152 Making the American Thoroughbred 



His father, before him, was on the turf, and if the son 

 was not born in a manger he certainly grew up in the 

 stable. 



When quite young he was entrusted with his father's 

 horses and started one contrary to instructions. Upon 

 being reprimanded he challenged his father to a match 

 race to prove that the horse he had started was better 

 than the one he had been told to start. After this race 

 the elder Johnson announced that William was "keener" 

 than he was and surrendered the management of all the 

 horses to him. That the father, himself, was a man of 

 keen judgment was proved by the subsequent career of 

 the son. 



About 1804-05 Col. Johnson was partner in a match 

 race run by Peacemaker and Ball's Florizel, and trained 

 Peacemaker. He was defeated but he afterward won 

 largely with Sir Archy, Pacolet, Sir Hal, Vanity, Reality, 

 Sally Walker, Trifle, Andrew, Boston, Bonnets O'BIue 

 and many others. 



"In 1808," said a writer in The Spirit of the Times in 

 1839, "with an inferior colt, True Blue, Col. Johnson 

 won the great Fairfield stake, beating Sir Archy, Wrangler 

 Palafox and Virginius all, subsequently, of the highest 

 distinction. In 1809 and 1810 he won greatly with Sir 

 Archy and Pacolet, beating every competitor; and in 

 the latter year, with Maria, an inferior nag to the others, 

 won the famed 20-mile race at Fairfield, beating Duroc, 

 Sir Alfred and others. Shortly after this, Tuckahoe, by 

 Ball's Florizel, became the great race horse of the day, 

 first in Virginia and then in Maryland. In 1816 the 

 Colonel beat him in Washington with Vanity, having 

 brought $30,000 to stake on the event. His brilliant 

 career has since been continued with Reality. But from 

 1823, the time of the Eclipse match, his exploits on a 



