In 1839, thirty-six years before the first Kentucky Derby, Louisville was the site of a match race between the two greatest thoroughbreds of their day, Wagner and Grey Eagle, The purse was a staggering $14,000 (some accounts say $20,000).
About 10,000 spectators showed up at the Oakland Race Course to watch. The track, which had opened in the fall of 1833, was located at what is now Seventh and Magnolia Streets in Old Louisville.
The race consisted of a series of three heats of four miles each. Wagner won when Grey Eagle broke down from exhaustion in the third heat. He beat Grey Eagle again in a re-match a few days later.
Wagner (b. 1834) was described as a long-necked, long-bodied horse having muscular arms and wide hips, he stood 15.2 hands. Grey Eagle (b. 1835) is said to have stood 16 hands with a lofty carriage and the step of a gazelle. He is alleged to have been the sire of General Robert E. Lee's famous horse Traveler.
Today's American Saddlebreds and some Tennessee Walking Horses claim lineage to Grey Eagle. Grey Eagle died in 1863 at a farm in Ohio..
The tune Grey Eagle is one example among many of how traditional fiddle tunes were often reworked to commemorate celebrated events in the 19th century. The title dates to 1839, but the tune dates to the early 18th century when it was known as the Miller of Drone (a.k.a. The Miller of Draughin or The Miller of Drohan) This tune, common among the Scots Irish settlers of Virginia and the Carolinas, is said to have been a favorite of Thomas Jefferson.
Note: The Miller of Drone can be played as a reel or a strathspey. The version in this collection is arranged as a strathspey. Its resemblance to Grey Eagle is obscured by the strathspey rhythm.
Grey Eagle was one of the most famous American race horses of the 19th century. He inspired a fiddle tune, the name of a steamship and the name of one of the ships that carried miners to California during the Gold Rush.
Thanks to
Tom Estes
from Charlotte North Carolina for the horseracing graphic and researching information related to this tune.
Hetzler's Fakebook
a
resource
for
fiddle, banjo,
guitar, mandolin and dulcimer players who want to learn traditional
music.
