^6 EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 



When I moved the bit in King's mouth and spoke sharp to 

 him he went away from Joe like a train of cars going away 

 from a stage coach and won the heat by nearly two lengths 

 right back in 2:23, and we must have gone fully a mile and an 

 eighth, for that track is very wide and I was in the centre of 

 it. Then, of course, there were some long faces and some 

 smiling ones. For my part, I was happy. Billy Campbell 

 complained that I pinched him on the turn, taking the pole 

 too quick, but the judges did not seem to think so and gave 

 me the heat and race. 



We took the big horse to the stable and I stayed with 

 him until about 10 o'clock at night and saw him nicely cooled 

 out, saw him eat his supper and have his usual play spell with 

 his companion — a dog which I had with him that year. He 

 was very fond of him. It did not matter how hard a day's work 

 he had done or how late it was, when the boys got him done 

 up and he had eaten his supper and was ready for bed, he 

 must have the dog for a little play spell. If the dog was not 

 in the stall he would walk around and look and call for him 

 as plain as he could. The boys would open the door and call 

 the dog in as he might be out to play. He would be very 

 glad to see him, would grab him by the back and throw him 

 across the stall a few times. The dog would take it all in 

 good part. I never knew him to bite or hurt him in the 

 least. He would sometimes grab his halter-stale and King 

 would swing him as a (Jog would a rat, then they would go to 

 bed and snug down together like a couple of kittens. 



The next morning we brought Almont into town at five 

 o'clock, put him in a car and shipped him to Boston. The 

 train was two hours late, we did not get to Boston until after- 

 noon. Then the boys had to walk the horse out to the track, 

 which is about seven or eight miles. When they arrived at 

 Mystic Park the other horses in the 2:22 class, in which I had 

 King entered, were out on the track, all warmed up and ready 

 to start. Deucalion, 2:22; Modock, 2:19^ ; Index, 2:21 ; Her- 

 sey, 2:25f, were in the race. I thought I would start King to 



