52 RACEALONG 



defeated Adelaide and Charley Hogan in a race at 

 Chicago in 1886 in 2:18l^. 



About this time Independence and Cleora made 

 a record of 2:16V2 to a pole cart while Clingstone and 

 Guy trotted the track at Cleveland in 2:17. 



On account of the restrictions Fleetwood Park was 

 never a popular course. A tall iron fence separated 

 the club house and broad flight of steps leading 

 down to the track from the grand stand which was 

 located on the first turn. This did not bother the 

 management as the revenue from other sources took 

 care of the overhead. Public racing at Fleetwood 

 Park began with match races, one of the first being 

 between the Hambletonian stallion Startle and 

 Lothair in 1870. They were then three-year-olds. 

 Startle distanced Lothair in the first heat in 2:36. 

 After this race Robert Bonner purchased Startle. He 

 paid $20,000. Startle was also the first horse to trot 

 Fleetwood Park in 2:19. Later on Robert Bonner 

 allowed Maud S. to make a few trips against the 

 watch for a world's record. 



From time to time small meetings were given 

 at Fleetwood Park, one of the greatest feature events 

 being in 1883 when Jay Eye See defeated St. Julien 

 in a special race. This brought out the largest at- 

 tendance seen on the old course. Finally Grand Circuit 

 meetings were given there in 1889 and 1890 and in 

 1893 when there was adverse legislation in Con- 

 necticut a few of the fixtures at Hartford were 

 transferred and a combination meeting given at 

 Fleetwood. The purses amounted to $60,000. 



