PETER MANNING 83 



Pouglikeepsie reinsman, that he always wants every man who 

 is entitled to it to have his share of the honor that comes 

 through the performances of a great horse. For instance, in 

 speaking of Directum I he remarked: "A lot of men have 

 made good horses; there is Johnny Ryan, who brought out 

 Directum I and won many a good race with him, and gave 

 him a fast record ; and Ray Snedeker had him and drove him 

 to a world's record." And that spirit actuates Tommy Mur- 

 phy all the while and is an indication of that innate modesty 

 which, while it does not curb his ambition to do great things, 

 does prevent him from assuming the attitude of taking honor 

 to which he does not feel himself entitled. 



That is not much about Peter Manning, but it has to do 

 with the circumstance under which he passed to the manage- 

 ment of Murphy. Also this might be the proper place to re- 

 cord the observation that if there is any man who does not 

 heartily praise every trainer who does the very best he can do 

 and tries his best all the time he may be a sportsman of a 

 kind, but not of the two-minute kind. 



The fall Peter Manning was two years old Harry Putnam 

 ground broke him, but did not do anything with him that 

 winter. A combination of circumstances prevented any fur- 

 ther education for the colt until the following April (1919), 

 at which time Harrys re-opened his training stable at the half- 

 mile track of the Libertyville, 111., fair. The colt took his 

 lessons in breaking all right, and made speed when his educa- 

 tion had progressed to where it was asked for. It was early 

 in the schooling that Harry discovered that Peter could not 

 get on with long toes nor carry very much weight. He at once 

 began reducing both until he had the toes as short as it was 

 possible to get them, and had reduced the weight of the front 

 shoes to six ounces each. 



That accomplished, Peter made speed as rapidly as his 

 tutor allowed him to make it, and that was enough to indicate 

 that he was destined to be quite a trotter with any kind of 

 good fortune. In the early fall he was started at the Liberty- 

 ville fair, and won in 2:171/4. Just a little later he trotted 

 the mile track at the Wisconsin State Fair in 2:10, and began 

 to attract the attention of the public. In a slow mile he 



