136 THE TWO-MINUTE PACERS 



could pace a quarter I got a sample of what he could do one 

 day at Columbus. At the end of a 2:10 mile he paced the 

 quarter in 27^ seconds. With conditions favorable, if he had 

 been asked for a supreme effort I am confident he could 

 have stepped a quarter a full second faster. 



"He was a tough, rugged horse, a great feeder and had 

 the sweetest, mildest disposition I ever saw in a stallion. 



"Some of the critics attributed the breaks Minor Heir 

 made to cross-firing but in that they were mistaken as he 

 was an exceptionally steady-going pacer and I remember of 

 his making but three or four breaks during the two years 

 I handled him. In his race at Terre Haute he made his first 

 break in the third heat. After he had won the first and 

 second heats in 2:01^, 2:01 so easily I decided to let 

 him step the third heat somewhere near his limit. When 

 he got to the half he seemed to be going very easy but as 

 there was nothing near him he let go of the bit just a little 

 and he did the same thing in the fourth heat and in each 

 instance went to a break. The only way I could figure out the 

 cause of his breaking was that his shoes were worn thin 

 and light. I weighed them the next day and found they 

 weighed but 5^ ounces. That made it necessary to take a 

 slight hold of him to keep him steady. In the third and 

 fourth heats when there was nothing near him he did not 

 take hold enough to keep him balanced. In the fifth heat 

 he was as steady as a clock. I kept him in behind until the 

 finish; when in that position he was up on the bit all the 

 time and did not act as though he could break. The last 

 break I ever knew him to make was in the Chamber of Com- 

 merce race two weeks later. He was going true and steady 

 at the time and when just past the three-quarter pole jumped 

 over a large wet spot in the track. There is no question in 

 my mind but that with a horse right at him all the way he 

 would have paced well below two minutes in his third mile 

 at Terre Haute. I merely mention these facts to correct the 

 false impression some people have that his breaks were caused 

 by cross-firing. 



"There is an old saying, 'the world loves a winner' and 

 this was plainly shown in the Terre Haute race. After the 



