^6 THE TWO-MINUTE TROTTERS 



1921 unless something unforseen should occur to bring 

 enough other trotters into his class to enable the Grand Cir- 

 cuit tracks to make offerings that would again introduce the 

 gelding to actual contests. In accordance with that situation 

 and because his trainer believed he had ability to lower the 

 world's record for trotters, his preparation began for that sort 

 of effort shortly after the opening of the Grand Circuit rac- 

 ing season. As there were to be no particular early efforts, 

 a mile in about 2:11 was the best Peter was asked to step be- 

 fore the stable left Poughkeepsie for North Randall, about 

 the middle of June. As the season advanced there was resort 

 to fast quarters at both ends of the miles and these were usu- 

 ally, when the proper time came, in 29 to 29^/4 seconds. In 

 the main the system followed was the "mile on mile", drop- 

 ping at the proper time the necessary few seconds until the 

 time to ask for great speed was reached, and then came the 

 fast quarters. As the result of this work Peter Manning 

 learned to step a quarter in 27-)4 seconds, and a half in 56. 



In the course of a recent conversation with the writer on 

 the subject of the champion's chances for a new record Mr. 

 Murphy made this brief but significant observation: "I do 

 not see why he should not do it; he trotted a half in 56 sec- 

 onds." Twice 56 is 112, that is 1:52 for the mile, and while 

 no harness horse has ever done that, and perhaps no one ex- 

 pects Peter Manning to do it, there is ample reason for the 

 belief that the champion's trainer has a mile in 1:56 in mind, 

 and that will require but 58 seconds for each half, and the 

 fast trotters have done so many things that it is idle to sit back 

 and say "Peter Manning cannot do that". And it should be 

 further remembered that the confidence of a competent 

 trainer has much to do with what a great horse accomplishes. 

 And no trainer ever had more confidence in a trotter than 

 Tommy Murphy has in Peter Manning, despite the fact that 

 it is extremely difficult to get him to make any predictions 

 concerning his future other than the one which has just been 

 quoted. 



Carrying his good trotter along and working him all that 

 he seemed to require in order to make speed and carry his 

 clip. Murphy decided at Readville during the Grand Circuit 



