70 EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 



sation and looked at me and said, laughingly, "Well, if that 

 big lobster can win I am willing to lose my money and walk 

 to Chicago." He had to lose his money, but I don't know 

 whether he walked or not, for I done him after giving the boys 

 quite a scare. When we got the word on the second heat 1 

 just moved the big horse out and went around the party, in- 

 cluding Ewing, like a cooper around a barrel. I had the lead 

 well up into the stretch when one of my tugs got off, and be- 

 fore I saw it got down on the ground, the horse stepped on it 

 and broke, Ewing winning the heat in 2:2.5^, making him two 

 heats in. Then the friends on my sta.fi that had a little 

 money on the big horse became very uneasy and began hedg- 

 ing their money off, and the talent on the other side said, " It 

 is just as I told you, he is a big lobster, he will quit," and im- 

 agined they had the money in their pocket and had started 

 for home, but I made them give it back, for I won the next 

 heat in 2:20|, the next in 2:29, with hands down, and then the 

 turmoil come, the kickers commenced to squeal, coming on 

 the track and wanted a new driver put up behind Ewing, and 

 nothing else would do but the driver must be changed. The 

 judges took out Alex. Lewis anci put in Ollie Woodward, of 

 Boston, but it made no difference, as I won the fifth heat in 

 2:26|-, as I pleased. It was late in the fall and the track was 

 very heavy. The time was good as 2:23 or 2:24 on a good 

 track. It was as great a surprise party as you ever saw. The 

 big horse had proved himself a good race horse and dead 

 game, and the boys that had any confidence in him won quite 

 a bundle of money, and as for myself, I did not want for coal 

 that winter. 



The next week I shipped him to Belmont Park, Philadel- 

 phia, where he met a large field of good horses in the 2:;)1 

 class. The gray gelding, General Bemish, 2:2<t2 ; Valley Boy, 

 2:24:^ \ Crown Point Maid and Charlotte Cushman. The bet- 

 ting was good, as Almont was not a favorite until he had won 

 two heats. General Bemish won the first heat in 2:2S|-, King 

 Almont won the second in 2:2()|, the third in 2:28, and still 



