CHAPTER 

 XXII 



HIS MILE AT POUGHKEEPSIE 



POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y., was the scene of the 

 champion's next attempt to beat the record, 

 and while the attempt was a faihire, he made a 

 truly remarkable showing, handicapped as he was by 

 one of the worst tracks on which he ever appeared. He 

 was slated to beat his own record of 2 :o2^, and al- 

 though he did not accomplish the feat, he trotted a 

 wonderful mile, considering the conditions. The 

 track was cuppy and devoid of life or elasticity. An 

 inch or two of top dressing had lately been laid upon it, 

 but it lacked the spring necessary for a horse to make 

 the kind of speed that stops the watch in the neighbor- 

 hood of two minutes. The hoof marks indicated that 

 the shoes cut through the top soil and struck an under- 

 surface that was as hard and unresponsive as a stone. 



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