In 1872, at Jerome Park, June 8, in the Westchester 

 Cup, he defeated Lyttleton easily by half a length ; and five 

 days later, at the same place, he distanced Metalla in the 

 $1000 purse. He had up to this time won fourteen races, 

 meeting some of the best horses on the turf, and had never 

 been beaten, and when it was announced that he was to 

 meet Longfellow, July 2, at Long Branch, in the Mon- 

 mouth Cup, two-miles-and-a-half, the greatest interest was 

 manifested in almost every part of the country. A vast 

 concourse assembled to see the race. The betting was 

 strongly in favor of Harry Bassett. Bassett led a length as 

 they passed by the club-house at the beginning of the first 

 turn, but Longfellow ran up to him on the backstretch, and 

 when they had gone a mile they were together in 1:44. On 

 the turn, Longfellow, running on the outside, was a neck 

 ahead, but at the head of the stretch they were even, and 

 on they came. Nearly up to the end of the first mile and 

 a half it was as close and good a race as a man could wish 

 to see. But the pace was too strong for Harry Bassett at 

 the stand. Longfellow took the lead. On the turn Bas- 

 sett's rider applied the whip, but it was of no use. The 

 horse shut up at once. Longfellow went away from him, 

 and beat him out in a common canter by about sixty yards, 

 in 4:34. The defeat of Harry Bassett was signal and sur- 

 prising. The idol had fallen the oracles were dumb. 



An explanation of his quitting is given by a writer in the 

 Golden Rule: "The boy who was left to watch Harry 

 during the morning, subsequently confessed to Colonel 



McDaniels that he had received money from outside par- 

 ties, and he had allowed a fiend in human shape to give the 

 horse a bunch of grass upon which was sprinkled a quan- 

 tity of powder, which from its effects was proven to be 

 morphine. Although for the first time in his life Harry 

 had refused to eat, and what seemed more strange, allowed 

 any one to go near him without paying attention, his owner 

 thought the extreme heat and annoyance of the flies, which 

 were almost intolerable, caused this singularity in his favor- 

 ite's behavior. The result of the race was so unexpected 

 and exceptional, that inquiries were made, and elicited the 

 above information." 



Taken immediately to Saratoga, he remained quietly 

 under treatment until July 13, when he won a sweepstakes 

 for all ages; and on July 16, he and Longfellow started 

 together for the Saratoga Cup ; the mighty Western cham- 

 pion twisted his plate, and broke down when victory 

 seemed in his grasp, and Bassett won by a length amidst 

 great excitement. Three days after, Harry Bassett defeated 

 Lyttleton by a length in the $1000 purse, three miles; 

 time, 5:43| ; and with a twenty lengths' victory over Mary 

 Louise, August 21, he left the fashionable waters of Sara- 

 toga, and at Fordham, Oct. 2, administered a three lengths' 

 beating to Else, Fadladeen, Lochiel, Hattie O'Neil, Nema, 

 Henrietta, and Wheatly, for the $600 purse. But now 

 reverses were in store for him. October 5, at the same 

 meeting, he was defeated by Monarchist in the Maturity 

 Stakes hy two lengths, and though he in the meantime beat 

 Albuera, Mary Louise, and Wheatly with ease, in a dash of 

 a mile and three quarters, he was again defeated by Mon- 

 archist, on the last day of the Fall Meeting, at Jerome 

 Park, in the four-mile dash, by two hundred yards, in the 

 excellent time of 7:33J, King Henry being third. 



As a five-year-old, his first appearance was at his favorite 

 Saratoga, July 26, 1873, where he was fourth to Crock- 

 ford, Mate, and Gray Planet; in the Saratoga Cup, where 

 making the running for his stable companion Joe Daniels, 

 he was second. At the same meeting, August 2, he was 

 third in the $1000 purse for all ages, a dash of three 

 miles, his stable companion, Hubbard, winning by twenty 

 lengths, with Wanderer second. In the Manhattan Handi- 

 cap, one mile and a quarter, October 4, he was among 

 the unplaced, the game old Preakness winning the race; 

 and in the Grand National Handicap, two and a quarter 

 miles, run one week later, he was again beaten by him, the 

 famous four-miler Fellowcraft being third, and Galway 

 fourth. October 15, at the same meeting, he scored his 

 first victory that year, in the Free Handicap, two miles, 

 defeating Katie Pease, Mendac and four others, in 3:39|. 

 At Baltimore, October 25, he defeated Shylock, Warlike 

 and three others, two-mile-heats, in 3:56 3:57J, and the 

 next day he wound up a not altogether successful season, 

 being distanced by the game little True Blue in the first 

 heat, in the four-mile-heat race. In 1874, he ran four 

 times. On October 3, at the Annual Fall Meeting of the 

 American Jockey Club, he was beaten by Countess, in the 

 $400 purse for all ages, the Warminster-Sophia filly being 

 second ; and four days later, he was unplaced in the $600 

 purse, won by Grinstead. At Baltimore, October 20, he 

 defeated Gray Planet, Lottie Moon, and thirteen others; 

 and at the same place, two days later, he was fourth in the 

 Free Handicap Stakes for all ages, Ballaukeel winning the 

 race ; after which, he was put to the stud. 



