142 THE TWO-MINUTE PACERS 



now if he failed to repeat. He was a great little race-horse 

 and the speed he had when I raced him would get just as 

 much money now as it got him then and maybe more. He 

 was never an exhibition horse. His business was to get the 

 money out of purses and stakes and the records show that 

 he won his share and some in addition." 



The Canadian champion made his first public appear- 

 ance during the racing season of 1912, when he was a seven- 

 year-old and in its course he started in thirteen races and, 

 while the number was unlucky for his opponents it was 

 anything else for him as he won every start and the total of 

 his winnings reached to a comfortable sum, $4,000, and 

 more, which it must be conceded was quite imposing for a 

 half-mile track campaign. 



It naturally followed that a campaign of that kind 

 would attract the attention of those looking for Grand Cir- 

 cuit material and there were many who secured the price 

 and opened negotiations. Thomas W. Murphy was the one 

 whose offer was accepted and the racing season of 1913 

 found the brown gelding's name in all the Grand Circuit stake 

 books. He met formidable opposition from the opening 

 meeting at North Randall and in his first three races was 

 beaten by Del Rey and in his next two Leata J. defeated 

 him. Nothing daunted, for there never lived a gamer pacer, 

 he kept right on trying. His first victory on the Grand Circuit 

 was scored in the Chamber of Commerce purse at Detroit, 

 and he took with it a record of 2:0314- That race opened 

 the eyes of the circuit followers to the fact that a new pac- 

 ing star had made his appearance and that from that time 

 on he would most likely be the commanding figure among the 

 fast pacers of the year. And he was all that and there was 

 no question about it, for he won nine out of the ten starts he 

 made after the Detroit race and the California mare, Leata 

 J., who had beaten him twice earlier in the season, was the 

 only one to score an additional victory over him. 



That year he reduced his record to 2:01'^ in the free- 

 for-all pace at Lexington and that ended his campaign for the 

 year. It was in this trip through the Grand Circuit that his 

 winnings passed the $23,000 mark. 



