 The Panic of 1837 hurt the Spirit 's circulation , but Porter responded by buying out his main competition , the American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine and moved it to New York City . Porter edited the Turf Register until the paper stopped being published in 1844 . Porter continued the publication of annual stallion lists and the publication of lists of horses owned by breeders . However , the purchase of the American Turf Register strained Porter 's finances , and he sold the Spirit to another printer , John Richards , who retained Porter as editor . The 1840s were prosperous , but in the 1850s the magazine again encountered difficulties . Around 1855 , Porter left Richards ' paper , and in 1856 , another printer , George Wilkes , began a new sporting newspaper , which he called Porter 's Spirit of the Times , and employed Porter as editor . 
