APPENDIX. 419 



the preceding fall. In June, 1865, at the Union Course, Long 

 Island, she trotted against Fi-ank Vernon and Stonewall Jackson, 

 of New York, and in the race went in 2in. 24Js. — 2m. 24^8. She 

 at once became famous, and with exceedingly good reason. She 

 was then matched against Dexter, and beat him on the Union 

 Course that same month, trotting the first heat in 2m 248. This 

 has been set forth in the account of that horse in the body of the 

 book. Saying nothing of the three victories she won at Philadel- 

 phia in the fall of 1864, Lady Thorn remained upon the turf six 

 years, or rather five years and a half; as the season of 187C was 

 but half over when she was injured by the accident. She troi;.ed 

 about sixty races, and won forty-one times. As they were all 

 races of heats, and some of them of a good many heats, the amount 

 of work she did may be estimated. To recapitulate all that she 

 defeated would be an endless task. Among those who beat her 

 were Dexter, George Wilkes, American Girl, Mountain Boy and 

 Lucy, but she also beat them, as well as many others. Towards 

 the latter end of her career she made much improvement, and 

 when she was hurt she was beyond all question or cavil the best 

 mare upon the turf. She was as good to wagon as in harness, 

 and could stay two-mile heats just as well as one. The fastest 

 Bpponent that Lady Thorn ever had in former years, next to 

 Dexter, was George Wilkes, for this was before the coming out of 

 Mountain Boy and American Girl, and the great improvement 

 made by Goldsmith Maid. In the fall of 1865, Lady Thorn and 

 George Wilkes met, and she beat him. He was not then as good 

 as he had once been, nor as good as he became in the following 

 sprine, when they were matched for two other races, one in 

 harness and the other to wagons. 



George Wilkes was, and is, a horse of very great merit, but some 

 peculiarities. He was bred by the late Judge Felter, of Orange 

 county, and got by Hambletonian out of a mare of Mambrino 

 blood, called Dolly Spankei. She was given to Judge Felter by hid 

 •on Harry, of this city, with injunctions to breed her to Hamblo 



