A GREAT HORSE 



he gave no sign, but sent Cresceus along as if his 

 enemy was hard on his heels. He reached the quarter 

 in 31 J seconds, and The Abbot, far in his wake, was 

 just recovering at the middle of the turn. Geers 

 straightened out his defeated champion and started in 

 his hopeless chase of the champion. He might as well 

 have thought to get within hailing distance of a fast 

 mail train. Cresceus rated off to the half in i :o2^, 

 and was at the three-quarters in i 135. "Will Cresceus 

 shut him out?" asked each man of his neighbor. The 

 Abbot was trotting fast and true, but he was a six- 

 teenth of a mile behind and the flag was at the short 

 distance. All doubts were over when, as he straight- 

 ened for home, Ketcham called on Cresceus and began 

 driving him. "He'll do it, sure," said the anxious 

 watchers — and he did. 



Cresceus trotted the stretch in 31 J seconds, and, as 

 he reached the finish, in 2 :o6|. The Al^bot was two 

 lengths the wrong side of the flag. Great cheering 

 greeted the champion as he jogged back to the stand, 

 and there was another outburst of enthusiasm when it 

 was announced that Ketcham would drive Cresceus 

 an extra mile in an exhibition with a view to break- 

 ing the race record for three heats. 



In the trial Cresceus was accompanied by two run- 

 ners, and easily trotted the mile in 2 105, but as the race 

 with The Abbot ended the second heat, the third mile 

 can only rank as an exhibition, though it gave Cresceus 

 the distinction of having gone the three fastest heats 



134 



