TROTTING RACES. 109 



under similar circumstances. Only the winners of 

 heats, Felix, Florence, and Nobby were allowed to 

 start ; the -others, who had not secured a single one 

 out of the five heats that had been trotted, being- 

 '"sent to the barn," in accordance with a rule already 

 stated. The pools sold fast and furious on Felix 

 against the field, twenty-five dollars to six, for wh;it 

 slight chance Nobby ever had was thought to be 

 gone. 



Now came one of the most stubbornly contested 

 heats ever seen on a trotting course. At the start 

 Felix showed much more speed than the others, and 

 was a length ahead at the quarter pole, with Florence 

 second, and Nobby trotting steadily in the rear. At 

 the half-mile pole Felix had gained three lengths 

 more, and looked, as the sporting phrase is, a sure 

 winner. Soon after this point was passed Florence 

 gave place to Nobby, and "now," said the Spirit of 

 the Times, " Splan began to show his tactics, 'wait 

 and win.' His gain to the three-quarter pole was 

 almost imperceptible, and Felix still kept a long 

 lead; but from this point Splan began to use every 

 particle of speed that was in his horse. When they 

 turned into the home stretch Felix was swung out to 

 the middle of the track, where the footing was better 

 but Nobby was driven close to the pole. 'I can't 

 spTre a foot of distance, was my thought,' Splan 

 afterwa rd remarked . " 



"Nobby gamely entered into the spirit of the task; 

 a stern chase, it is true, but gradually he lessened the 

 gap. At the drawgates, where the path was hard, 

 he wavered, ns if about to break, but Splan steadied 

 him with a slight pull, and on recovering his stride 



