CRESCEUS, 2 : O 2 



ance. The full contingent of race followers were all 

 on hand, and these, added to the elite of Cleveland so- 

 ciety, made up a gathering that represented the wealth 

 and beauty of many states. The weather was perfect 

 and the track in splendid condition. The feature of the 

 day was the 2. :o8 trot, and it proved to be one of the 

 most splendid races known to racing annals. The star 

 performers, Cresceus, John Nolan, Tom Britton, King- 

 mond the real hero of the M. and M. stake the year 

 previous and Charley Herr, made up a field of the 

 highest class trotters that had been seen on any track 

 that year. There was heavy betting on the event, and 

 the first selling was John Nolan, $100 ; Cresceus, $50 ; 

 Kingmond, Tommy Britton and Charley Herr, $5 

 each, and Grattan Boy, $7. Just before the race a 

 number of tickets were sold which read, "John Nolan, 

 $1,000; field, $800." The Hubinger brothers, those 

 famous plungers of the trotting turf, who formerly 

 owned John Nolan, had great faith in the son of Prod- 

 igal, and bought many pools on him, being the chief 

 takers of the largest ones. There were just as many 

 field tickets, and the auctioneer did not have to urge 

 the crowd to buy, bets being taken so fast as to make 

 the uninitiated turn dizzy to see the way the money 

 changed hands. There was also a heavy play in the 

 books on Cresceus for place, and as Andy Welch 

 marked the odds up at even money, he remarked to 

 the crowd that this was an opportunity of a lifetime, 

 for Cresceus would never be marked up at even money 



