i6o The Trotting and the Pacing Horse 



then out of use and somewhat grass-grown, and 

 gave him a repeat, Horace Jones up. He went 

 the first mile comfortably in 2.19^ and the next 

 in 2.18J; after walking 12 minutes without being 

 unhooked. After cooling him out we drove 

 back to Fashion Course and got there before the 

 trot was over without our absence being noticed. 

 After the last heat a number of gentlemen ad- 

 joined to the bar on Jackson Avenue. Just as 

 we reached the room Bill Cunningham led Wilkes 

 (then Robert Fillingham) from the highway and 

 around the corner of the house in full view of 

 everybody. Sam McLaughlin shouts, ' You've 

 been trying the little horse. I'll bet I can come 

 within one second of how well he went' I re- 

 plied, ' Not for a basket,' and he said ' Yes, for a 

 basket,' and fixed 2.33 as the mark. ' You win, 

 Sam. You must have gone to guessing school. 

 Joe, set up the wine.' A few days after we 

 matched him against the then king of turf, Ethan 

 Allen, and the result is now biography — Wilkes 

 won with consummate ease. Ethan was favorite 

 at about 100 to 30 at first, but before the start 

 the brown horse was 100 to 60. There was a 

 world of money bet. 



" Sam McLaughlin drove George Wilkes two 



