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|EORGE M. PATCHEN was by Cassius M. 

 Clay out of a fine road mare, by a son of im- 

 ported Trustee. He was foaled in 1849, and 

 was bred by Mr. H. F. Sickles, of Monmouth 

 County, N. J., for Mr. Carman, who owned his 

 dam. Hiram Woodruff, in his Trotting Horse of America, 

 describes him " as a powerful brown horse, above sixteen 

 hands high, with great strength and much bone. He was 

 coarse about the head, and heavy in the carcass; but, 

 though he was what you might call a plain horse, his points 

 were uncommonly strong and good, and his action capital." 

 His first appearance in public was against Ethan Allen, at 

 the Union Course, October 28, 1858, but the little horse 

 distanced the big one in the first heat, in 2:28. His next 

 race was at the Union Course, May 9th, 1859, where he 

 defeated Pilot, in 2:31 2:291 2:32f 2:39} 2:40, Pilot 

 taking the first two heats. At the same place, June 21, 

 he, Lady Woodruff and Brown Dick fought out a desperate 

 contest of six heats, in which the laurels finally rested on 

 the brow of the Lady. They did not remain there long, 

 for six days afterwards he defeated Brown Dick and the 

 Lady, two-mile heats, at the same place, in 5:01} 5:03 J, 

 and the next day defeated the Lady again. Over the 

 same course, July 7, he defeated Brown Dick and Miller's 

 Dan.sel,in 2:261 2:26} 2:29 2:28f 2:29, Brown Dick 

 taking the third and fourth heats. He now lay by until 

 October 17, when he was defeated by Brown Dick, at the 

 Eclipse Course, but three days afterwards Patchen dis- 

 tanced him in a second heat, in 2:28. He now trotted two 

 races each with Lancet and Brown Dick, winning one from 

 each of them. He then tackled Flora Temple, then at the 

 zenith of her fame, at the Union Course, November 21. 

 The mare won the first two heats, in 2:28 2:23, with the 

 stallion close up in each. In the third, Flora was first over 

 the score, in 2:24, but it was given to Patchen, because of 

 a cross and running. Darkness coming on, the race was 

 postponed and never trotted out. In 1860 he defeated 

 Ethan Allen at the Union Course, in harness, on the IGth 

 of May, in 2:252:242:29, and on the 23d, defeated 

 him again, to wagons, in 2:261 2:27 2:31. His races 

 with Flora Temple drew the attention of the whole country 

 to him. Hiram Woodruff thus describes their first meet- 

 ing : " It came off on the 6th of June over the Union 

 Course. The start was even; but Flora soon made a 

 skip, and the stallion got the lead ; but the mare caught, 

 and, going on with uncommon resolution, headed him, and 

 led a length at the quarter in 0:35. On the straight work, 

 she drew away a little more ; but the stallion now made a 

 great burst of speed, and she broke. At the half-mile, in 

 1:11, he had a lead of a length, and soon increased it to 

 two lengths; but, upon the turn, the mare squared herself, 

 drew up to him, and caine into the stretch with him. The 

 struggle home was one of the fastest and closest things that 

 ever was seen. They came on neck-aud-neck at an amazing 

 rate ; and within three strides of home, it seemed to be a 

 dead heat. McMann, at the very last, struck Flora sharply 

 with the whip, let go of her head, and with one desperate 

 effort she was first, by a throat-latch, in 2:21, the best time 

 that we had then seen on the Island. The last half-mile 

 had been trotted in 1:10, and was a neck-and-neck race 

 nearly all the way. In the second heat, Flora was two 

 lengths ahead at the quarter-pole; and Patcheu breaking 

 on the back-stretch, her lead was three lengths at the half- 

 mile. On the lower turn he closed the daylight; and 



(5 



another very hard, close struggle up the home-stretch, 

 ended in his defeat by only a neck in 2:24. Tallman made 

 an appeal after this heat, alleging that McMann had driven 

 foul, by swerving out, and compelling him to go to the 

 extreme outside. The judges disagreed; but the majority 

 overruled the objection. In the third heat they got off well 

 together. On the turn she led slightly, being on the inside, 

 and at the quarter, in 0:36, she led him nearly a length. 

 He now made a wonderful effort, and trotted one of the best 

 quarters that I have ever seen. He was nearly a length 

 behind at the quarter-pole, in 0:36 ; at the half-mile pole, 

 in 1:10, he led. Therefore, he trotted this, the second 

 quarter in the third heat, in better than 0:34. On the 

 lower turn, he led two lengths. But the mare now gathered 

 herself up for one of her rushes, and closed with him. Up 

 the stretch it was again, close and hot. But she had a 

 little the best of it, and at the very last pinch he broke. 

 She won in 2:21 J. I consider this the best race that Flora 

 Temple ever made ; and as the stallion was so little behind 

 her that the difference could not be appreciated by timing, 

 it shows what a remarkable and excellent horse he also was. 

 On the 12th of June, they trotted two-mile heats in har- 

 ness, at the Union Course, and Patchen won in two straight 

 heats, in 4:581 4:57}. Two matches were made, to be 

 trotted at Suffolk Park, Philadelphia, the first, mile heats, 

 three in five; the second, two-mile heats. The first of them 

 was trotted on the 4th of July. She won in 2:22} 2:21 J 

 2:37}. On the 10th of July, they trotted the two-mile 

 heat. Patchen won the first heat, in 4:51}, and would have 

 won the second but for the outrageous interference of a 

 mob, who threw clubs and hats in his face when he had 

 the advantage, and frightened him. He was then with- 

 drawn, and Flora declared the winner. At the Union 

 Course, August 2, they met again. Patchen won the firs; 

 heat in 2:23}, and Flora the last three, in 2:22} 2:23} 

 2:25|. At Saugus, Mass., August 28. she beat him again, 

 and at the Centreville Course, September 24. she beat him 

 two-mile heats, in 4:55} 5:00. After the failure of Flora 

 to beat Dutchman's time, she started out upon a tour with 

 George M. Patchen, upon much the same principles as those 

 which controlled in her campaign with Princess. They 

 were at Elmira on the 3d of October, and, according to tho 

 published programme, trotted for a Purse of 2000 ; tha 

 mare won in three heats, and the best time was 2:30. It 

 seeuis probable that Tallman and the owner of the stallion 

 had come to the conviction that he could not beat Flora 

 that season, and had made up their minds to earn his share 

 of the gate-money as easily as might be. On the 17th, they 

 were at Watertown ; and here there was a good race between 

 them. The track was heavy. In the first heat, Flora led 

 all the way by two lengths, and won in 2:28. In the second 

 heat, the stallion won in 2:26. But the little mare was not 

 to be beaten in the race, for she won the third and fourth 

 heats in 2:26 2:25. At Rochester, the stallion won the first 

 heat, and the mare the other three. The time was 2:29 

 2:292:282:30. October 27, they were at Geneva, and 

 trotted on a heavy course. Flora won the first heat in 2:32. 

 In the second, she was defeated iu 2:28. In the third, she 

 beat the stallion in 2:29. But in the fourth heat she was 

 distanced. On the 31st, they reached Corning; and there 

 the mare won in three heats, with 2:31 the best, the track 

 being very heavy. That was the last time that Flora and 

 Patchen trotted together. Patchen then was sent to the 

 stud, and died, May, 1864. 



