119 



she was greatly overworked — and it is but fair to say 

 that she had never shown anything to warrant the ex- 

 pectation that she would beat Fred Crocker's record. 

 Indeed her doing so was a genuine surprise to all, and 

 to none more than her driver. But owing to bad 

 weather and other causes she got just the rest she 

 needed, and was fresh and full of speed when the hour 

 of trial came. This was the 22d of October, 1881, at 

 the Bay District Track, San Francisco. She was 

 driven by Henry MacGregor, and he drove her with 

 much patience and excellent judgment. She took the 

 word at the first score, went to the quarter in 0:35^; 

 to the half in 1:09|^ ; made the third quarter in 0:35^, 

 and finished m 2:21 — thus handsomely beating the two- 

 year-old by four and a quarter seconds, and setting a 

 mark that the world aimed at in vain for seven years, 

 and that was not beaten until another Palo Alto filly — 

 Sunol — did it in 1888. 



My first trip from Palo Alto, aiming at conquest on 

 Eastern tracks, was with Wildflower and Hinda Eose, 

 in 1882. AVe started the former at Fleetwood Park, 

 New York, October 5, 1882, in a three-year-old stake 

 worth winning against Meander, by Belmont, Senator 

 Sprague, Lucy Walters, and Ernest Maltravers. She 

 won the first heat very easily in 2:32. Maltravers 

 Avas then drawn, and in the second heat, which 

 Wildflower won in 2:2Ti, Lucy Walters and Sena- 

 tor Sprague were distanced. Meander getting second 

 money. This is the only race that Wildflower ever 

 trotted. She had no further enD:ao:ements in the 

 East that year, and after Hinda Rose iiad filled hers 

 we returned home, i'he next spring when we again 



