THE FIRST HEAT. 239 



side of the course, Trifle ' made a dash ' at Maria, and ran her 

 so hard down the descending gronnd upon the straiglit side, that 

 her sable antagonist — perhaps not unwillingly — gave up the 

 track, which was taken by the Southern lady, and kept, with 

 apparent ease, round the turn, until you come to that part of 

 the course which looks up towards the judges' stand. Here, at 

 a moment when all opinions had given Trifle the heat, as a 

 ' safe thing that could not be missed,' Maria ' went at her,' and, 

 before you could count one, she shot by Trifle like an arrow, 

 and won the heat with ease ; there being a considerable gap 

 between herself and Trifle, and a much greater one between 

 the latter and the hindmost horses. 



" Here then w^as disappointment on all sides. Black Maria, 

 that was not ' to take a heat,' or who, at all events, had ViOXfoot 

 enough to brush with the speedy little Trifle, had beat the field, 

 in the last quarter, in what she was not supposed to possess ; 

 namely, sjyeed. Indeed, we think that the rider of Trifle com- 

 mitted a mistake in making his dash at Maria at the beginning 

 of the fourth mile. As he had commenced a trailing race, his 

 obvious policy was to wait until he came to the last turn ; then 

 run up to his antagonist upon ground where he had a decided 

 advantage, from the size and form of his horse, and finally make 

 ' his run ' upon the straight side, coming in. Had he followed 

 this course in the first heat — as he did in the second — we might 

 possibly have had a difiTerent tale to tell ; for his little nag obeys 

 the spur well, and is a hard one to beat upon a brush. But, by 

 running at Maria on the northerly side of the course, he dis- 

 tressed his mare, enabled his antagonist to come round the turn 

 under a strong pull, and make a run at him at the very moment 

 when he was least prepared for it. The result has already been 

 shown. Time, first heat, 8.06. 



" It may be here remarked, that in consequence of the rains, 

 which had prevailed for several days previous to the race, the 

 course, although good, was unusually heavy ; so much so, as to 

 make a difference of several seconds, probably, in the time of a 

 four-mile heat. The top of the ground was not perfectly firm, 

 and, consequently, the foothold of the horses was yielding and 

 insecure. On a hard track, the time of each heat would have 

 been considerably reduced. 



