LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS, 319 



this title applied to Turner in the newspapers so frequently, 

 have come to regard it as an empty one, but such is not the 

 case, because if there ever was a Napoleon of the trotting 

 turf Turner is the man. A leading characteristic of Tur- 

 ner's methods in the conduct of a trotting stable is his care 

 of the horses during every part of their X)reparation, and in 

 the matter of working fast on a deep or heavy track he is as 

 much horrified to see it done as the ordinary citizen woukl 

 be at meeting the devil, horns and all. And to prove my 

 statements about him, I will say that Turner has taken part 

 in every campaign since trotting has become a National pas- 

 time, and judging from the taxes he pays he has at least 

 gotten his share of the money. When you see a man who 

 takes a horse and campaigns him for three or four years you 

 can rest assured that he has exercised a great deal of care 

 and attention in the matter. 



If your track gets hard hire some man to harrow it, but 

 don't work the horses on a hard track. In the spring, when 

 the horse is soft, you can do him more hann in five minutes 

 than you can undo in the balance of the year. Never be in 

 a hurry about speeding a trotter, give him plenty of slow 

 heats. If he is any good when he gets in condition he will 

 show you the speed. If you have a horse that has any 

 peculiarities in the way of driving now is the time to over- 

 come them. If he is unsteady in company or a slow scorer, 

 get out your old runner, set a day, and go to the track and 

 give him a regular race. I do not mean to drive him as fast 

 as he can go, but go down and score him up in company, 

 and keep rej^eating it. I scored Fanny Witherspoon a 

 hundred times in one day — in fact, for a month I gave her all 

 the work she had in scoring, and for my pains was repaid by 

 making her a f auiy good scorer. After seeing Orrin Ilickok 

 train St. Julien, I am sure that no horse lives that Avith plenty 

 of time and patience (^an not be conquered. I think Ilickok's 

 training of St. Julien was the best example I ever saw of the 

 persistent application of brains and bulldog tenacity in the 

 driver against willfulness and obstinacy in a horse that was 



