CHAPTER II. 



Kansas Chief, first a cattle herder, then ridden hy a gentleman, and next a 3:30 

 trotter — His feet fail and he is given away after being sold for |7,500 — 

 Traded to Jlr. Simmons, he comes into my hands — How his feet were 

 treated — A great campaign from the lakes to the seaboard — Don't trot 

 jour horse when he is out of condition — Kansas Chief 's last races — How 

 Dan Mace discovered Earns — A talk in the hotel at night — The story of a 

 game, handsome, and honest horse. 



Kansas CMef was a handsome bay gelding witli a white 

 face and four white legs. He was sixteen hands high, and 

 his breeding has never been authentically established, but 

 in disposition and appearance he was as bloodlike as any 

 race-horse I ever saw. 



He was originally a saddle-horse, and owned by Mr. B. 

 F. Akers of Kansas, who also at one time owned Ethan 

 AUen and Governor Sprague. Mr. Akers told me that he 

 bought Kansas Chief as a saddle-horse for a friend of his, 

 getting the gelding from a man who drove cattle up the 

 trail between Mexico and Colorado. He was then but four 

 years old, and was as fine a saddler as Mr. Akers had ever 

 seen, but did not suit the man for whom he was bought, 

 beiag too high-lifed. Mr. Akers took him back, broke 

 him to harness, and began to drive him on the road, 

 the horse being by this time five years old. He showed a 

 good way of going, with some slight speed, and the follow- 

 ing season he was jjut in training, with the result that it was 

 soon possible to drive him a mile in 2:30. Akers then 

 brought the horse to the Buffalo meeting and started him 

 in a three-minute race. Kansas Chief was beaten the two 

 first heats by a horse called Bob. The Chief was driven by 

 a resident of Pittsburgh, but Doble then got up behind 

 him and he won in straight heats. He was then 



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