76 
RACE BETWEEN ECLIPSE AND SIR IIENRT. 
greatly enlarged, and in some species, approach 
more or less to a spherical form. It is in this con¬ 
dition that they receive the embraces of the males, 
after which, they continue to increase in size for a 
time, eject their eggs, and gradually shrink away, 
leaving nothing but their dry, outer skins, and perish 
on the spot. After the eggs mature, they impercep- 
ibly pass under the body of their mother, where 
they remain, until they undergo the changes before 
described. * 
RACE BETWEEN ECLIPSE AND SIR HENRY. 
The following is the best account which we 
have met with of the great sectional race, between 
the north and the south, run by Eclipse and Sir 
Henry, on the Union Couise, Long Island, New 
York, in May, 1823, and alluded to on page 74, of 
this number of our journal. It was written by the 
late Cadwallader R. Colden, and appeared in the 
American Turf Register, for September, 1830. 
Presuming that many of our readers will be grati¬ 
fied by its perusal, w r e take this opportunity of 
transferring it to our columns. 
First Heat. —At length the hour appointed arrived; 
the word was given to saddle, and immediately after¬ 
wards to mount. Eclipse ( was rode by William 
Crafts, dressed in a crimson jacket and cap, and Sir 
Henry by a Virginia boy, of the name of John Wal¬ 
den, dressed in a sky-blue jacket with cap of the same 
color. The custom on the Union Course, is to run 
to the left about, or with the left hand next to the 
poles. Eclipse, by lot, had the left or inside station 
at the start. Sir Henry took his ground about twenty- 
five feet wide of him, to the right, with the evident in¬ 
tention of making a run in a straight line for the 
lead. The preconcerted signal was a single tap of 
the drtim. All was now breathless anxiety; the 
horses came up evenly; the eventful signal was 
heard ; they went off handsomely together. Henry 
apparently quickest, made play from the score, ob¬ 
tained the lead, and then took to a hard pull. By 
the time they had gone the first quarter of a mile, 
which brought them round the first turn, to the 
commencement of what is termed the back side of 
the course, which is a straight run, comprising the 
second quarter of a mile, he was full three lengths 
ahead • this distance he maintained, with little varia¬ 
tion running steadily, with a .hard pfill, during 
the first, second, third, and for about three fourths 
of the fourth round, or mile, the pace, all this time, 
a killing one. It may be proper to note that the 
course is nearly an oval, of one mile, with this 
small variation, that the back and front are straight 
lines of about a quarter of a mile each. When the 
horses were going the last round, being myself well 
mounted, I took my station at the commencement 
of the stretch, or last quarter, where I expected a 
violent exertion would be made at this last straight 
run in, when they left the straight part on the back 
of the course, and entered upon the last turn. Henry 
was, as heretofore, not less than three lengths in the 
clear, ahead. They had not proceeded more than 
twenty rods upon the first part of the sweep, when 
Eclipse made play; when they were at the extreme 
oint or centre of the sweep, 1 observed the right 
and of Crafts disengaged from his bridle, making 
* See Harris’ Report pp, 90, 201 et 203. 
free use of his whip; when they had swept about 
three fourths of the way round the turn, and had 
advanced within twenty-five rods of my station, I 
clearly saw that Crafts was making every exertion 
with both spur and whip to get Eclipse forward. 
At this moment, Eclipse threw his tail into the air, 
and flirted it up and down, after the manner of a 
tired horse, or one in distress and great pain ; and 
John Buckley, the jockey (and present trainer), 
who I kept stationed by my side, observed, “ Eclipse 
is done.” When they passed me about the com¬ 
mencement of the stretch, seventy or eighty rods 
from home, the space between them was about six¬ 
teen feet, or a full length and a half in the clear. 
Here the rider of Henry turned his head round and 
took a view for an instant of his adversary. Wal¬ 
den used neither whip nor spur, but maintained a hard 
and steady pull, under which his horse appeared 
accustomed to run. Crafts continued to make free 
use of the whip ; his right hand in so doing was 
necessarily disengaged from the bridle, his arm often 
raised high in air, his body thrown abroad, and his 
seat loose and unsteady; not having strength to 
hold and gather his horse with one hand, and at 
the same time keep his proper position. In order to 
acquire a greater purchase, he had thrown his body 
quite back to the cantle of the saddle, stuck his feet 
forward by way of bracing himself with the aid of 
the stirrups, and in this style, he was belaboring 
his horse, going in the last quarter. Buckley ex¬ 
claimed (and well he might), “ only look at Billy ” 
[meaning Crafts, the rider of Eclipse, for the first 
heat]. From this place to the winning post, Eclipse 
gained but a few feet, Henry coming in ahead about 
a length in the clear. The shortest time of this 
heat, as returned by the judges on the stand, was 
7 minutes 37£ seconds. 
1 pushed immediately up to the winning post, in 
order to view the situation of the respective horses, 
after this very trying- and severe heat • for it was 
in fact running the whole four miles. Sir Henry 
was less distressed than I expected to find him. 
Eclipse also bore it well, but of the two, he appear¬ 
ed the most jaded ; the injudicious manner in which 
he had been rode, had certainly annoyed and un¬ 
necessarily distressed him. 
The incapacity of Crafts to manage Eclipse (who 
required much urging, and at the same time to be 
pulled hard), was apparent to all—he being a slen¬ 
der-made lad, in body weight about 100 lbs., only. 
A person interested in the event, seeing Buckley, 
who had rode the horse on a former occasion, with 
me, requested that I would keep him within call, 
and ready to ride in case of emergency. It was, 
however, soon settled, and announced that Mr. 
Purdy would ride him the second heat, upon which 
long faces grew shorter, and northern hopes revived. 
Six to four was, nevertheless, offered on the south¬ 
ern horse, but no takers. 
Second Heat. —The horses, after a lapse of 30 
minutes, were called up for a second heat. I at¬ 
tentively viewed Eclipse while saddling, and was 
surprised to find that to appearance he had not only 
entirely recovered, but seemed full of mettle, lash¬ 
ing and reaching out with his hind feet, anxious 
and impatient to renew the contest. Mr. Purdy 
having mounted his favorite, was perfectly at home, 
and self-confident. The signal being again given, 
