Races were timed from the beat of a drum and with a standing start in the 1800's. Not with a running start after a period of "run-up" as they have been since the 1900's.
But still, it's almost certain that those horses were much slower than modern horses. The tracks were probably a lot slower as well.
He had the North American record for 12 furlongs, which was only 2:34.75
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indian Charlie
1m in 1:47
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He ran two one-mile heats the same day. Both of them in 1:43