2 34 The American Thoroughbred 



burst of speed that he beat the pair of them 

 through the stretch and finished first. Then 

 Colonel Johnson said he would do. 



That trial began a career for him which lasted 

 until he was nine years old. He had run races pre- 

 vious to this trial, but had not acquitted himself 

 with credit. He started at Broad Rock, Virginia, 

 in 1836, in a sweepstakes for three-year-olds, and 

 while in the lead the boy pricked him with the 

 spur and he bolted. The result, of course, was 

 that he was unplaced. He did not start again 

 until the following year, when, in the name of 

 William Williamson, he was entered at the New- 

 market Course at Petersburg, in a Proprietors' 

 Purse, and, running true for the first time, won 

 his race easily in straight heats on a very heavy 

 track. 



Previous to that race, he had not even been 

 dignified with a name. He was merely known 

 as " the Timoleon colt." After that they called 

 him Boston from the game of cards which was 

 popular at the time. 



His next race was at Hanover Court House, Vir- 

 ginia, where he was entered in the regular way as 

 John Belcher's chestnut colt, Boston, by Timoleon. 

 He had to meet a crack field, made up of Betsey 



