68 HANDBOOK or THE TURF. 



from Aleppo in Asiatic Turkey by the agent of an English 



commercial company trading there, about 1700. He was of 



bay color and was probably a genuine Arabian, although his 



exact lineage w^as never ascertained. His name is derived from 



his owner, Mr. Darley of Yorkshire. The Darley Arabian w^as 



the progenitor of some of the finest horses that have perhaps 



existed in the world, among them the Devonshire or Flying 



Childers, foaled in 1715, and named from his breeder, Mr. 



Leonard Childers; and the Bleeding, or Bartlett's Childers, a 



horse that was never trained, but which was the fleetest horse 



of his day, and the ancestor of Eclipse, one of the most 



remarkable horses of which there is any record. Common 



report affirmed that the Darley Arabian could run a mile in a 



minute, but there is no authentic record of this. His son, 



Flying Childers, ran over the round course at Kewmarket, 



(three miles, six furlongs and ninety-three yards), in six 



minutes and forty seconds ; and over the Beacon course, (four 



miles, one furlong and one hundred and thirty-eight yards), in 



seven minutes and thirty seconds. 



Dash ; Dash Race. A short race ; as, a three-quarter 



mile dash ; a mile and an eighth dash ; a race decided in a 



single attempt instead of in heats. First run in the United 



States in 1861 at the Saratoga, N. Y., course. 



For some years prior to 1864, lieat-raciiig liad been on tlie deelinje in 

 Enjilaiul and dash racing growing in favor, and the i)eople of New 

 Yorlv followed England's lead until racing has come down from 

 heats of four miles lo dashes of five fnrlongs. Long-distance races 

 are only a memory that lingers in the minds of a few turfmen of 

 the oldscliool who liave survived the period of transition the sport 

 has nndergone.— The Horseman. 



Dash Watch. A watch placed in a leather case made 

 of the exact size to receive it, which is fitted to the dashboard 

 or fender of the buggy, by means of a spring clasp, so that the 

 driver can always have the time before him when driving. 



Dawson, Thomas. Of Middleham, England, the most 

 famous and best all-round trainer in England from 1830, till 

 his death in 1881. He was the originator of the modern 

 and improved system of training thoroughbreds. He was 

 the first to see the fallacies of the old method, and to act 

 upon his own well-considered opinions. He did away with the 

 drenchings, profuse sweatings and short supplies of water, 

 introducing in their stead plenty of old oats and hard work. 

 He was an oracle on liorse flesh, and the thanks of all owners 

 of horses are justly due to him for the radical and salutary 

 change he effected in the training world. 



Daylight, Tavo Lengths of. There is an unwritten 

 rule among some drivers that there must be " two lengths of 



