1 82 Making the American Thoroughbred 



two races were arranged, but none of them ever material- 

 ized. He was billed to meet Angora again on May 17, 

 1838, in a 2-mile heat race at Natchez; but about April 

 i, because of lameness, it was said, paid forfeit of 500 bales 

 of cotton, worth $10,000, and returned to Kentucky, his 

 Mississippi owners having sold him for $20,000 to Lexing- 

 ton parties for use in the stud. 



It is barely possible that Rodolph's owners feared 

 the result of this contest with Angora who, within less 

 than one year after her defeat at Louisville, had won a 

 series of brilliant races in Mississippi and Louisiana, ten 

 of which had been won without losing a heat. 



At New Orleans, on March 17, 1837, Angora met six 

 competitors, several of whom were from Virginia, four of 

 whom were sired by sons of Sir Archy, and one of whom 

 had the same degree of relationship that she had to Paco- 

 let. This contest, according to The Spirit oj the Times, 

 "presented one of the most brilliant and gratifying spec- 

 tacles ever witnessed upon an American race course. 

 Owing to continued rains the track was heavy, but other- 

 wise everything was in apple-pie order. Not less than 

 ten thousand spectators were upon the field, comprising a 

 large portion of the intelligence, fashion and wealth of 

 Louisiana and the neighboring states. The gay Orleanos 

 turned out en masse to swell the concourse, and the lovely 

 belles of that queenly city, radiant with beauty and 

 delight, lent a most inspiriting and seductive influence to 

 the manly and gallant sports of the Turf. 



"Great numbers were prevented from attending, from 

 the difficulty of procuring a conveyance to the course, 

 though two trains of railroad cars and a monstrous steamer 

 commenced their trips early in the morning. Every horse 

 and carriage in the city was also put into requisition, not- 

 withstanding which, the number of applicants 'oversized 



