RECOLLECTIONS OF MEN AND HORSES 



but the real judge of a horse won't have them at 

 any price. My experiment is on a very limited scale, 

 as I have only two French coach fillies. Whether I 

 have more depends on how I like these. I intend 

 to race Bingen, but he has got to get within Direc- 

 tum's class before we talk of Alix. I bought Peter 

 the Great the other day, and he will arrive at the 

 farm to-morrow. I guess he is quite a good colt. 



" Yours truly, 



" J. Malcolm Forbes." 



When Peter the Great occupied a box stall at 

 Forbes Farm, three of the fastest stallions in the 

 country then found shelter there — Bingen, 2.o6i, 

 Peter the Great, 2.07J, and Arion, 2.07I. It was a 

 grand trio. When Bingen was a competitor in classes 

 at the Boston Horse Show I was one of the judges 

 who affixed the blue to his headstall and lifted him 

 into championship honors. Mr. Forbes was grati- 

 fied, but did not say much. Some of the critics found 

 fault with the official decisions, but it was not long 

 before they were compelled to confess error of judg- 

 ment. Under date of January 30, 1901, Mr. Forbes 

 wrote me: 



*' I see that some of the papers are trying to 

 put the professional judge question to the front. In 

 theory it will be all right, but in practice you could 

 not get the men who are honest, and at the same 

 time capable. You and I know what pressure would 

 be brought and how the professional judges, travel- 

 ing through the circuit, and living with the drivers 

 and the pool-sellers, would find it almost impossible 



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