EVERY "MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 9I 



or jump on top of the fence and see more at the finish of a 

 heat than any four men he ever saw in his life. He can come 

 and tell you more after a heat — who was trying to win and 

 who was not, what horses were tired and which were fresh — 

 than any dozen men you can find on the track. 



Time was called and we paraded with our cattle, nine of 

 us in line. Positions I am unable to give at this date ; suffice 

 it to say that after a few false starts we got the word, and 

 Frank Van Ness, who was driving Echo Chief, shot to the 

 front and won the heat quite handily in 2:2l|. I went a very 

 easy heat, not making a move for it or for a position. But 

 this did not change the betting much, as Kitefoot had got to 

 be quite a favorite by this time and the boys all saw I was 

 laying up the hfeat. We came out for the second heat and 

 after a few scores the word go was given and the bell tapped 

 by mistake at the same time. I heard the bell, but did not 

 hear the word. I of course thought it was a recall and pulled 

 up. Someone called out to me, "Go on. Jack, you have got 

 the word." I had actually pulled up and started to turn 

 around. By the time I got straightened out Echo Chief was 

 away off on the lead, fully fifteen lengths ahead of me, and I 

 hardly thought it was safe to let him win two heats, so I said 

 to the old mare, " It is do or die." It of course took me some 

 time to get my mare on her stride and get her agoing again ; 

 in fact, she did not really get straightened away on a trot until 

 she got to the quarter pole. Then she really set sail for the 

 Chief and closed on him inch by inch, and from the half-mile 

 pole to the wire I just drove her for dear life every inch of 

 the road. She came the last half in 1:07. I caught Echo 

 Chief at the distance box and I was not long in making him 

 cough. I won the heat in 2:21^, but I was alarmed about my 

 mare, for I had never had a horse that one such heat as that 

 would not take more out of them than even two or three 

 ordinary heats would, but she was not one of that kind, for 

 she did not mind the heat seemingly a mite. She cooled out 

 nice and said as plain as she could she was not tired a bit, but 



