1 92 Making the American Thoroughbred 



Cheatham. Picton and Osceola, 5 years, carried no 

 pounds, Boyd McNairy, 3 years, 86 pounds. 



"All parties," wrote a staff correspondent of The 

 Spirit of the Times, "agree in pronouncing this one of 

 the finest races ever run over the Nashville Course. 

 Picton was booked to win it to a certainty and was the 

 favorite at odds against the field, notwithstanding that 

 his forelegs were sprung. . . . Osceola had many friends 

 from the fact of his having recently won the 4-mile 

 purse at Gallatin, but the main dependence of the fielders 

 was Boyd McNairy, the own brother to Sarah Bladen. 

 He was believed to be both stout and fast, though he never 

 ran even a trial over two miles. He is a fine looking iron 

 gray colt, of rather above the medium height, with long 

 arms and powerful hocks and quarters. Osceola (better 

 known as Sheridan) is a horse of high form and finish, 

 nearly 15 hands, 3 inches high, a beautiful bay with black 

 legs and no other white than a small star. He is the hand- 

 somest son of Pacific we have ever seen, and his perform- 

 ances are calculated to add new laurels to the many won 

 by his sire." 



Osceola took the lead in the first heat, kept it and won 

 easily. He was jockeyed by McCIinchey, from the stable 

 of Lucius J. Polk. McCIinchey had ridden the winner in 

 three of the six races run during that week. Before the 

 second heat started, Polk and Balie Peyton bought Osceola 

 for $6,000. 



Osceola got the Iea$ in the second heat, Picton being 

 second and Boyd McNairy a bad third. So it continued 

 for a mile and a half, when McNairy went up, lapped 

 with Picton for 50 yards, passed him and collared Osceola. 

 Picton was out of it. It was nip and tuck from then on 

 between McNairy and Osceola, first one and then the 

 other having the advantage. Soon after entering the back 



