The House of Lexington 327 



a struggle of four miles. By weight you can 

 reduce the fleetest and gamest racer in the 

 world to the level of the most common hack. 

 Kentucky was not a stronger horse than Lex- 

 ington was, and Lexington, when he ran four 

 miles in 7.19!, carried but 103 pounds. 



The rivalry between Norfolk, Asteroid, and 

 Kentucky, though exciting a little unpleasant 

 feeling between men of different sections, was 

 a good thing for the turf. The war had swept 

 away the racing institutions of the South, the 

 breeding studs were broken up, and the blood- 

 horse bridled and made to do service in the 

 army. When the sounds of strife were heard 

 throughout the land, life-currents gushed from 

 ghastly wounds, and homes were desolate, the 

 people had no heart for the pastimes of the turf ; 

 racing was abandoned, horses of royal lineage 

 scattered; and, when the war closed, the old 

 jockey clubs were disorganized — bankrupt. 



The performances of the three great sons of 

 Lexington roused sinking courage and directed 

 attention to the turf. It was a theatre on which 

 men of all political opinions could meet in social 

 enjoyment; it called the thoughts from the har- 

 rowing scenes of the past and gave a silver lining 



