ECLIPSE AKD CHILDERS. 397 



with light weights, thej make faster races than their superiors. 

 This is well understood in England. For example ; Inlieritor's 

 reputed race, at three years old, 86 lbs., two miles in 3m. 25. 



Without expressing an opinion relative to the proper consid- 

 eration to be attached to weight, both upon time and the results, 

 two examples will answer the pm-pose. 



" Glaucus, 5 years old, 8 stone Tibs. — 119 — September, 1835, 

 at Doncaster, beat Muley Moloch, 5 years old, 8 stone 10 lbs., 

 two miles, in 3m. 44s." 



" Muley Moloch, two days before, 8 stone 9 lbs. each, beat 

 Glaucus, the same course and the same distance, in 3m. 40s. 



" These races were timed by an American gentleman." 



We avail ourselves, from the " American Turf Register," — 

 vol. 3, pp. 347, 348, 349 — of the opinion of one of our ablest 

 turf writers — the late Judge Duval, of the U. S. Supreme Court 

 for the District of Maryland, in which he resided — touching 

 this subject. He says if the accounts of Childers be true, he 

 " must have run nearly half a mile in four faster than any other 

 horse. Eclipse excepted, which ever ran in England." But he 

 doubts the statement, and points out its absurdity and contra- 

 diction ; concluding with the remark, relative to Childers, 

 " whereas in his fastest race, when he ran four miles in 6m. 48s., 

 he was moving at the rate of little more than 51 feet 9 inches 

 in a second, and at the rate of a mile in Im. 42s." — Be it ob- 

 served, the fastest mile on record, as having been run in this 

 country, was by Hegira, with catch weight, near !N^ew Orleans, 

 in Im. 42|s. The Judge adds ; — " Eclipse ran at York four- 

 miles in 8m., carrying 12st., 168 lbs., 42 lbs. more than the 

 standard weight at this time. If the calculation of old experi- 

 enced sportsmen, that the addition of seven pounds weight in 

 the rider makes the difference of a distance, which is 240 yards, 

 in a heat of four miles, be correct, then the running by Eclipse, 

 carying 40 lbs. more weight than Childers, will prove that 

 Eclipse was the swiftest animal. If he had carried only 128 lbs. 

 he would, according to the computation, have run the distance 

 in 93 seconds less tlian with 168 lbs. ; this would have reduced 

 the time from 8m. to 6m. 27s. Your correspondent entertains 

 the opinion, that if Childers and Eclipse had flourished at the 

 same time, Eclipse would have proved himself superior to Chil- 



