THREE-YEAR-OLDS. 89 



Kentucky futurity over a slow track in 2:12^, 

 2:1 1^4 and 2:11. The cecond week at Lexington 

 he trotted the first heat in 2:06^ (last half in 

 I :0234 — lowering the world's record by two sec- 

 onds) and 2:09^4. His year's winnings were 

 over $20,000 and he retired sound. The follow- 

 ing is quoted from Mike Bowerman's account of 

 the training of Gen. Watts, which appeared in 

 the Horse Review of December 17, 1907: 



As to any system of training colts, I have none. I train horses 

 differently from any other man that I ever saw train. After I 

 thought I had Gen. Watts thoroughly seasoned, I did less jogging 

 tlian any one generally does. 1 went t'^ the track less than al- 

 most any one else goes. If I can get out on ihe road I care little 

 al'oul the track, only for speeding purposes. After getting him into 

 condition I would work out Gen. Watts twice a week; ^ood fast 

 miles, rated all the way, not driving him any fast quarters or 

 eighths. After I drove him a mile in 2:15H. which, my recul 

 lection is, was some time the first part of July, I began to teach 

 him to get away from the wire fast; after going about an 

 eighth taking him back and stepping the last eighth at the end 

 of a mile. I have seen trainers go out to work their horses, it 

 being what they called "work out day" for certain ones. Possibly 

 the horse, for some unknown reason, would not work as well as 

 he had at other times. Then the trainer would whip him and 

 run him and say, "Well. I will work him another heat; I will 

 make him worse or better." I never do that. When I start to 

 work a horse and he does not act right, I take him to the stable, 

 for it is a sure thing that there is something wrong with him. and 

 he not being able to talk. I will wait and see what the trouble is 

 or was. I use less bandages than any one, I use no body wash 

 at all, nothing in the way it is mostly used. In short I trained 

 General Watts as I do all other horses in my charge. Trained him 

 when he felt good, if it was his time to work. 



As to what shoes he wore and the angle of his feet, he wore a 

 bar shoe in front, weighting 6^^ ounces, with 3-ounce quarter boot, 

 the angle of his foot Ijeing 47 degree, with a 3-inch toe. His hind 

 shoe weighed less than three ounces, 3-inch toe, angle 51. He 

 wore shin boots behind with a very light coronet boot, a very light 

 knee boot for protection only, for I had driven him without any 

 hoots a little ways as fast as he could go. he never touching a 

 hair. I wore an open bridle on him with his head checked a lit- 

 tle above the level of back. No martingale. I fed him twelve 

 quarts of grain a day. with all the hay that he would eat. His 

 stomach and digestive organs were always in perfect order. After 

 I said he was re;'.dy to trot he should never have lost a heat, 

 and the only time that he did I myself was to blame for it. not 

 him. While he has done what no other three-yenr-old ever ap- 

 proached, the world does not know what his real ability was, for 

 I am just as sure in my own mind, had I hit the right day and 

 track, lie would have trotted a mile in 2:0.5 or better, as I was 

 sure that he would trot a mile in 2:07i^ or better, which I did not 

 hesitate to say the day he trotted in 2:06%. 



