Before the Civil War in the US, the vast majority of Thoroughbred races were raced in heats of 4 miles, best two out of three. The famous match between American Eclipse and Henry that brought 50,000 people to a field on Long Island (more people than lived in New York City at the time, I believe), the legendary races between Lexington and Lecomte, all 4 mile heats.
One noted race had three winners from three heats, so they went a fourth, which another horse won. So they ran another heat, which went to a previous heat-winner, a mare called Maria, who became famous as '20-mile Maria'. Andy Jackson tried for years to find a horse who could beat her but never did. Of course, horses didn't start running in these 4-milers until they were 4 or older - youngsters ran in 8f heats.
'Dash' racing (the winner determined by a single heat) gradually took over in the 1860s and 1870s - the Travers was one of the first important 'dashes', at 1 3/4 miles. Yet all the 'dash' winners, and all modern TBs, were descended from those 4-mile heat runners.
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