PILOT 



257 



some years with Mr. D. Heinsohn, who then owned Pilot, as has been stated. 

 Mr. Kennedy said : 



" Old Pilot was a regular Canuck, a very remarkable horse ; most pow- 

 erful horse I ever saw in my life for his size, fourteen hands high, very low 

 to the ground, not over fourteen and a half hands high anyway. He was 

 black, no white hairs that I remember ; very heavy mane and tail ; neck 

 looked short, but he was not really a short-necked horse. As fine a head as 

 any thoroughbred, wide between the eyes ; good eye, stuck out ; nothing 

 coarse about him. A remarkable horse, and one remarkable thing about him 

 was his hind leg, which was straight as a post. He was so fast in those days 

 time watches were scarce, but I believe he would go at any time to the quar- 

 ter in thirty seconds. Heinsohn was afterwards partner with me in the 

 ownership of Pilot, Jr. Old Pilot would get off very quick. It was impos- 

 sible to start him with another horse. He was cross in the stall ; always 

 groomed by one man, who handled him with a big stick ; knocked one eye 

 out. They had a window to put his feed in. He was a pacer ; always 

 paced. It was two or three years before Heinsohn found out he could trot 

 at all. Never drove him to harness except to sleigh. His temper was 

 brought about by abuse. He was not a bad-tempered horse after Mr. Bell 

 got him. 



" They matched him against Bucktail in Cincinnati. Woodruff said 

 if he had ridden Pilot he could have beaten. Pilot would weigh one 

 thousand pounds ; nine hundred to one thousand ; a tremendous horse 

 for his height. His colts were generally of fine size ; depended upon the 

 mares. A great many of his colts were trotters. We used to think that to breed 

 a trotter we must have some Canadian blood on one side or the other. 

 The pedlar called him Pilot ; I am sure of this. Dubois was the most 

 prominent horseman in New Orleans at that day; a good respectable 

 man. The pedlar told Dubois his horse could beat anybody's horse, and 

 rode him a trial in 2 126. Dubois bought him and sold him to Heinsohn, 

 whose agent, Barker, I think it was, brought him to Louisville. I think the 

 only race Pilot made was with Bucktail. Do not think he was at New 

 Orleans long. Heinsohn sold him to Robert Bell of Louisville, who sent him 

 down to his plantation, somewhere near Henderson, I think, where he 

 dropped dead. 



" Pilot was blocky built, long body but short back ; good-shaped horse ; 

 best legs you ever saw ; hairy on legs ; tail not long but heavy ; a horse of tre- 

 mendous stride and as quick as lightning : never touched a hair. He would go 

 single -foot a little way at starting. Most powerful back and loin, and a good 

 belly to carry his food. He did not have an arched neck but came well up 

 from the shoulders ; nice long head and beautiful muzzle. He did not look 

 like a Canadian." 



It would seem that the pen of Mr. Kennedy was the first to furnish any 

 authentic history of Pilot, for as far back as 1857 he wrote to the "Spirit of 

 the Times" a letter dated at Lexington, Kentucky, on August iyth of that 

 year, from which the following extract is taken : 



