LIFE AViril THE TKOTTEKS. llo 



star performer. I replied that if necessary I would get the 

 record all right. After talking with Mr. Conklin, I de- 

 cided that the tirst thing was to do this, and ^vith that end 

 in view, the rest of my stable being entered at Saginaw, 1 

 took Rarus there, hoj^ing to find the track and day favorable 

 to fast time. On the .contrary, I found the track worn out, 

 and the prospects anything but rosy, which decided me to 

 give Rarus only safe work, waiting for a better opi^ortunity 

 to smash the record. There was an exhibition by Rarus, and 

 in this he showed me the three best consecutive heats he 

 had ever trotted, the miles being 2:17^, 2:16, 2:16^. In this 

 exhibition, for the reasons stated, I did not pinch Rarus, sim- 

 ply letting him go three good rating heats. From Saginaw w^e 

 went to Cincinnati, and gave an exhibition on the Fourth 

 of July, the second mile being done in 2:17 over a half- 

 mile track. It had rained the previous night, which slowed 

 the track some, but I had never seen Rarus when I liked 

 him as well. Toledo was the next i)lace on the route, and 

 here Rarus tried to beat his own half-mile track record of 

 2:17. I was sure he would do it. AVliile the track was far 

 from fast it seemed safe and the horse moved like a bird. 

 Up to this time I had given him only moderate work and 

 no fast miles, simply sending him along in about 2:2o, 

 l)rushing him the last loO yards as well as he could go. M}' 

 aim still was to make with him all the speed possible, and 

 I trained him as yon would have handled a sprint runner. 

 When we came out at Toledo, Rarus went two trials in 2:19, 

 2 : 1 7J. Darkness coming on, the exhibition was postponed un- 

 til the following day, when Rarus trotted in 2:10, beating his 

 own record a full second, and that of every other horse two 

 seconds, so far as performances over half-mile tracks were 

 concerned. 



The great summer meeting at Cleveland was now at hand, 

 and we went there to trot an exhibition, the terms being 

 that Rarus was to go three heats that should average better 

 than 2:18; and if Goldsmith Maid's recoid was beaten, we 

 were to get an additional $500. In this race, I not only 



