No ONE nowadays need think he has a sure 

 enough winner in the Grand Circuit, however 

 fast and promising his candidate may be, as 

 that great arena is like a mighty river fed by innumer- 

 able streams. It opens at Detroit late in July, and to 

 it come all the choice performers of the smaller race 

 tracks that have been campaigning the earlier part of 

 the season, as well as the great horses who have won 

 their laurels over its historic tracks in years gone by, 

 and have been specially prepared to continue their 

 triumphs amidst the scenes of their former conquests. 

 The world's champion. The Abbott, was foaled July 

 20, 1893 ; sired by Chimes, dam Nettie King, record 

 2.2034;, by Mambrino King ; second dam Netty Murphy 

 by Hamlin Patchen ; third dam by a son of Kentucky 

 Whip — thoroughbred. He is a dark bay gelding, 1 5 ^ 

 hands high, left hind foot white, and in ordinary flesh 

 will weigh about 1,050 pounds. He has an intelligent- 

 looking head, and his general conformation is smooth ; 

 while his legs are not unusually heavy, they are well 

 formed, and his feet are perfect. Taken as a whole, 

 he comes about as near being an ideal-looking race 

 horse of the modern school as is often seen. I first 

 commenced work with him in the fall of 1896, when 

 he was three years old. At that time he was rough- 

 gaited and inclined to amble and mix his gaits. I ex- 

 perimented with him for some time before he con- 

 vinced me that he possessed material sufficiently good 

 to be eligible to start in the Grand Circuit. I finally 

 shod him with eleven-ounce shoes in front and added 

 three-ounce toe weights, and put a square-toed shoe 



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