THE TROTTING-HOME OF AMERICA. 327 



of doing it, and one of them is now. I allude to Dexter, 

 who, in my opinion, would stand a good chance to beat it, 

 and 'pull a wagon. The others were Flora Temple and 

 General Butler. Patchen could perhaps have done it when 

 he was at his best ; and I have no doubt John Morgan 

 could. To accomplish this feat, a horse must be fast and 

 stout, and his or her condition must be as near perfect as 

 may be. He must have a great deal of speed ; for no horse 

 can stay three miles except by keeping well within himself. 

 He must be stout and honest ; for a weak-constitutioned or 

 faint-hearted one wiU be sure to quit before he has finished 

 the job. He must be about the best pitch of condition ; for, 

 if defective at all in this, the trial would be more hope- 

 less than if he was lacking in one of the other particulars. 

 Now, we knew that Flora had plenty of speed, and good 

 bottom; but, considering her race with Patchen three days 

 before, it was not probable that she was at or near her best 

 pitch of condition ; but a great many people never took that 

 into consideration at all, and she was backed at two to one. 

 James McMann drove her. I was one of the judges. At 

 the start she went oif at good speed, but was not altogether 

 as steady as her backers might have wished ; for she broke 

 twice in the first half-mile, which was trotted in Im. 14Js. 

 The first mile was made in 2m. 30^s., which was a winning 

 rate, with a second and a half to spare. The pace was now 

 forced too much. She trotted the next half-mile at the 

 rate of 2m. 25s. to the mile, and the whole mile was 2m. 

 27^8. This gave her a large margin for the third mile, but 

 left her with little or nothing to do it with. She had 

 trotted the two miles in 4m. 67Js., and now she had only to 

 beat 2m. 35s. in the last mile to win ; but this she could not 

 do. She broke badly in the first part of the third mile, and 

 hor time in it was 2m. 36|s. Her whole time was 7m. 

 33|s. It was now mooted whether she could start again 

 that day, and we decided that she could ; but this is not to 

 be taken as a general precedent. I am now satisfied that 



