98 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



come down past the judges' stand almost or quite at 

 full speed. If, when they pass under the wire, they 

 are upon fairly even terms, the starter (one of the 

 judges) cries out, " Go ! " and on they rush. If, 

 however, the start would not be a fair one, the bell 

 is rung as a signal that the drivers must come back 

 aud try again! Sometimes the scoring, as these 

 attempts are called, is prolonged for a long while; 

 but the judges are authorized to fine any driver who 

 comes down ahead of or behind the "pole" horse; 

 that is, the horse who has the inside position, or 

 that nearest the poles which mark the quarter, the 

 half, and the three-quarter mile points. All the 

 positions are assigned by lot. The attempt is occa- 

 sionally made by a combination of drivers to tire out 

 or excite some particular horse by unnecessary scor- 

 ing, and in former years this nefarious plan was 

 often practised successfully, but of late the rules are 

 enforced with more strictness. Even with the best 

 intentions on the part of all the drivers concerned, 

 it is sometimes difficult to get a fair start, especially 

 if the horses are young or badly behaved, and the 

 scoring is frequently spoken of as a great drawback 

 to the pleasures of a trotting race. These false 

 starts, however, afford a most interesting exhibition 

 of horses and men ; the spectator has such an oppor- 

 tunity as he could not otherwise enjoy to study the 

 gaits of the various trotters, to note how well or ill 

 they "catch," and to observe the skill, temper, and 

 courage of the jockeys. There is a great difference 

 in the behavior of the different horses. Some pull 

 and tug on the bit, despite the signal to return, car- 

 rying their drivers down to the first turn in the 



