Race Horse was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier, Coquette.

"[5] The new clippers Race Horse, Celestial, and Mandarin challenged Hoqua, Sea Witch, Samuel Russell, and Memnon, which were old rivals in the China trade.

"Large sums of money were wagered on the result, the four older vessels having established high reputations for speed.

The performance of Sea Witch was particularly astonishing because she had rounded Cape Horn during the Antarctic midwinter.

"[6] On August 8, 1851, Race Horse sailed from Boston to Smyrna, Turkey under the command of Captain Searles, with several passengers who were en route with their wives to work as missionaries in Armenia: Sanford Richardson, Edwin Goodell, and Benjamin Parsons.