CRESCEUS, 2:02i 



74 



expected to trot in two minutes if it were possible for 

 a horse to reacii this coveted record. There was great 

 rejoicing among ah lovers of sport when the announce- 

 ment was made that a match had been arranged be- 

 tween the great Ohio stallion and the dapper son of 

 Chimes. According to the conditions of the match, 

 Cresceus and the Abbot were to meet at Brighton 

 Beach track. New York, on August 15, best three in 

 five heats, for a special purse of $12,000. 



All racing men knew that the race would be the 

 greatest ever seen on the turf. Two of the fastest 

 trotters ever foaled would meet to settle the question 

 of the championship. It was to be a battle of kings, 

 beside which all other turf battles would pale into in- 

 significance. 



All over the United States the interest was intense, 

 and people in all walks of life scanned the papers each 

 morning for weeks before the race in their eagerness 

 to learn of the condition of the rival champions. It 

 was the great race of the century, and the entire coun- 

 try was aroused, and no similar event ever created 

 such widespread interest and enthusiasm. Brighton 

 Beach track never saw such a crowd. No race had 

 ever drawn so many spectators. They came from all 

 parts of the United States — from California and from 

 New England, from the Middle West and South — 

 men who loved the trotters poured through the gates 

 until the track was literally flooded with humanity. 

 From the metropolis itself came thousands, many of 



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