“Many persons determined to see the race, were compelled to walk, as they did, under a burning sun, four miles and a half.” -- Spirit of the Times, 8 April 1837 At the same time that he was Postmaster of Big Lick in 1831, twenty-one-year-old Yelverton N. Oliver was …
A Toast to Bumper, the Best Winded, the Fleetest Horse of All [Part II. – 1837 Races]
“The public may probably never have it in their power again to witness such sport!” Captain Yelverton N. Oliver It was a landmark day for racing in the United States, for this was a Sunday–and the first occasion for a Jockey Club anywhere to hold a contest on the …
Ode to a Swift Nag: Day Four, New Orleans Jockey Club 1837 Spring Races [Part III. – 1837 Races]
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 …
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 …
Song to the Silver Tea Service of the Louisiana Jockey Club [Part V. – 1837 Races]
“The plate is worth going to see without the race.”–New Orleans Picayune, 22 March 1837 After a week of contests dominated by fillies and colts, Wednesday, Day Six, closing day of the New Orleans Jockey Club’s inaugural spring races over the new Eclipse Course at Carrollton, …