184 LIFE WITH THE TROTTEES. 



you don't seem to get on as well with it as you could wish, 

 pick out the man that you think would be the most liable to 

 be well posted on that particular subject and go and get his 

 opinion. You are not obliged to follow it after you get it, 

 and in finding out his oxDinion, you may learn something. 

 I have many a time asked advice from different j^eo^Dle, and 

 have received some that has been of great value to me, and 

 to illustrate this I may state an experience that I had with 

 Dan Mace on one occasion. It was when Hopeful first came 

 on the turf. I saw Mace drive him, and also some other 

 j)eople try their hand, and he seemed to me to be very no- 

 tional about scoring. In talking with Mace about it, he ac- 

 knowledged that he was, and he told me what the jDeculiar- 

 ity was. He said Ho^ieful could not bear to have another 

 horse score up head-and-head with him to get the word, and 

 in such an emergency he was almost sure to break or pace. 

 He told me the way to do was to take Hoi)eful down behind 

 the other horses, and bring him uj) on a bulge — that is, to 

 let him go as fast as he could, and if he was within striking 

 distance to take the word, and Hopeful with his extreme 

 speed would be able to rush by almost any horse, and take 

 the pole from him. 



I never thought any more of this until a race when I was 

 asked to drive Hopeful after he had lost two heats. The 

 first time I scored down I turned round head and head with 

 the other horse, but at the wire Hopeful broke, and paced. 

 That brought to mind the conversation I had with Mace two 

 years ago, and I resolved to act on what he told me. I went 

 up and turned him round, as Mace had directed me, follow- 

 ing his instructions as nearly as I could, and when the 

 horses came to the wire, the others were going about a 2:25 

 gait, and Hopeful was about at a 2:22 gait, they j)ulling 

 back, and Hopeful going at full sail. I nodded for the 

 word, the judges said "go," and before it was cold out of 

 their mouths Hopeful had the pole and was never headed. 

 Mace always said : "If Hopeful is in the lead, and another 

 man comes along head-and-head with you, take him right out, 



