104 FLYING CHILDERS 



second-named horse was never trained. It was 

 through the two Childerses that the Darley Arabian 

 became so famous. 



Flying Childers, or Devonshire, as he was sometimes 

 called, was named after Mr. Childers, of Carr House, 

 who bred him and sold him to the Duke of Devonshire. 

 He was the speediest horse of bis day, and it is said 

 that he galloped a mile in a minute, though this state- 

 ment is not well authenticated. He ran 3 miles 6 fur- 

 longs in 6 minutes and 40 seconds over a course at 

 Newmarket, and 4 miles i furlong and 138 yards in 

 7 minutes and 30 seconds over the Old Beacon course. 



In the year 1772 a horse, aptly named Firetail, ran 

 a mile in i minute and 4 seconds. 



In 1 74 1 Mr. Wilde rode 127 miles in 9 hours, a 

 record which was beaten by Mr. Thornhill, who rode 

 the 213 miles from Stilton to London in 11 hours and 

 34 minutes, thus maintaining an average pace of 20 

 miles an hour, allowing for changes, turnpike roads, 

 and uneven ground. 



In 1762 Mr. Shaftoe, with ten horses, rode five of 

 them twice and covered 50 miles and a quarter in 

 I hour and 40 minutes. In 1763 he performed a still 

 greater feat, riding 100 miles a day during 29 days on 

 one horse chosen out of twenty-nine horses, he making 

 his own selection daily. He only used fourteen horses 

 out of the twenty-nine, and one day rode 160 miles 

 because his first horse tired. 



A horse named Quibbler, belonging to Mr. Hull, 

 ran in 1786 23 miles in 57 minutes 10 seconds at 

 Newmarket. 



The celebrated Eclipse was got by a horse named 

 Marsk, out of a mare named Spiletta ; Marsk being 



