548 THE HORSE. 



cannot be regarded as very much better than the time of Lady 

 Emma in this race. 



On the 12th of October Stonewall Jackson trotted a three-mile 

 race with Shark, in which he made the best three-mile time on 

 record, excepting that of Dutchman. He trotted two heats; the 

 second in exactly, the same time as the first, 7 m. 39 s. Shark 

 showed himself a worthy antagonist, and his splendid trotting 

 made the race very interesting. October 17th, the horse Com- 

 modore Vanderbilt beat Toronto Chief in 2 m. 33| s., and esta- 

 blished his reputation as a first-class trotter, a reputation which 

 he fully sustained the following year. On the 21st of October 

 Lady Thome, the famous daughter of Mambrino Chief, the great 

 Messenger horse of the West, trotted at Philadelphia with Shark 

 in one of her earliest races, in 2 m. 32 J s. In this race she gave 

 a good earnest of her future greatness. 



The trotting season of 1865 opened about the 1st of June, and 

 was marked by fine races in all parts of the country. In many 

 of these the horses that have been previously mentioned were pitted 

 against Dexter, who made the year memorable in trotting records 

 by his surpassing performances. On the 2d of June he beat 

 General Butler; trotting three heats in 2 m. 26f s., 2 m. 261 s., 

 2 m. 24 s. This showed a marked improvement in his trotting 

 capacity, his best time in 1864 being 2 m. 30 s. On the 12th he 

 was beaten by Lady Thorne, who trotted a mile in this race in 

 2 m. 24 s. On the 26th she beat Stonewall Jackson in a three- 

 mile race, but without making a remarkable record. A race with 

 General Butler followed September 7th, and one with the same 

 horse and George Wilkes, September 21st. George Wilkes had 

 been previously beaten on the 20th of June by Lady Emma, a 

 mare in praise of whose beauty, speed, endurance, and reliability 

 it is impossible to say enough. The race of September 21st was 

 won by Dexter, whose claim to the title " King of the Turf" was 

 now pretty clearly established. It received, however, an endorse- 

 ment on the 10th of October, which rendered it indisputable. 

 On that day he trotted his great race against time, on the Fashion 

 Course. In the presence of all the leading horsemen of the 

 country, who had assembled to see Flora Temple for ever dis- 

 possessed of her place at the head of the trotting horses of 

 America, Dexter trotted one mile under the saddle in 2m. 18 1 s. 

 Subsequent to this great feat he made his appearance on the turf 

 only twice in this year, each time in a race with the indefatiga- 

 ble bay veteran, General Butler. In the last race Dexter trotted 

 two miles in 4 m. 56} s. 



In the latter part of this season there remains to be mentioned 

 the race in which General Butler beat George Wilkes and Lady 



