60 THE TROTTING-UORSE OF AMERICA. 



the strong preparation necessary to the accomplishment of 

 those feats. 



It does not follow, however, that a subsequent failure 

 of a horse to carry out his early promise resulted from 

 the fact that he was trained at an early age. These colts 

 are" liable to the vicissitudes which attend other horses ; and, 

 therefore, they may go amiss in a manner which in nowise 

 depends on their early work. Still, there is a presumption 

 where a fast colt gives but at a time of afe when he ought 

 to improve, that he had too much worK for his stamina at 

 three or four years old ; and, with one of much promise at 

 three, I should decline to match him, unless I was convinced 

 that I had a tolerably easy thing. It is not the fast trotting 

 that will do the mischief, but the amount of work needful 

 to put the youngster in fix for a repeating race. Yet it is 

 well known that some colts and fillies who did great things 

 in public at three and four years old have since turned out 

 good horses. 



It will have been gathered from what I have said hereto- 

 fore, that my system contemplates the development of much 

 speed without much work. Some may say that this is 

 impossible ; but my experience is that it is quite practicable, 

 and a great deal more likely to be followed by the result 

 desired, than keeping the colt continually hammering at all 

 he knows. The system which I have laid down heretofore 

 for the management of the two-year-old is still to be fol- 

 lowed in its general principles when he is three, with such 

 modifications as his increase of age justifies. It will be 

 much better to err on the side of a little indulgence, than 

 to run the risk of knocking him off his legs and so over- 

 board, by too much work. The first race that I remember 

 between three-year-old trotters was some thirty-four years 

 ago. It took place on the Hunting-Park Course, Philadel- 

 phia, and there were three engaged. Peter Whelan had 

 Gipsy, George Woodruff had a gray filly that I looked 

 after, and there was another one. Gipsy won it in two 



