THE TROTTING-HORSE OF AMERICA. 109 



far as condition is concerned. Natural stoutness and game 

 are demanded for long races. Now, without condition the 

 horse cannot have "bottom," which is simply capacity to 

 endure. Without game, which is the pluck to try till the 

 last chance i4 out, the bottom may exist to very little pur- 

 pose. Therefore, though the horse cannot have the bottom 

 without condition, he may have the condition without the 

 bottom and its necessary concomitant game. It follows, 

 that the saying often heard, " condition makes bottom," is 

 only true to a limited extent. It enables the game and nat- 

 urally stout horse to make avail of all his bottom, and put 

 forth his powers to the uttermost degree. Again, it is said 

 speed makes bottom ; but this is next kin to nonsense. As 

 long as there is nothing like equal speed against it, it en- 

 ables the fast horse's driver to keep him well within himself, 

 and thus to dispense with the bottom which, against another 

 of nearly equal speed, would be necessary to save the heat. 

 And speed is of very great importance in another point of 

 view. It enables its possessor to go ahead, take which part 

 of the course he pleases, and fret and worry the other horse. 

 Very few horses have the courage and temper to go on be- 

 hind at their best pace, and persevere to the end without 

 breaking. Therefore, the horse of known bottom may ac 

 bad when he finds himself out-trotted from the score in a 

 long race, and is urged all the way ; and if the driver pulls 

 him together, the other may steal away and open such a gap 

 that the closing of it at the end of the heat will be a terri- 

 ble up-hill task, unless the other "comes back." Speed,, 

 then, may be an available substitute for bottom ; but it can- 

 not be bottom itself in any sense. The slow horse in con- 

 dition can keep at his best rate longer than the speedy 

 horse can at his. Hence the old saying, " He can't go fast 

 enough to tire himself." 



When the horse has appeared in his first race, showed 

 the speed you might reasonably look for, and given evidence 

 of satisfactory condition, he is not to be treated exactly as 



