Thy name, swift nag, shall be enroll’d On every sporting ground. – New Orleans Picayune, 21 March 1837 Monday, Day Four of the New Orleans Jockey Club’s inaugural spring races over Captain Oliver’s new Eclipse Course might as well have been promoted as Ladies' Day at …
Drunken Horse – Extraordinary Exhumation(!)
Dear Readers of the Turf Times: In honor of the upcoming holiday weekend and related celebrations, here's a tale from the Spirit of the Times archives about the escapades of Jack Ragg, a 19th century English draught horse. Next week's issue will continue coverage of the New …
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Going to the Races? Good Luck Finding a Seat on the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad
“The day will come when the Eclipse Course will be the first in the United States.” – New Orleans Picayune, 18 March 1837 New Orleans race fans in 1837 benefitted from the recently established New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad, which transported thousands to the …
No Rest for the Weary: Day Five’s One-Miler Tests the Mettle of Three Returning Racers [Part IV. – 1837 Races]
“[Col. Bingaman] has won, we believe, when not only his friends but himself thought he must inevitably lose.” – New Orleans Picayune, 23 March 1837 We know that it rained on Monday, Day Four of the New Orleans Jockey Club’s 1837 Spring Races, but fortunately the wet …
A Race
Strike aloud the signal drum, to call Each well trained racer from his stall; Drive back the anxious crowd from where Rider and steed would both prepare, For warm contention in the race; …