AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE. 517 



floor. The stand commands a perfect view of the course, but its 

 neglected appearance shows clearly that trotting-matches here are 

 not as fashionable as they used to be, though far better attended 

 than at New York. Upon the present occasion the excitement was 

 intense ; you could detect it even in the increased vigor with which 

 the smoking and spitting were carried on. An antagonist had been 

 found bold enough to measure speed with ' Mac' — the great Mac, 

 who, while ' whipping creation,' was also said never to have let out 

 his full speed. He was thoroughbred, about 15 J hands, and 

 lighter built than my rawboned friend Tacony, and he had lately 

 been sold for 1600?. So sure did people, apparently, feel of Mac's 

 easy victory, that even betting was out of the question. Unlike 

 the Long Island affair, the riders appeared in jockey attire, and the 

 whole thing was far better got up. Ladies, however, had long 

 ceased to grace such scenes. Various false starts were made, all 

 on the part of Mac, who, trusting to the bottom of blood, apparently 

 endeavored to ruffle Tacony's temper, and weary him out a little. 

 How futile were the efforts the sequel plainly showed. At length 

 a start was effected and away they went, Tacony with his hind legs 

 as far apart as the centre arch of Westminster Bridge, and with 

 strides that would almost clear the Bridgewater canal. Mac's rider 

 soon found that in trying to ginger Tacony's temper he had pep- 

 pered his own horse's, for he broke .up into a gallop twice. Old 

 Tacony and his rider had evidently got intimate since I had seen 

 them at New York, and they now thoroughly understood each 

 other. On he went with giant strides; Mac fought bravely for the 

 van, but could not get his nose beyond Tacony's saddle-girth at the 

 winning-post. Time, 2 m. 25 ^ s. Then followed the usual race- 

 course accompaniments of cheers, squabbles, growling, laughing, 

 betting, drinking, &c. The public were not convinced; Mac was 

 still the favorite ; the champion chaplet was not thus hastily to be 

 plucked from his hitherto victorious brow. Half an hour's rest 

 brought them again to the starticg-post, when Mac repeated his 

 old tactics, and with similar bad success. Nothing could ruffle 

 Tacony, or produce one false step ; he flew round the course, every 

 stride like the ricochet of a 32-lb. shot. His adversary briike up 

 again and again, losing both his temper and his place, and barely 

 saved his distance as the gallant Tacony, his rider with a slack rein 

 and patting him on the neck, reached the winning-post. Time, 

 2 m. 252- s. The shouts were long and loud; such time had never 

 been made before by fair trotting, and Tacony evidently could have 

 done it in two if not three seconds less. The fastest pacing ever 

 accomplished before was 2 m. 17? s. ; and the fastest trotting, 2 m. 

 26 s. The triumph was complete, Tacony nobly won the victorious 

 garland ; and as long as he and his rider go together, it will take, 



