ECLIPSE. 47 



Of the beauty, yet peculiarity of his form, much has been said. The 

 very o;reat size, obliquity, and lowness of his shoulders were the objects of 

 e:eneral remark — with the shortness of his fore-quarters, his ample and 

 finely proportioned quarters, and the swelling muscles of his fore-arm and 

 thi»'h. Of his speed, no correct estimate can be formed, for lie never met 

 with an opponent sufficiently fleet to put it to the test. 



He was bred by the Duke of Cumberland, and sold at his death to 

 Mr. Wildman, a sheep salesman, for seventy-five guineas. Colonel O'Kelly 

 purchased a share of him from Wildman. In the spring- of the following 

 year, when the reputation of this wonderful animal was at its height, 

 O'Kelly wished to become sole owner of him, and bought the remaining 

 share for one thousand poimds. 



Eclipse was what is termed a thick-winded horse, and puffed and 

 roared so as to be heard at a considerable distance. For this or some 

 other cause, he was not brought on the turf until he was five years old. 



O'Kelly, auare of his horse's powers, had backed him freely on his 

 first race, in May 1769. This excited curiosity, or, perhaps, roused sus- 

 picion, and some persons attempted to watch one of his trials. Mr. John 

 Lawrence says, that " they were a httle too late ; but they found an old 

 woman who gave them all the information they wanted. On inquiring 

 whether she had seen a race, she replied that she cotild not tell whether 

 it was a race or not, but that she had just seen a horse with white legs 

 running away at a monstrous rate, and another horse a great way behind, 

 trying to run after him; but she was sure he never would catch the white- 

 legged horse if he ran to the world's end." 



The first heat was easily won, when O'Kelly, observing that the rider 

 had been pulling at Eclipse during the whole of the race, offered a wager 

 that he placed the horses in the next heat. This seemed a thing so highly 

 improbable, that he immediately had bets to a large amount. Being 

 called on to declare, he replied, "Eclipse first, and the rest no where!" 

 The event justified his prediction : all the others were distanced by Eclipse 

 with the greatest ease ; or, in the language of the turf, they had no place. 



In the spring of the following year, he beat Mr. Wentworth's Bucephalus, 



never started but once, and was beaten; and the Godolphin Arabian was purchased from 

 a water-cart in ^scris.— -Smith's Breeding for the Turf, p. 5. 



