190 THE TROTTING-IIORSE OF AMERICA. 



trotting-race is a very different matter to the giving of 

 orders to a boy in a running-race. The driver is always a 

 man, with the experience that a man may possess in tliat 

 profession. He has also commonly trained the horse, and 

 therefore knows his peculiarities and disposition; that is, 

 lie ought to know them. It follow^s that, in most cases, in- 

 structions to the driver are unnecessary if not mischievous. 

 As to whether the driver ought to follow them when he 

 thinks them wrong, is a difficult question. But, if I am 

 convinced that they are wrong, I either disregard the in- 

 structions when the pinch comes, or refuse to drive the horse. 

 My business as a driver is to win races; and if I know, as 

 well as I can know any thing beforehand, that a certain 

 method pointed out is not the way to win, but to lose, I just 

 follow the instructions as long as it answers and until I can 

 see a chance to do better. This trot with Confidence was 

 the last Ripton was engaged in that year, 1843. He started 

 only four times that season, and won all the races. 



In the following year he remained at Philadelphia with 

 his owner, Mr. Moore, and did not trot in public at all. In 

 1845 he was brouglit to New York in the spring, but fell 

 lame, and was sent back to Philadelphia again. He soon 

 got right, and was trotted against Americus, mile heats, 

 three in five, in harness, over the Hunting-park Course, 

 Philadelphia. The race came off in the first week of June, 

 and was a very good one of five heats. Of these, Kipton 

 won the first, second, and fifth ; Americus winning the third 

 and fourth. So Ripton got the race, and purse of $200. 

 The time was 2.40, 2.38, 2.30, 2.41, 2.45. In the 

 September of that year I was living at Boston, ar d made a 

 match for $500, half forfeit, for Ripton to trot two-mile 

 heats, in harness, against Bay Boston, a horse fifteen hands 

 three inches higli, over the Cambridge Course. Having 

 made this match, I sent to Philadelphia for tlie horse, and 

 tliey started with him. On the way they stopped at New 

 York, and trotted liim for a purse of $300, two-mile heats 



