294 THE HORSE. 



spite. He lapped her down the back stretch for 300 yards, 

 when Gil. Patrick very sensibly took a strong bracing pull on 

 him and bottled him up for a desperate brusli up the hill, where 

 Eclipse passed Henry. Here Gil. again let him out, but unfor- 

 tunately he pulled him inside so near the fence that Boston 

 struck ]iis hij) against a post, and hitting a sharp knot or a nail, 

 cut through the skin on his quarter for seven or eight inches. 

 He struck hard enough to jar himself very much, and we ob- 

 served liim to falter ; but he soon recovered, and though at this 

 moment Fashion led him nearly three lengths, he gradually 

 closed the gap round the turn to within a few feet. At this 

 moment the excited multitude broke through all restraint in 

 their anxiety to witness the termination of the heat, and the 

 course was nearly blocked up. On coming out through a nar- 

 row gauntlet of thousands of spectators excited to the highest 

 pitch, both horses very naturally faltered at the tremendous 

 shouts which made the welkin ring. Up the quarter stretch 

 Gil. made another desperate effort to win the race out of the 

 fire. He applied his thong freely, while Joe Laird drew his 

 whip on the mare more than once, and tapped her claret at the 

 same time. Inside of the gate it was a "hollow thing," though 

 Boston nearly closed the gap at the distance stand. Gil. fairly 

 caught Joe by surprise, but the latter, shaking his Avhij) over 

 her head, gave Fashion the spur, and she instantly recovered 

 her stride, coming through about a length ahead, with aj^pa- 

 rently something in hand to spare, closing the heat in 7m. 

 32|s. — the fastest by all odds ever run in America. 



The time was kept on tlie Jockey Club stand by Messrs. 

 Robert L, and James Stevens, and in the Judges' stand by Sen- 

 ator Barrow, of Louisiana, Hon. Mr. Botts, of Virginia, J. 

 Hamilton Wilkes, Esq., and the official timers. We took the 

 time of each mile from the Messrs. S., between whom we stood. 

 Mr. IS; eill. Major Einggold, and other gentlemen of acknowledged 

 accuracy as timers stood in the same circle, and there was bat 

 a fraction of difference in the time each declared " by watches 

 too, not made in Kentucky." Messrs. Stevens made the time 

 7m. 33s., but as they kept the time of the half, and in some 

 cases, of the quarter, miles, their difference of but half a second 



