S6 



the 22d of March, at Jacksonboronfjh ; in 1769. in the month of Feb- 

 ruary, at Ferguson's Ferry, and on the 14th of March of tlie same year, 

 at Beaufort; and soon after, th«5y were in successful operation at Childs- 

 hury, or Strawberry, St. John's Parish. Mr. Daniel Ravenel and the 

 Harlestons took an active part in keeping up the ra<'cs at the latter 

 place. The race ground was laid out within a short distance from the 

 Ferrv, a little to the left of the chapel, as you ascend the hill. This 

 meeting was a very popular one for many years, attended by many of 

 the owners of fine horses throughout the State. The races having been 

 discontinued in 1822, the Course was ploughed up and planted. It 

 formed a portion of the estate of the late John Coming Ball, Esq., who 

 bequeathed it to his nephew, Dr. J. B. Waring, its present proprietor. 



It is probable many will suppose that the contests which took place 

 up to this period on the South Carolina Turf, could have been little better 

 than what would be regarded in the present day as scrub races; but this 

 was far fiom being the case. It is tiue many of the horses that ran 

 were without pure pedigrees, generally the sons and daughters of old 

 Brutus, out of half bred mares, yet Shadow and Centinel, and some 

 others, were in training "of equally just renown," all of whom will be 

 particularly noticed in the progress of this history. 



The first race in South Carolina which seemed to produce any very 

 imusual excitement, was a match January Slst, 1769, between Mr. Wm. 

 Henry Drayton's roan horse Adolphus, 6 years old, by Brutus, and bred 

 in Carolina, and Mr. Thomas Nightingale's imported b. h. Shadow, aged, 

 bv Babraham, carrying 9 stone each, 4 mile heats, over the New Market 

 Course. Shadow won both heats easil)', in 8 minutes and 30 seconds. 

 Although at starting the otids were three to one on the winner, there 

 was an immense excitement growing out of the race, it being the first 

 match that was run between an imported and native horse. Shadow, 

 after winning this match, challenged any liorse in the province. 



Shadow covered twenty mares in the spring of the same year, (1769,) 

 at £5 sterling. He stood at Walnut Hill, near Dorchester. He after- 

 wards was removed to Col. Singleton's plantation at Goose Creek, where 

 he remained until the season of 1771. 



The most distinguished running horses in the infancy of the Turf in 

 Carolina, were Shadow, Centinel, Borrock Billy, Young Brutus, Babra- 

 ham, Skim, Noble and Flag-a-Truce. 



Shadow was bred in England by Lord Northumberland, foaled in 

 1750, by Babraham, Bolton Starling, Coughing Polly, by Bartlett's 

 Childers. 



Centinel was an imported ch. h., bred by the Duke of Ancaster, by 



