55 



Laclede track, named in honor of the first white man that 

 explored the upper Missouri river. 



Here there was brilliant racing for a number of years. 

 Muggins, Derby, The Banshee, Pat Maloy, Ruth, Planta- 

 ganet, Patrician and hundreds of other horses of the highest 

 class planted their dainty hoofs on the soil of this course and 

 won many a hard-fought battle. About this time racing 

 was perfectly honest in every particular in Missouri, and 

 there had never been a breath of suspicion against the class 

 of the sport. But soon after the first taint was manifested, 

 and gradually the blot has grown upon the escutcheon until 

 everything on a race track in the State is regarded as at 

 least worthy of close investigation. 



One of the most peculiar races that occurred during this 

 period was between The Banshee, Pat Maloy and a few 

 others. The Banshee was in my stable and was owned by 

 James J. O'Fallon and myself. It was a two-mile heat race, 

 and The Banshee stepped out and won the first heat handily 

 from Pat Maloy, who was in reality the only contender and 

 the one I feared most. I told my jockey to drop in behind 

 Pat Maloy and jump into the tracks as Maloy dropped out. 

 Now, Pat Maloy was a bald-faced horse, and, as ill luck 

 would have it, there was another bald-faced horse bearing a 

 striking resemblance to him in the race. My boy was never 

 a careful observer and he selected as the horse he was to 

 beat the inferior animal. They flew around the track with 

 the real Pat Maloy in the lead by many lengths, but my 

 jockey thought it was the scrub horse and that he could 

 easily overtake him when the test of speed arrived down the 

 stretch. He hung right to the bogus animal, and suddenly 

 realizing the state of affairs, I sent a man to the three-eighth 

 pole to warn the boy. He did so, but by that time it was too 

 late. The boy made a gallant effort, and was only beaten by 

 a head on the post. 



The mare was high in flesh, as it was her first effort of 

 the season, and she could not stand the terrible strain. In 

 consequence, the well-seasoned Pat Maloy came in a winner 

 at the end of the next and deciding heat. I had lost through 

 a mistake. 



Plantaganet belonged to Mr. O'Fallon, but was in my 

 stable. He started in a race with the great Ruth and others. 



