AT HOME AGAIN. 141 



starter gave the word, sending her away on what the 

 Chicago Horseman properly called " a wretched break." 

 She was a good distance out before she settled, and of 

 course her last chance was killed by the disgracefully 

 bad start. Patron won in 2:26^. Patron was a good 

 horse, and a courageous horse, but it was not Patron 

 that beat Manzanita that day. Patron met Manzanita 

 only twice under fair conditions and she beat him both 

 times, and had she been given an even start she would 

 have beaten him that day, just as decisively as she did 

 a year later. And in sayino^ this I am not detracting 

 from the merits of Patron in the least. I always 

 admired him as a true, good horse, and next to Man- 

 zanita one of the best of the youngsters of 1885 and 

 1886. 



At the close of the St. Louis Fair we shipped our 

 stable across the mountains to seek refreshment in the 

 winter-summer of their home fields, and to prepare 

 under California's genial skies to make greater conquests 

 in 1886. And when we were ready to start East 

 again we had the most formidable stable of young trot- 

 ters that ever crossed the Eockies. There were in it 

 Manzanita and Palo Alto, then just about inyincible in 

 their class; Hinda Pose, who shared with Patron the 

 honor of the fastest three-year-old record ; the good 

 four-year-old St. Eel, and his two-year old brother 

 Chimes ; the promising three-year-old Sphinx, and the 

 two-year-old Suisun, one of the best youngsters we 

 have trained. These were all by Electioneer, and 

 "though stars of differing magnitude," they were 

 all stars in their classes. It was natural that we 

 should haye expected a yery successful campaign witli 



