HARRISON DURKE AND RICHARD WEST 



church friends objected to his keeping a fast horse, 

 but he managed to silence them. Blackwood was 

 trained at Edge Hill Farm, under the direction of 

 Colonel West. Mr. Steele, who usually was as cool 

 as an icicle, drove over one fine morning with some 

 of his Methodist friends to see the horse take his 

 work. The black wonder trotted a half-mile in 1.08, 

 and Colonel West was jubilant. He looked for Mr. 

 Steele to show some emotion, but the little man re- 

 mained silent, and finally the Colonel asked : 



" What do you think of that for a four-year-old? " 



" Oh, tolerably good," drawled the owner of the 

 stallion, " but he didn't go as fast as I thought he 

 would." 



"Tolerably good!" shouted Colonel West in a 

 burst of impatience. " Why, you are a queer man 

 not to be satisfied with a four-year-old, when he 

 shows you a half-mile at the rate of a mile in 2.16." 



Dexter's record at that time was at the top, and 

 it was 2.17^. 



Mr. Durkee purchased Blackwood, paying a very 

 large price for him, and when the dark thunderbolt 

 arrived at Spring Hill there were scores of visitors 

 anxious to study his conformation. There was much 

 mysterious talk about starting the horse against the 

 2.17^ of Dexter, but it came to nothing. The best 

 mile that Blackwood was driven, while owned by 

 Mr. Durkee, was 2.23^, on his half-mile track. 

 Blackwood died in 1891, leaving nine trotters, the 

 best of which was Proteine, 2.18. Ten of his sons 



267 



