THE RACE. 293 



Taylor brought him to the post in unusually fine order. Gil. 

 Patrick rode the first heat without a spur. The jockeys having 

 received their orders, mounted, and had their girths taken up 

 another hole, brought their horses up in fine style without any 

 assistance whatever from their trainers, and were off with a run- 

 ning start for the race. 



First Heat. — Boston on the inside went away with the lead 

 at a rattling pace, the mare laying up within two lengths of 

 him down the straight run on the back stretch ; the half mile was 

 run in 55 seconds. The same position was maintained to the 

 end of the mile — run in Im. 53s. — but soon after Fashion made 

 play and the pace improved. Both made strong running down 

 the back stretch, over the hill — opposite the half-mile post — 

 and down the slight descent which succeeds, and though this 

 seemed favorable ground for Boston, the mare gained on him, 

 at tliis place, in this mile, and placed herself well up. Boston 

 threw her off on the turn, and led through clear, running this 

 mile in Im. 50 s. Tlie pace seemed too good to last, and Bos- 

 ton's friends as he led cleverly down the back stretch, were 

 " snatching and eager " to take any thing offered. Again, Bos- 

 ton led through this mile— the third — ^being run in Im. 54:S., 

 Fashion keeping him up to the top of his rate. The contest 

 was beautiful and exciting beyond description ; there was no 

 clambering, no faltering, no dwelling on the part of either ; 

 each ran with a long rating stroke, and at a pace that kills. 

 Soon after commencing the fourth mile, Joe Laird shook his 

 whip over her head, and gave Fashion an eye opener or two 

 with the spur, and not 100 yards from the ground where Boston 

 took the track from Charles Carter, she collared and jyassed Mm 

 in Tiolf a dozen strokes^ at a flight of speed we never saw 

 equalled, except in the desperate brush at the stand between 

 Grey Medoc and Altorf, in their dead heat. When Fashion re- 

 sponded to the call upon her and took the track in such splendid 

 style, the cheers sent up from the rude " throats " of thousands 

 might have been heard for miles. Fashion made her challenge 

 after getting through the drawgate, and took the lead opposite 

 the quarter-mile post. Boston, however, like a trump, as he is, 

 did not give back an inch, and though it was manifest the 

 "Northern Phenomenon had the foot of him, he gave her no re- 



