78 THE HORSE IN AMERICA 



year by year, been clipping seconds off the mile 

 record until the two minute mark has been 

 passed. At the same time I wish to insist that the 

 breeding and training of these phenomenal ani- 

 mals should be left to the very rich, just, for in- 

 stance, as yacht racing is. The breeding of trot- 

 ters is far from an exact science, as the trotter, as 

 such, is not a reproducing type, and only two or 

 three in a hundred of the standard breds ever go 

 very fast, while more of the fast horses among 

 them pace than trot. They are not a type in con- 

 formation, in action or in gait; they come in all 

 sizes and all shapes, and are not to be judged by 

 the two or three per cent that develop speed. 

 Moreover, they do not pay. Counting the cost of 

 the ninety-seven or ninety-eight per cent of fail- 

 ures, I venture to say that the production of each 

 successful trotter must cost in the neighborhood 

 of ten thousand dollars. Lottery prizes, when lot- 

 teries were in vogue, were as high as that; but 

 buying lottery tickets was never considered a 

 good commercial enterprise. I sincerely hope, 

 however, that rich men will continue to breed for 

 extreme speed, as they can afford such costly and 



