THE GREAT ELAINE. 113 



was bred by Mr. Charles Backman, at Stony Ford,Xew 

 York, and was got by ]\[essenger Duroc, out of Green 

 Mountain Maid, the dam of Electioneer. When Gover- 

 nor Stanford bought Electioneer and a number of 

 others from Mr. Backman in 1ST6, the brown filly 

 Ekiine was among them, and for her he gave ST,000. 

 She did not come to California with the others, but 

 was left in Carl Burr's hands. Burr worked her easily 

 through the winter of 1ST6-TT, and fitted her for her 

 eno^aofement the followino^ summer. At Hartford, in 

 September, 1S7T, in a three-year-old stake, she dis- 

 tanced her field in the second heat in 2:28, thus break- 

 ing the three-year-old record. A year later, Burr gave 

 her a record of 2:21J, making the four-year-old record 

 of that da}^ She then came home to Palo Alto. We 

 did not work her much as a five-year old, she having 

 injured her leg by stepping in a gopher hole. She 

 developed into a mare of fine size, standing about 15.2, 

 and of good form, with a great deal of natural speed. 

 In her six-year-old form — 1880 — Ave started her at San 

 Francisco, September 22d, against Gibraltar, Reliance, 

 and Echora, and won in straight heats in 2:21J, 2:22|-, 

 2:21. At San Jose, October 6th, she beat Bateman 

 and Brigadier in a better race. Time — 2:2nf, 2:21|^, 

 2:21^. I should here state that she was not an abso- 

 lutely^ sound mare in these races, nor in the one with 

 Santa Claus to which I am about to refer. In 1879 I 

 worked her a fast half, and not wishing to send her 

 right up to her limit, I twice took her back in the trial, 

 but still she covered the distance in 1:05 flat, xlfter 

 tliis one of the rear flexor tendons gave way, and 

 though we kept her up pretty well the two races just 



