LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS. 329 



of doing it. If a horse gets a bad send-off and you are com- 

 pelled to drive for the heat when you know you have no 

 chance to win it may cost you the race then and there. It 

 has for many years been the custom that a man always had 

 the right to lay up when he thought best. I can look back 

 and see where I have won some of the best races of my life 

 by laying up, where I know I would have lost had I gone 

 about it in any other manner. In driving a heat no rules 

 that a man could lay down can make you win. You may 

 get some hint that will do you good, and the best way to do 

 that is to carefully watch every good driver that you see 

 and learn his methods. 



If you decide to lay your horse u]3 the first heat, there is 

 some method in even that. You need not be particular 

 about rushing off in the lead, nor yet would I go off too far 

 behind, as in that case you would lose so much ground in the 

 start that at some time in the mile you would have to drive 

 along mucli faster than you ought to save your distance. 

 Of course if the distance is 150 yards that gives you a long 

 leeway. I have seen men go out to lay up a heat and lay 

 it all up in the first half-mile and then have to drive the 

 last half as fast as they could, and in that way make the 

 heat as hard on the horse as though they had tried to 

 win the heat with him. The proper way, I think, is to 

 lay up so much in each quarter, and while you are laying 

 your own horse up, try and keep your eye on everybody 

 else in the race. There may be some other man doing the 

 same thing.. By this time you have probably decided which 

 is the best horse in the race. If so, don't waste your 

 powder shooting at lame birds but keep your eye on what 

 you really think is the best horse. If you fancy there is a 

 chance of anyone else giving him a corking heat don't be 

 afraid to lay up and take the chance. After you have laid 

 up two or three heats and you can't win then you may rest 

 assured you could not have won had you made a fight from 

 the start. Remember one thing always, that a general will 

 win more races than any man can by main strength and 



