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Every year there is a fair gray horse or mare on the turf, 

 and some of them have won purses in latter days. But there 

 have been no stake horses of any consequence for many 

 years. 



It is possible, but not probable, that a return to this con- 

 sistent color will ever be made. However, it may be a cen- 

 tury before the color is entirely stamped out. Now it seems 

 that the tendency is in this direction. 



The Arabs brought here by Keene Richards all proved 

 failures, although they were bred to such mares by imp. 

 Glencoe as Blonde, Miss Duke, Peytona. From the latter 

 probably came the best of the get, Transylvania, who ran 

 one mile in 1:48 and could not repeat this performance. 

 They were also crossed to the very best Wagner and 

 Medoc mares, who were succeeding to the native stallions. 

 The famous Lux was bred to one of them and produced a 

 little, scrawny fellow who could do nothing whatever. 



Perhaps the greatest of all the grays was the famous 

 gray mare Ariel, by American Eclipse, who lost the $20,000 

 match (three-mile heats) to Flirtilla, Jr., by Sir Archie, over 

 the Union Course, Long Island, this being one of the 

 many famous matches made and run between the North 

 and the South. The latter section being victorious in this 

 contest, people from every State in the Union traveled, 

 some of them for weeks, on horseback to be present at this 

 great race, where thousands of dollars changed hands 

 through the admirers of these two champion mares on the 

 result of this great match. Whilst they did not think 

 Ariel's condition on this occasion was just what it should 

 have been — and she got beat — yet this great mare, during 

 the time she was on the track, met and defeated nearly 

 every horse, mare or gelding of any repute, and at all 

 distances. She traveled from Long Island to the Gulf and 

 back by land, more than four thousand miles. Frequently, 

 during this trip, at night, when she would be stopped at 

 some point to rest, after a hard, irksome day's travel, she 

 would often be without shelter of any kind, save perhaps 

 the buff of a tree on the roadside and the canopy of the 

 heavens. And now, with all of our grand improvements, 

 both in horses and in all racing matters, which no sane per- 

 son will dispute, yet the author has to pause and think 



