166 TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



made a mistake in driving this trial, and had my " fore- 

 sight been as good as my hindsight" on that occasion 

 the record would surely have been a trifle faster. She 

 faltered in going away, and the time to the eighth was 

 0:20. Then she again made a little mistake, but went 

 to the quarter in 0:38 J. From this point on the Bay 

 District track there is an up-grade, and without think- 

 ing of this I began urging the filly and sent her the 

 second quarter in 0:36 — a 2:24 gait, which is certainly 

 a terrific pace for a yearling baby. My error was in 

 beginning the drive too early ; had I gone easy to the 

 three-eighth pole and come down the grade fast to 

 the finish the time for the mile would have been 

 faster. 



After making this marvelous mile the filly was 

 turned out until March. A few weeks before the fire 

 she was taken up, and showed great improvement as 

 soon as work was begun. She had a world of speed, 

 and gave such promise that I expected her to take a 

 record at two years old as fast as the record of her 

 dam — 2:20. In the fire of April, 1888, the little queen 

 was burned to death, and in her Palo Alto lost a star 

 that would have ranked among its brightest. 



She had a right to be a great mare, for not only was 

 her dam Elaine a great trotter, but so was her sire 

 Norval. This horse was foaled in 1882, and therefore 

 got Norlaine in his three-year old form, and she was 

 the only foal he sired previous to 1888. He is by 

 Electioneer, out of the gray mare Norma, 2:33|, by 

 Alexander's ISTorman ; second dam by Todhunter's Sir 

 Wallace, and next dam Eagletta, by the race-horse 

 Grey Eagle. Besides Norval, Norma produced Lucy 



