American Eclipse (1814–1847) was an undefeated American
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
racehorse, who raced when three- to four-mile heats were common.
Breeding
American Eclipse was bred on
West Island (Dosoris Island) in
Glen Cove on
Long Island, New York
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
by General Nathaniel Coles. He was by
Duroc (by the founding stallion
Diomed
Diomed (1777–1808) was an English Thoroughbred race horse who won the inaugural running of the Epsom Derby in 1780. Sold and imported to Virginia, he was subsequently a successful sire in the United States after the American Revolutionary War ...
), out of Miller's Damsel (known as the "Queen of the Northern Turf," by
Messenger
Messenger, Messengers, The Messenger or The Messengers may refer to:
People
* Courier, a person or company that delivers messages, packages, or mail
* Messenger (surname)
* Bicycle messenger, a bicyclist who transports packages through cities
* M ...
). Miller’s Damsel’s dam was a mare (foaled in 1792) by
Pot8os, who was by the original Eclipse.
The horse was a
chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Description
...
stallion
A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...
that stood 15
hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...
s 1 inch high and was named after the great
English champion
Eclipse
An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...
. The original Eclipse (1764 to 1789), about whom it was said: "Eclipse first—the rest nowhere," was so outstanding that many people named their horses Eclipse in the hope that they had another horse of his quality.
Racing record
Coles didn't start American Eclipse until he was a three-year-old, and then he raced him sparingly. He had a few race starts at four and was victorious each time. He was, according to many who saw him, the greatest American racehorse of his day.
At five, he raced for Cornelius W. Van Ranst, who had purchased him from Coles for $3,000. At five, he maintained his form, but Van Ranst put him out to
stud
Stud may refer to:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
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* ...
at six. At ages six and seven, he bred to a number of mares for a fee of $12.50. To assist the newly opened
Union Course
Union Course was a horse racing course in what is now Woodhaven, Queens, New York City. It hosted some of the most famous horse races in American history, including the 1823 match between American Eclipse and Sir Henry. The track was located b ...
, Van Ranst put the horse back into training. In his next start, he defeated the good mare
Lady Lightfoot (a winner of 31 races), by
Sir Archy
Sir Archy (or Archy, Archie, or Sir Archie; 1805–1833) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse considered one of the best racehorses of his time and later one of the most important sires in American history. He was inducted into the National M ...
, in the first heat. He distanced her in the second heat when they were the only starters since all others had withdrawn. In his next race, all other horses scratched after contesting American Eclipse in the first heat, except Sir Walter who lost.
At this point, a match race was organized between American Eclipse and James J. Harrison’s noted horse Sir Charles. Sir Charles, with 20 wins to his credit, injured himself in a workout, and Harrison was required to forfeit the match, which American Eclipse won. A second match was arranged only a single heat, and this time Sir Charles raced but broke down, leaving American Eclipse an easy winner.
American Eclipse versus Sir Henry match Race
When American Eclipse was nine years old, another challenge was issued with the intent to race five top horses against American Eclipse, who would represent the North. The race was to be run six months from the date of the challenge over the old
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
Union Course. (This kind of thing was often done, with no one knowing what condition a horse might be in after six months, and in this case, with the South not having to name the horses challenging.) The South's noted horseman William Johnson trained six horses from the South before deciding that Henry was to race American Eclipse. The race was to be decided with the best two of three four-mile heats for a purse of $10,000. Over 60,000 people attended to see American Eclipse contest Henry (three years old and by Sir Archy). Also racing were John Richards and Washington, not tested at such a distance, but with so much time before the race, their owners intended that they would be. By the time the race came round, two Southern horses had pulled out: Washington for proving not good enough in his training, and John Richards for injury.
[Montgomery, E.S, "The Thoroughbred", Arco, New York, 1973 ]
Among the great crowd at
Union Course
Union Course was a horse racing course in what is now Woodhaven, Queens, New York City. It hosted some of the most famous horse races in American history, including the 1823 match between American Eclipse and Sir Henry. The track was located b ...
on May 27, 1823 was
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
, then
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
governor of
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. So were the
Vice-President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. Th ...
, Daniel Tompkins, and the infamous
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 d ...
, who had shot and killed
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
in
a duel about 19 years earlier (July 11, 1804).
Racing against Henry and ridden by William Crafts, American Eclipse lost the first heat by a length (the only time he was ever beaten) to Henry, whose time of 7.37 was the best yet seen in America over four miles. American Eclipse, at nine, carried 126 pounds (57 kg), while his much younger rival carried 108 pounds (49 kg). The famed turf historian Cadwallader R. Colden (who wrote under the name "An Old Turfman”) said that American Eclipse was ridden badly by Crafts, who whipped and spurred him in the first heat. William Crafts was replaced after this heat by the noted Samuel Purdy, who had retired but gladly rode a horse he'd ridden in his youth. In the second heat, American Eclipse raced close to Henry and won this heat. In the third and last heat, the horses were exhausted, but American Eclipse was more seasoned and won by three lengths, to the jubilation of the North.
In his eight race starts, he won eight times, earning $25,000.
Stud record
American Eclipse was sold at a public
auction
An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
for $8,050 to Walter Livingstone, who permanently retired him to stud in New York. There he sired his best son, Medoc. Then he was sent to
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
and finally, in 1837, to
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
. American Eclipse produced numerous stakes winners and others including Ariel, a
filly
A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use:
*In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old.
*In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States
...
who won 42 of 57 starts, including 18 four-mile heats; Black Maria (out of Lady Lightfoot, his old rival) who won 11 races with three- and four-mile heats; Lize (second dam of Enquirer); Ten Broeck (not the Nantura Farm Ten Broeck); Monmouth Eclipse; Bay Maria; and Gano.
[Morris, Simon; ''Tesio Power 2000 - Stallions of the World'', Syntax Software]
Last owned by Jilson Yates, American Eclipse died in
Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was established in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentuck ...
, in August 1847, when he was 33 years old.
One hundred and twenty-three years later, in 1970, he was inducted into the
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...
.
Sire line tree
*American Eclipse
[Herod Sire Line](_blank)
/ref>Hall of Fame: American Eclipse
/ref>
**Lance
**Eclipse (Monmouth)
***Hornblower
***Prospect
**Goliah
** Medoc
***Grey Medoc
***Mirabeau
***Sir Halpin
***Bendigo
***Blacknose
***Cripple
***Red Bill
***Telamon
***Bob Letcher
**Shark
***Mariner
**Mingo
**Paul Clifford
**Forward
**Gano
**Ten Broeck
**Zenith
**Eclipse (Brawner)
Pedigree
See also
* List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
References
External links
{{Commons category, American Eclipse
The bio of American Eclipse
American Eclipse in the Hall of Fame
1814 racehorse births
1847 racehorse deaths
Thoroughbred family 3-a
Byerley Turk sire line
Racehorses trained in the United States
United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires
Racehorses bred in New York (state)
United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
Undefeated racehorses