124 
MATCH BETWEEN ECLIPSE AND SIR HENRY. 
bridle, Eclipse must have won the heat, as Henry- 
had nothing to spare when he crossed the score. 
How different is all this from Mr. Colden’s ac¬ 
count. It was Buckley’s opinion that Crafts lost 
the heat by the use of his whip. He was too 
young to have the requisite coolness. He was too 
eager and lost his self-possession. He was only 
one length behind Henry, the nose of Eclipse cov¬ 
ering Henry’s tail. When he gave up his pull, 
Henry at once gained two lengths in the clear, and 
yet in a quarter of a mile, was caught and only won 
the heat by a neck. Eclipse was the most footy 
on the straight sides, Henry around the turns. 
Second Heat. —Mr. Colden is inaccurate here. 
His position down the course, a full quarter of a 
mile from the head, was so far away, that if the 
course had been clear of people, he could not have 
determined the position of the horses; but with the 
dense crowd upon it he could scarcely have seen 
them at all ; or certainly not until they were some 
way down the back stretch, could any one at Mr. 
Colden’s point of view have seen them. I have 
often talked this matter over with Mr. Buckley, the 
trainer of Eclipse, and his narration of both heats 
differs from Mr. Colden’s. Mr. C. was an excita¬ 
ble man, and was so much interested in the race, 
that he could not sufficiently command himself to 
see correctly. At the period at which he wrote the 
account, he was on bad terms with the owners of 
Eclipse, and sought to disparage him. I speak of 
this as a matter well known, or otherwise I should 
not have mentioned it. The following is an accu¬ 
rate account:— 
My authority had his view from the stand, where 
he could see the horses all around the course. It 
is also corroborated by Mr. Purdy, who saw the 
first heat, and rode the second and third. 
After the end of the first heat, Mr. Purdy at once 
said, L< I must ride Eclipse,” and forthwith went to 
the stand, dressed himself,and weighed. Ongoing 
to his horse to mount, he said to Messrs. Stevens, 
Livingston, Van Ranst, and others, “ Eclipse has 
the foot of Henry in straight running; but I shall 
run him a trailing race, making Henry do all he 
can until two miles and three quarters, when I will 
commence my run for the lead 5 I will lap him at 
the stand, on finishing the third mile, and as my 
brush up the straight side will have taken the foot 
out of him, I will pass him at the top of the course 
in the fourth mile, and will be clear of him as we 
go on to the straight side on the hack of the course ; 
from thence home to the winning post, he shall never 
come near me.” And so Mr. Purdy rode the heat. He 
found that he could run on to Henry in straight work, 
and drove him all the time. At no time was Henry 
(as Mr. Colden says) twenty feet from Eclipse, after 
they had gone one quarter of a mile. On every 
straight side, for three miles, was Eclipse at Henry’s 
side, feigning to pass; while, at the turns, he 
dropped back, to freshen himself, and be ready to 
crowd Henry on the straight running. The severe 
work for two miles and three fourths had told on 
Henry; and now, at length, Eclipse’s time had 
come. As the horses entered the straight run home, 
Mr. Purdy commenced his run for the lead. At 
this time Henry was a length in the clear ahead. 
Eclipse’s brush was a steady one; at the draw gate 
he had reached Henry ; Henry rallied desperately, 
but Eclipse was too much for him; steadily he 
gained, with something in reserve ; they neared the 
stand, Eclipse lying on the outside : they came to 
the stand and Eclipse lapped Henry to the saddle ; 
they passed the stand, and Purdy, for the first 
time did not ease his horse on the turn; it 
was evident that the race was out; Eclipse gained 
at every stride, and now, for the first time in the 
race, had the foot of Henry on the turn. As they 
passed the stand, Eclipse was on the outside, and 
lapped Henry; he never gave back at all, but gradu¬ 
ally gained thence to the head of the course, where 
he was a neck in the lead; the pace told not on 
him, but on Henry it did; and away went Eclipse, 
till on entering the straight run on the back side in 
the fourth mile, he was clear of him. Thence to 
the stand he was alone, with the race all his own, 
and beat Henry out some twenty feet in the clear. 
It will be seen that Mr. Purdy ran the second 
heat as he had proposed. From this account, it 
will also be seen that Eclipse could not have passed 
Henry on the inside. And such is the fact; the 
narrator has been assured over and over by Mr. 
Purdy, that he did pass on the outside. And it may 
be asked what inducement had he to tell a false¬ 
hood. It was his right to pass on the inside if he 
could, subject to being run inside the pole, and thus 
be distanced. Had he passed on the inside, as it 
had been done safely, there could be no reason to 
conceal it. But Mr. Colden was the only man who 
ever asserted it. The heat showed a full and just 
appreciation of the powers of Eclipse, by Mr. 
Purdy ; an admirable plan for the heat; and an 
equally admirable execution of his purpose. 
The Third Heat. —This may be disposed of in a 
few words, and those of Mr. Purdy, now quoted 
from memory. He said, “ Eclipse could have run 
the second heat in less than 7m. 49s., had it been 
necessary; and could have run the third in eight 
minutes easily, had Henry been able to do it. But 
Henry was overmarked by the race, and over¬ 
weighted in the last heat. I soon found that Henry 
was done up, and I had only to go along moderately 
to win the last heat. Nothing was to be gained by 
a quick heat, and something might be lost. In the 
heat, Eclipse was strong and could more easily run 
away from Henry whenever called on. I ran to 
win, and should have been ten minutes in doing it 
if Henry had gone slowly enough to permit it. He 
at no time in the heat made any show of taking the 
lead. Eclipse always needed driving to get a run 
out of him; and yet I never punished him less in 
a heat than in this last one. I took the lead easily, 
kept it easily, and won easily, with Eclipse strong 
under me, firm in his mouth, and having a deal of 
run still in him.” 
And he added, “ no horse could outlast Eclipse, 
none out foot him; and I never met one save 
Henry, who was so speedy, and he only on the 
turns.” Eclipse, in his pace, went low or close to 
the ground, with a long stride, while Henry, a pony 
in make, gathered quick and had a short stride; of 
course, his short stroke was an advantage over 
Eclipse around the turns; but Eclipse’s low, long 
stride, in straight going, gave him the foot of 
Henry. Had Mr. Purdy rode the first heat, Eclipse 
would have unquestionably won it without distress¬ 
sing him in the least. Long Islander. 
