262 Making the American Thofoughbred 



present said that there were horses in Virginia that could 

 beat Maria. Capt. Haynie offered to match her against 

 any horse in the world, from i mile to 4-mile heats, for 

 $5,000. 



Shortly after this conversation, meeting Gen. Jack- 

 son, Capt. Haynie informed him what had passed, 

 and the General, in his impressive manner, replied: 

 "Make the race for $50,000 and consider me in with you. 

 She can beat any animal in God's whole creation." 



In March, 1816, at Lexington, Kentucky, Maria beat 

 Robin Gray (sire of Lexington's third dam) a match, mile- 

 heats, for $1,000 a side. 



The next month she beat, at Cage's Race Paths, near 

 Bender's Ferry, in Sumner County, Mr. John Childress' 

 Woodlawn filly by Truxton, a straight half-mile, for $1,000 

 a side, giving her 60 feet. Maria won this race by 2 feet 

 only. 



This was the first race I ever saw and I was greatly 

 impressed with the beautiful riding of Monkey Simon. 



After this race Maria was taken by Uncle Berry to 

 Waynesboro, Georgia, where she bantered the world but 

 could not get a race. There were very few Jockey Clubs 

 in the country at that time. In January, 1817, Maria was 

 returned to Capt. Haynie, in Sumner County, and 

 soon afterward sold by him to Pollard Brown, who got 

 her beaten in Charleston in a 4-mile heat race with Trans- 

 port and Little John, when she was 9 years old. 1 Maria 

 carried overweight, ran under many disadvantages and 

 lost the race by only a few feet. 



The other day I asked Uncle Berry how he thought 

 Maria would compare with the best horses of the present 

 day. In reply he said: 



1 NOTE BY J. D. A. Up to this race Maria never lost a heat. 

 She was ridden in this race by Samuel Purdy. 



