I06 THE TWO-MINUTE PACERS 



Bad scoring did not presage a fast mile. The crowd became 

 a trifle apathetic. But on the third time down, after having 

 scored nearly to the quarter in both the other attempts, 

 reinsman Dave McClary nodded for the word. 



"The first quarter was an anxious one. A repetition of 

 the break was looked for but McClary was driving as usual 

 with a more snug hold of the pacer. As the watches snapped 

 the quarter a sigh of relief went up. With his big, easy 

 stride the stallion had stepped the first two furlongs in just 

 thirty seconds, a two-minute clip. Big Jim Murphy, the 

 owner of the horse, in a box in the grand stand took courage 

 and when Knap McCarthy, behind the runner, shouted to 

 McClary that the quarter was in 30l^ seconds the latter 

 asked the stallion to increase his clip. He wanted to get to 

 the half in a minute and was ready to take chances coming 

 home. 



"A mighty cheer went up from the grand stand as a half- 

 thousand watches caught the half in 59%^ seconds. The 

 three-quarters in 1 :29 caused another cheer and starter Frank 

 Walker asked for silence. Around the turn the pacer stepped 

 a little to the outside but the waver was but for the fraction 

 of a second and once into the stretch the horse moved per- 

 fectly. 



"The driver says that at the distance Pointer appeared 

 to be at his limit but when he called on him and the runner 

 came along the horse appeared to forget he had been beat- 

 ing the two-minute mark and responded with a burst right 

 at the wire. It was not so rapid as to cause a sensation but it 

 was sufficient to make the last quarter in 30^ seconds and 

 the horse seemed to be within himself. 



"The two-minute mark was beaten by three-quarters of 

 a second. McClary was hoisted on the shoulders of his 

 friends and taken from the sulky to the stand. The crowded 

 grand stand went wild and horse, driver and owner received 

 an ovation. Scores of watches caught the time as announced 

 by the judges and Mr. C. W. Marks, of Chicago, who saw the 

 greatest rival to Joe Patchen widen the gap between the two, 

 declared that if anything, the mile was paced in 1:59." 



