98 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 
come down past the judges’ stand almost or quite at 
full speed. If, when they pass under the wire, they 
are upon fairly even terms, the starter (one of the 
judges) cries out, “Go!” and on they rush. If, 
however, the start would not be a fair one, the bell 
is rung as a signal that the drivers must come back 
and try again. Sometimes the scoring, as these 
attempts are called, is prolonged for a long while; 
but the judges are authorized to fine any driver who 
comes down ahead of or behind the “pole” horse; 
that is, the horse who has the inside position, or 
that nearest the poles which mark the quarter, the 
half, and the three-quarter mile points. All the 
positions are assigned by lot. The attempt is occa- 
sionally made by a combination of drivers to tire out 
or excite some particular horse by unnecessary scor- 
.ing, and in former years this nefarious plan was 
often practised successfully, but of late the rules are 
enforced with more strictness. Even with the best 
intentions on the part of all the drivers concerned, 
it is sometimes difficult to get a fair start, especially 
if the horses are young or badly behaved, and the 
scoring is frequently spoken of as a great drawback 
to the pleasures of a trotting race. These false 
starts, however, afford a most interesting exhibition 
of horses and men; the spectator has such an oppor- 
tunity as he could not otherwise enjoy to study the 
gaits of the various trotters, to note how well or ill 
they “catch,” and to observe the skill, temper, and 
courage of the jockeys. There is a great difference 
in the behavior of the different horses. Some pull 
and tug on the bit, despite the signal to return, car- 
rying their drivers down to the first turn in the 
