190 LIFE TVITII THE TROTTERS. 



my sulky, it would be well to keep away from Deck Wright. 

 I therefore trailed away behind him until we turned into the 

 stretch, Patchen still at the pole, Deck Wright outside. 

 After we rounded into the stretch I ]pulled Wedge wood well 

 out into the track, and as they say on the running turf, I 

 sat down and commenced to ride him. I never saw him 

 show any more determination than he did right there. 

 Every time I spoke he responded, but while he was doing 

 that Murj^hy was getting Patchen one of those drives that 

 he is noted for. It took Wedge wood all the way to the wire 

 to beat him, which he finally did by a head in 2:19, the best 

 and fastest heat he ever trotted. Between Patchen' s trot- 

 ting, Deck Wright's running, and the hustling tactics of the 

 others they kept me busy the balance of the race, but 

 Wedge wood won, going the fifth heat in 2:20|^ and the sixth 

 in 2:22|. 



This, I believe, was the last race of any prominence that 

 Patchen ever took part in. Patchen was a horse that came 

 to his speed very quickly, having never beaten 2:23|- until 

 this day. He made this one skyrocket performance, and 

 then went down in the same manner, never having been 

 heard of after that season. Prom Hartford we went to Bos- 

 ton, where he beat Wedgewood, Driver, Sheridan, and Lady 

 Maud, in 2:20|, 2:21f, 2:21|, Driver winning the third heat 

 in 2:21. There were some very unimx^ortant races in which 

 he took part during the following month, and on October 15 

 he w^ound up the season with a first-class contest at Prospect 

 Park against Patchen and Driver, six heats being required 

 to settle the money, three of them being trotted better than 

 2:20; and taking into consideration the time of the year, and 

 the fact that it was the end of a long campaign, this was 

 looked upon as a wonderful i)erformance. It was the last 

 star race for Wedgewood, Driver and Patchen, and one of 

 the last races in which Wedgewood took part. 



In this race I expected to have both horses to battle with. 

 I had learned in a second-hand way that Mui'phy intended 

 to lay his horse up. I hardly believed that, as I had never 



