Page:A General History of Quadrupeds.djvu/27

 HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 7 of the reft of Europe, or perhaps the whole world. For ſupporting a continuance of violent exertion, (or what is called, in the language of the turf, bottom) they are ſuperior to the Arabian, the Barb, or the Perſian ; and for ſwiftneſs, they will yield the palm to none. An ordinary Racer is known to go at the rate of a mile in lefs than two minutes j but there have been inftances of much greater rapidity : The famous Horſe Childers has been known to move eighty-two feet and an half in a fecond, or nearly a mile in a minute he has run round the courfe at Newmarket, which is little lefs than four miles, in fix minutes and forty feconds. Eclipse was allowed to be the fleeteft Horſe that ever ran in England lince the time of Childers. After winning king's plates and other prizes to a great amount, he covered, by fubfcription, forty mares at thirty guineas each, — befides thoſe of his owner. Highflyer was accounted the be/t Horle of his time in Eng- land. The fums he won and received amounted to near 9,000!. though he never ſtarted after five years old. He was never beaten, nor ever paid a forfeit. Match EM, a Horſe belonging to the late W. Fenwick, Eſq. befides being a capital racer, was particularly remarkable as a ſtallion ; and may be truly ſaid to have earned more money than any other Horſe in the world. He was engaged, during nine years of his life, to cover twenty-five mares, at fifty guineas a mare, and was uncommonly ſucceſsful in the celebrity of his progeny, having been fire to many of our moſt famous running Horſes. He was remarkable for being the quieteſt ſtallion that ever was known ; to which, perhaps, may be attributed his great age, being in his thirty-third year when he died. Shark won, befides a cup value 120 gs. and eleven hogfheads of claret, the aſtoniſhing fum of 15,507 gs. in plates, matches, and forfeits. On the 25th of March, 1799, a match for 3000 gs. was run at Newmarket, by Sir H. Vane Tempeft's Hambletonian, and Mr Cookfon's Diamond, and won by the former. It was ſuppoſed that wagers to the amount of nearly two hundred thouſand pounds were betted on the event of this ſevere race. A 4