CHAPTER 

 XVI 



R. J. WHEELER 



THE GREAT STALLION RACE AT BOSTON 



THE supreme test of Cresceus's ability as a race- 

 horse came in the great $20,000 stallion race 

 at Readville, Mass., on September 27. But 

 once in the history of the trotting turf had so much 

 money as was contested for at Readville $20,000 

 been offered in a purse for a race. 



It was early in the spring that the idea of bring- 

 ing together in a race all the best stallions in the 

 country was first broached at a meeting of the di- 

 rectors of the New England Trotting Horse Breed- 

 ers' Association. The idea was favorably received, 

 and the time seemed auspicious for such an event. 

 The fall of 1899 had witnessed the development of 

 an unexpectedly large number of trotting stallion? 

 of apparently free-for-all caliber, and these, with 



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