THE THIRD EPOCH 



From the Close of the Civil War to Date 



The civil war virtually closed up all the breeding farms in Virginia and put a 

 pretty harsh crimp into those of Kentucky and Tennessee. But before peace had 

 been declared and while the war clouds still hung over the land, the first step was taken 

 in the direction of modern first-class racing by the Laclede Jockey Club of St. Louis, 

 the first racing association in America to diversify its programmes by giving races at 

 fractional distances, similar to those in England. It had long been well known to 

 our most sagacious turfmen that -there were plenty of horses that, in those days of 

 heats at three and four miles, could stay well up to two and a half miles but were 

 "out of it" at three miles ; or that could run fast up to a mile and a half but could 

 not win at two. The Laclede Club, therefore, gave three races each day, one for 

 $ 1,000, and the other two being stake events with from $3,000 to $5,000 added. It was 

 the most brilliant meeting held in America, outside of New Orleans, for the previous 

 fifty years ; and there it was that Norfolk, Asteroid, Ulverston, Bayflower and 

 Rhynodine earned their first laurels. 



That summer, John Morrissey, ex-prize fighter and future Congressman, leased 

 an old trotting track at Saratoga, N. Y., that had been laid off in 1852 by William 

 Woodruff (a brother of the only Hiram) and converted it into a running track with 

 a lot of purse races, graduated on the following scale : 



Mile heats $400 Four-mile heats $1000 



Two-mile heats $600 Mile heats, 3 in 5 $500 



Three-mile heats $800 



In addition to these were two stake races of $100 each, half forfeit, with $600 added 

 for two-year-olds, at one mile ; and $800 for the three-year-old stake. The two- 

 year-old stake was won by Satinstone, by Lapidist, and the three-year-old event by 

 Captain Moore, by imported Balrownie, out of Jenny Rose by imported Glencoe. The 

 two-mile heats were won by the Canadian horse Thunder, by Lexington out of Blue 

 Bonnet ; the three-mile race by Rhynodine, by Wagner out of Ann Watson by Glencoe ; 

 and the four-miles by Jerome Edger (then re-christened John Davidson) by Star 

 Davis. It was evident that racing at the North was in a fair way of revival and 

 Morrisey gave out there would be an increase of purses and stakes in the following 

 year, as well as an augmentation of accommodations for visitors. It was at this 

 Saratoga meeting that auction pools were sold (by Dr. Underwood) for the firs! 

 time at the North, though they had been sold ten years previously at the Southern 

 tracks by the same intelligent gentleman. 



It was not known, however, until October, 1866, that racing at the North assumed 

 a tangible and permanent shape, through the opening of Jerome Park, situated on the 

 line of the Harlem railroad in Westchester County, New York, in what is now 

 called the "Department of the Bronx," from the little river of that name. It was a. 

 curiously, yet picturesquely, located piece of ground with a high bluff about the 

 middle of the back-stretch. This led to the construction of a mile track shaped like 

 the accompanying diagram : 



X The bluff on which was situated a beautiful club house. 



