148 TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



four-year-old could make ber *' stop.'^ As a friend I 

 advised Fuller in all sincerity and candor not to back 

 his horse for veiy much, and I further expressed my 

 belief that he and indeed all the Patron people over- 

 rated their colt and under-rated the mare. That 

 slirewd horseman, Colonel John Y7. Conley, Avas one of 

 those who backed Manzanita. When talking with a 

 party, an enthusiastic Patron man told him that 

 Patron had "gone a half in 1:08." Conley quickly re- 

 joined: "But Manzanita went two halves in 1:08 the 

 other day." Colonel Conley came to me for my opinion 

 that day, and told me that Fuller assured him that he 

 would certainly "make Manzanita stop." I told the 

 Colonel that if Patron beat Manzanita that day he 

 would see the greatest four-year old race that was ever 

 seen on earth. The Colonel stuck to the mare with 

 confidence and pluck, while all the gentlemen who 

 had discovered her "soft spot" a year before, with 

 customary fatuity, bet their money that she would 

 "stop." The betting was even before the first heat, 

 with Eagle Bird, who was of no consequence in the 

 race, almost unbacked at any price. I mention these 

 details of betting and of opinion for the reason that it 

 was said after the race that Patron was not right. 

 Xow if he was not himself why did his driver and his 

 friends bet their money with such freedom and con- 

 fidence? Surely Fuller, his trainer and driver, knew 

 whether he was right or not. He was a good horse 

 a little while previous at Lexington, and I have not 

 any doubt that he was as good a horse that day as 

 ever he was up to that time. It took a good four-year- 

 old to trot the race he did, and the simple explanation 



