150 THE GOLDSMITHS. 



was suffering from pulmonary complaint, and after a 

 brief sickness died. 



Gloster's death was a severe blow for Alden Gold- 

 smith, as in addition to being a money winner from 

 the first season that he appeared on the turf, he had a 

 chance with another season's work and a careful prep- 

 aration in Budd Doble's hands to equal or reduce the 

 world's record. His race record of 2:17 in a third heat 

 was, when made, but two and a quarter seconds from 

 the 2:14^4 which Goldsmith Maid placed on the Roch- 

 ester stand two days before in the second heat of her 

 race with American Girl and Judge Fullerton, and 

 while the little mare clipped the fraction off a few 

 weeks later at Mystic Park, it was not asking too 

 much of a young horse like Gloster, who was but 

 eight years old when he died, to improve three seconds 

 on his form of 1874. In addition to this, his success 

 was a constant advertisement for Volunteer, whose 

 service fee was advanced to $250, and subsequently to 

 $500. When rigged for the races Gloster wore noth- 

 ing but a plain shoe and a few boots for protection 

 when he jumped out of his stride, something that 

 all of the trotters of that day were guilty of. He stood 

 sixteen and three-quarter hands full, and was the best 

 big horse ever seen on the turf up to the date that 

 Azote passed into the hands of Salisbury and Mc- 

 Dowell. 



