THE TnOTTING-nOUSE OF AMERICA. 181 



wagntis. Go-.rgo Spicer drove Americus, wlio won it m 

 two heats, tlie fastest of which was 5m. 14s. 1 believe that 

 was the fastest two-mile time to wagous that had then l:»een 

 made. We went one more race that season with Ripton, 

 and it was also over the Beacon Course. It was a match 

 against Americus, three-mile heats, in harness, for §1,000 

 a side. The interest felt in the match was large, and peo- 

 ple generally-thought Americus would win it. The attend- 

 ance on the course was very great. Americus was the 

 favorite at the start at 100 to 60. In the first heat, Ripton 

 went away, and, taking the lead, maintained it for two 

 miles very handily ; but, in passing the stand to go into 

 the third mile, he unfortunately struck his ankle. This 

 caused him to fly up as if he had been shot ; and he acted 

 so badly in the third mile that he w^as nearly distanced. I 

 managed, however, to avoid that, and saved the right to 

 start. Most people thought it was of no use, and the odds 

 current on Americus was 100 to 5. Even at that rate the 

 layers far outnumbered the takers. The latter were few 

 and shy. 



ISTevertheless, when I felt of Ripton in the second heat, 

 and " put the question to him," as much as to say, " Can 

 you do it now?" he said ''Yes!" So, coming up the 

 stretch on the first mile, I took the lead with him : he was 

 never afterwards headed in the heat, and won it handily. 

 There was much excitement and some tribulation among 

 those who had laid the long odds. Americus still had 

 the call, the majority depending on his reputation as a horse 

 of good bottom. I concluded that it would be best to make 

 a waiting race of it, and so, at the word for the third heat, 

 pulled behind and trailed. Here I kept for two miles. On 

 passing the stand the second time, Ripton began to pull very 

 hard ; and the purchase of my foot against the iron of the 

 sulky was so 2)owerful that it parted, and the end going for- 

 ward, struck Ripton on the thigh. He gave a wild bound, 

 and I came ver^; near going overboard. I managed to save 



