544 A SHORT HISTORY OP THE 



The little gray gelding Hopeful, the pride of Dan Mace's heart, 

 is a very fast horse. He was foaled in Maine in 18GG, and 

 was sired by Godfrey's Patchen, a son of Flora Temple's famous 

 competitor, and his dam was a gray mare by the Bridham horse, 

 who is supposed to have been aa immediate descendant of Wiu- 

 throp Messenger. He first appeared on the turf at Springfield, 

 August 25, 1873, but only finished fourth in a field of five. He 

 then essayed his fortunes in four races, winning two of them and a 

 record of 2 m. 25 s. In 1874 he trotted seven races, winning five, 

 being beaten only by Bodine, ths fast son of Volunteer, and lowered 

 his record to 2 m. 21 s. At Fleetwood Park, May 22, 1875, 

 Kansas Chief beat him. He now lay by until August 5, when he 

 appeared at Poughkeepsie in the 2 m. 18 s. class, defeating Lady 

 Maud, Judge Fullerton, who took the first heat, Huntress and two 

 others, in 2 m. 21 s., 2 m. 22f s., 2 m. 28 s., and 2 m. 28 s. At 

 Hampden Park, three weeks later, he beat Lady Maud and Kansas 

 Chief in 2 m. 28 s., 2 m. 24 s., and 2 m. 20 s., and on the last day 

 of that month, at Hartford, he beat I^ady Maud, ].ucille Golddust, 

 and Henry, in 2 m. 18} s., 2 m. 22i s., and 2 m. 23ir s., Lady 

 Maud taking the third and fourth in 2 m. 19 s. and 2 m. 20]- s., 

 and at the same place, September 3, he defeated American Girl in 

 three straight heats in 2 m. 171 s., 2 m. 18} s., and 2 m. 18} s. 

 Great as the achievement was, Dan Mace, in his " Experience with 

 Trotters," published in the Spirit of the Times, says, " On that day 

 Hopeful could have trotted a mile in 2 m. 12 s., although his best 

 time was only 2 m. 17} s. I never let loose of his head, never asked 

 him to go, and never wanted him to go ; and in no place in that 

 mile did he go as fast as he could. ... I don't think there is a 

 horse alive that can out-trot him now; not a horse on the turf that 

 can outspeed him." In 1876, owing to a foot difiiculty, he was 

 unable to trot, but, June, 1877, at Fleetwood Park, he started in 

 the Free-for-all Purse, with Judge Fullerton, Albemarle, and Ade- 

 laide, and astonished his owner, driver, and everybody else, by his 

 performance, winning the first heat in 2 m. 18^ s., by three-quar- 

 ters of a second the fastest mile ever trotted on the track, and 

 taking the race handily without a skip, in three heats — time, 2 m. 

 18 J s., 2 m. 20 s., and 2 m. 21 s. At Boston, July 5, he beat 

 Great Eastern in 2 m. 22 s., 2 m. 20J s., 2 m. 18^- s., and 2 m. 

 19^ s., Great Eastern taking the second heat. He next appeared 

 in the Grand Circuit at Springfield, Mass., July 13, where he beat 

 Judge Fullerton for the Free-for-all Purse, then back to Boston, 

 where, July 23, he met the great Smuggler and defeated him in 

 straight heats, the fastest of which was 2 m. 192 s. He did not 

 start at Cleveland, Buffalo, or Bochester, but at Utica, August 17, 

 he suffered defeat from Lucille Golddust, who had to trot in 2 m. 



