EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 85 



very even start. As we got to the turn Thompson made a 

 break and swerved over towards me, forcing me onto Maud 

 Messenger, which made her break. She seemed to interfere 

 with Harry Wilkes and he broke, and I got the lead right on 

 the turn, followed closely by Adelaide, and went down the 

 backside with her on my wheel, and as we went into the upper 

 turn I took King back a little, so that Adelaide came up about 

 on even terms with me as we rounded into the stretch. Then 

 there was a discussion in the grand stand as to who would 

 win the heat. Some seemed to think it would be Adelaide, 

 others that it would be King. A man standing close by Gen- 

 eral Turner in the stand remarked that " any horse that Ade- 

 laide could stay with until she struck the stretch she could 

 beat home." The General replied, "When she beats that big 

 stud home I shall believe it." I won the heat very handy in 

 2:21|-, and I was perfectly contented then, as I had no hopes 

 of beating Harry Wilkes. He was a great favorite and was a 

 foregone concluded winner. Harry Wilkes reeled off the next 

 three heats in 2:17, 2:19^ and 2:21|. The boys laughed and 

 said lucky Feek. I said, " You can call it luck or whatever 

 you choose. I have got the money and that tells. Second 

 money was $2,500, netting me $1,750, which was a fair day's 

 work. 



This was the last race King trotted of any importance, as 

 he went amiss shortly after and was put in the stud, the re- 

 sult of which we will surely see after a while. There were 

 many times I could have given him a record in 2:1S. Once, at 

 Providence, he went from wire to wire in 2:18^, the last quar- 

 ter in 324- seconds, timed by as good timers as there are in the 

 country. 



