RECOLLECTIONS OF MEN AND HORSES 



after Dudley's retirement for the year, it cannot be 

 accepted. I observe that Mr. May did not accept 

 the offer to trot Dudley against Pilot Knox, but wants 

 to trot for $2500. Under no circumstances would 

 I trot a horse for this amount of money. My only 

 object was to give my horse an opportunity to lower 

 his present record, and I supposed that the owner 

 of any other stallion would gladly accept a like op- 

 portunity. But it seems Mr. May thinks he cannot 

 afford to lower his horse's record for so small a 

 sum as $500." 



From first to last General Tracy opposed heavy 

 speculation on the turf, and thus threw his influence 

 in favor of sentiment in racing. I have before me 

 another letter from General Tracy written at Albany, 

 October 19, 1882. It is marked confidential, but, as 

 this seal is broken by the lapse of years, I quote it : 



"The fact that I ordered Alroy home seems to 

 have created quite a sensation in New York. What 

 is all this row about? My only object in starting 

 Alroy again was to lower his present record, but the 

 season is so far advanced that I felt there was small 

 chance of that, so I ordered him home. Your tele- 

 gram conveyed the first knowledge I ever had that 

 anyone had ever thought of his meeting McFerran's 

 colt. How came such a thing to be suggested? 

 Write me about it. I don't care to start Alroy 

 simply to win money, or to beat some other colt, and, 

 as he cannot probably lower his record, why start 

 him? But, if you have said to Mr. McFerran that 

 Alroy would start if he came to New York, and his 



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