178 TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



27th. AVe worked her no more full miles in the mean- 

 time, bat endeavored to have her on edge as to speed, 

 and to feel as well as possible under the circumstances. 

 The track was good that day, excepting immediately 

 in front of the grand-stand, where it had not dried out 

 perfectly. My friend Orrin Hickok drove tiie run- 

 ning-horse in this trial, and no man could do it with 

 better judgment. I carried my watch as usual — in my 

 hand — and according to its showing we went the first 

 quarter in 0:35, the second in 0:35, the third in 0:34 

 and the fourth in 0:34 — 2:18. The judges caught the 

 same time for the mile, but their official verdict as to 

 the fractional time differed slightly from mine, they 

 making it 0:35, 0:341, 0:34i, 0:34^. This performance 

 of course made Sunol's name world-famous, and it was 

 conceded to be, all things considered, the greatest per- 

 formance ever seen ; and, excepting her own 2:10^ at 

 three years old, I know of no more creditable trotting 

 performance on record than 2:18 for a two-year-old. 



After this Sunol was taken home and given a vaca- 

 tion for the winter. She was not turned out, but had 

 her exercise regularh^ in the skeleton- wagon, never, 

 however, being speeded fast. About midwinter I had 

 her turned out one day in a grassy paddock, and she 

 was so full of animal spirits that, in rearing and pranc- 

 ing, she strained a tendon in the right hind leg. This 

 swelled up, and at one time gave me some reason to 

 fear that it might have a serious influence on her future 

 as a turf star. But I treated it constantly with cooling 

 lotions, and two or three good cold shower-baths a 

 week, and in time all signs of the trouble disap- 

 peared. This gave rise to an erroneous rumor that 



