:},s ECLIPSE. 



full brothers and sisters ; Hyperion, afterwards Garrick, Proserpine, Briseis, and 

 others, but none of them racers of any high form. 



This famous racer, tog-ether with Fit/ing Childers, whose names are familiar to 

 every ear, stand proudly aloof, to this hour, from all possibility of competition. 

 Eclipse, in his form, constitution, and action, seemed to comprehend every 

 excellence for the course a vast stride, with equal agility, no horse ever threw in 

 his haunches with more vigour and effect, and they were so spread in his gallop, 

 thai a wheel-barrow might have been driven between his hinder legs. Of his speed 

 too much cannot be said, but we have no rule by which to judge of his stoutness or 

 " aine, si nee no cotemporary racer was able to run for a moment by his side, far less able 

 to try his power of continuance ; and if it be said that he contended with middling 

 horses only, the two or three capital ones which met him hav ing passed their prime, it 

 must he remembered that those horses he distanced, and probably could have double 

 distanced. We believe, Oakley, a powerful man on horseback, generally, or always 

 rode Krlipsc ; but the jockey never held him, the horse alwaxs running according 

 to his own will, yet never swcrv ing from his course, and always pulling up easily 

 enough at the ending post. O 1 Kelly was yet apprehensive that he might at some 

 time break away ; and when the horse ran over the course at "York, with twelve 

 stone, which he was judged to have performed in eight minutes, a number of men 

 were placed at the ending post, with the view of slopping him, in case the jockey 

 should be unable to pull him up ; a precaution which proved entirely useless. He 

 never felt the spur or whip on any occasion. The only contemporary which was 

 supposed to have any pretensions to contend with Eclipse \\as Mr. Sliaj'tocs famous 

 horse Goldjinder, by Snap, ;i beautiful and long-reached brown horse, which we 

 also knew. He was never beaten, and would ha\e met Eclipse, to run for the 

 King's Plates in the following year, but that he broke down in the October Meeting 

 at Newmarket. The speed of Eclipse was never timed by the watch, unless in 

 running over the course at York, a fact never clear! v ascertained. 



Immediately, previous to Eclipse running for the King's Plate at Winchester, 

 I7<)1>, Mr. (y Kelly purchased the half share of him, for six hundred and fifty 

 guineas, of Mr. ll'ildman, the sporting sheep salesman of Smithfield, who had a 

 stud, and trained Race Horses, at Micklehain, near Epsom, Surrey. Afterwards, 

 O' Kelly purchased the remainder for eleven hundred guineas. About the year 

 1771), a noble Duke, or some sporting member of his family, demanding of O 1 Kelly 

 how much he would take for Eclipse, the repl\ was" By the Mass, my Lord, 

 and it is not all Hcdford lerel that would purchase, him." Old Jack Medley, of 

 tin Sport in _ Coffee House, declared to us alujut the same time, that he heard the 

 Count ask, with singular gravity, the price for his stallion of twenty-Jive thousand 

 jioundx down, an annuity of Jive hundred pounds on lit* otcu life, and the annual 

 l>nvilegc of sending si.t: marcs to the horse. O'Kellv aHirmed, and his calculation 

 was doubtless Milli leiillx moderate, that he had acquired upwards of twenty-Jive 



