OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 193 



whom he beat quite handily in two straight heats. Eipton 

 then passed into the hands of George Youngs, who was quite 

 celebrated as a rider and driver of trotting horses. He was 

 brought back to New York and trotted over the Beacon course, 

 mile heats, three in five, in harness against Kate Kearney. 



Kate was a bay mare about 15-1 in height, and at that time 

 belonged to Stacy Pitcher. Eipton Avon in good time. When 

 ten years old he was put into the hands of that Napoleon of 

 horsemen, of his day, the late Hiram Woodruff. Hiram said of 

 him at that time : " He has all the requisites to make a very 

 fine trotter," and such he afterwards became. When Hiram 

 had trained Eipton two months he captured with ease a two- 

 mile race with him against Don Juan in 5.19 and 5.23. 



Eipton was a stout horse of great game and bottom, and re- 

 quired much hard work to bring him to his best racing con- 

 dition. His first trot in 1812 was in May over the Beacon 

 course, two mile heats in harness against Confidence and Lady 

 Suffolk. In this race Confidence was the favorite, but Eipton 

 won the race in two straight heats, in 5.10J and 5.12|. He 

 won a race in September of this same season, greatly dis- 

 tinguishing himself in a two-mile race over the Huntington 

 Park course, Philadelphia, by beating Lady Suffolk and making 

 the then unparalleled time of two miles in 5.07 in the first heat. 

 The accomplishment of this feat in harness caused great excite- 

 ment among trotting-horse men ; it being similar to that when, 

 in after years, Flora Temple outdid herself, and, morally, dis- 

 tanced all that had gone before by trotting a mile in harness 

 below 2.20. 



In a race against Brandywine and Don Juan, Eipton was 

 timed a half-mile in the then unparalleled time of- 1.11£. This 

 little horse, son of old Sherman Morgan, was a great horse of 

 his time and was cbnsidered at his best after he was twelve 

 years old, and after having been raced and campaigned against 

 the greatest and fastest of his day for seven years, and ridden 

 and driven in his races by many different riders and drivers. 

 13 



