THE TROTTING-IIOfOtE OF AMEHWA. 327 



of doing it, and one of them is now. I alliido to Ilexter, 

 wlio, in my oi)iniou, would stand a g(»()d chance to beat it, 

 and pull a wagon. The others were Flora Temple and 

 General JJutler. Patcheu could perhaps have done it when 

 he was at his best ; and I have no doubt John Morgan 

 rould. To accomplish this feat, a horse must be fast and 

 stout, and his or her condition must be as near perfect as 

 may be. He must have a great deal of speed ; for no horse 

 can stay three miles except by keeping well within himself. 

 He must bj stout and honest ; for a weak-constitutioned or 

 faint-hearted one will be sure to quit before he has finished 

 the job. He must be about the best pitch of condition ; for, 

 if defective at all in this, the trial would be more hope- 

 less than if he was lacking in one of the other particulars. 

 ISTow, we knew that Flora had plenty of speed, and good 

 bottom; but, considering her race with Patchen three days 

 before, it was not probable that she was at or near her best 

 pitch of condition ; but a great many people never took that 

 into consideration at all, and she was backed at two to one, 

 James McMann drove her. I was one of the judges. At 

 the start she went off at good speed, but was not altogether 

 as steady as her backers might have wished ; for she broke 

 twice ia the first half-mile, which was trotted in Im. 14|s. 

 The first mile was made in 2m. 30:|s., which was a winning 

 rate, with a se(;ond and a half to spare. The pace was now 

 forced too much. She trotted the next half-mile at the 

 rate of 2m. 25s. to the mile, and the whole mile was 2m. 

 27] s. This gave her a large margin for the third mile, but 

 left her with little or nothing to do it with. She had 

 trotted the two miles in 4m. 57^s., and now she had only to 

 beat 2ni. 35s. in the last mile to win ; but this she could not 

 do. She broke hinlXy in the first part of the third mile, and 

 hi.'r time in it was 2m. 36|s. Her whole time was 7m. 

 33^s. It was now mooted whether she could start again 

 that day, and we decided that she could; but this is not to 

 be taken as a general precedent. I am now satisfied that 



