1 6 THE TWO-MINUTE TROTTERS 



as sharp as I could make them and let her run. Like a deer 

 she covered about twenty-five yards and landed in a very 

 fast trot. 



"Pulling her up at the first turn I dismounted, petted her, 

 gave her some sugar and some grass, then remounted and 

 turned her at the score once more. That time she scored 

 beautifully the first time asked and trotted like she meant it. 

 I had promised myself that as soon as she scored properly 

 I would end her work for the day so I took her to the barn. 

 This was in the early Spring of 1902 and before we left 

 California she worked for me in 2:22. 



'Tt was the intention to send her to the ranch for the 

 summer as I was to race the Henry Pierce horses in the East, 

 on shares, and she was not considered good enough to take 

 to the races under that sort of contract. But Mr. Pierce 

 finally declared that Lou would come East if any of his other 

 horses came and accordingly she was shipped along with 

 Anzella, Janice, Sir Albert S. and others, to Cleveland. I 

 did not give her a thought as a race mare but one morning 

 at the Glenville track, just before shipping to the Blue Rib- 

 bon races at Detroit I worked her a mile in 2:11. Johnny 

 Ray, the famous comedian and one of harness racing's most 

 devoted followers came to me after seeing that work and 

 off"ered $5,000 for the mare. All I could tell him was that 

 I would wire his offer to Mr. Pierce, which I did advising 

 against selling. Mr. Pierce's answer was: 'Use your judg- 

 ment, you are on the ground.' 



"So I kept her and when we reached Baltimore I worked 

 her a mile in 2:08l/>, the last half in 1 :01 and refused an 

 offer of $10,000 for her. I worked her along as the day 

 and track suited and soon began to realize that she was a 

 wonderfully fast trotter so from the day of that realization 

 she was trained with the coming year in view. At Lexington 

 in early October she worked a mile in 2:08 and E. E. 

 Smathers offered $15,000 for her. That offer, after wiring 

 Mr. Pierce and getting his answer, was declined. 



"The week of the Memphis meeting I was working her 

 one morning and Mr. Geers was out with The Abbot 2:031/4 

 and the late Jack Curry was working Prince Alert. Asking 



