50 THE GENERAL. 



The big chestnut gelding was also entered in the 

 2 :2i class at this meeting, the other probable starters 

 being Piedmont, Lucy, Voltaire, Emma B., Steve Max- 

 well, who had been an absentee all the year, Hamble- 

 tonianMambrino and Dan Smith. Peter V.Johnson had 

 Piedmont and he had been so successful that almost 

 everyone considered him invincible. Piedmont had 

 started in at Chicago, where he defeated Robert Mc- 

 Gregor, Hannis, Wedgewood, Santa Claus and Mon- 

 roe Chief, trotting the last three heats of a six-heat 

 contest in 2:17^, 2:18, 2:21. There was nothing in 

 his class to force him to a drive at Cleveland, Buffalo, 

 Rochester or Utica, and as the same kind of an event 

 was expected at Hartford, T. O. King, the Secretary 

 of Charter Oak Park, asked all of the other nominators 

 in the 2 121 classes if they would agree to give Pied- 

 mont one-half of the purse for a special and race it out 

 among themselves for the balance. Turner alone ob- 

 jected, as he felt that he could win second money with 

 Edwin Thorne and also have a chance for first, as he 

 knew that Piedmont was "short" on account of the 

 easy races he had had during the preceding four weeks. 



When the race was called the betting was Pied- 

 mont $50, field $8. In the first heat Thorne led to the 

 quarter in 34% seconds with Piedmont, who was a 

 slow beginner, two lengths away. He was at the 

 gelding's shoulder at the half in i :OQ and had a length 

 to spare as they swept around the upper turn. In the 

 stretch Edwin Thorne closed with the stallion and had 

 him under the whip at the distance, Turner taunting 

 Johnston with the remark "hit him, Peter," as he 

 stepped by and won by a length in 2:17^2. In the 

 second heat Voltaire rushed away in front, but fell 



