CHAPTER VII. 



The story of the fast, game and reliable stallion Wedgewood — A horse that 

 had a succession of hard races during his career — Going close to 3:20 thfr 

 first time he started — Desperate contests in the mud at St. Louis and Cin- 

 cinnati, and a glorious victory at Washington — Down the central circuit 

 the next season, winning every race in which he started — A peculiar horsfr 

 to train and drive — What came of trying to please a friend — Laying up 

 heats, and sparring with the judges as well as the other drivers — A well- 

 told tale of a great horse's campaign from the lakes to the sea. 



The best and fastest stallion th.at ever I drove, and one 

 of the most successful horses that ever appeared on the 

 trotting track, was the brown stallion Wedgewood that 

 came into my stable late in the fall of 1879. Wedgewood 

 is by Belmont, one of the stallions in use at the Woodburn 

 farm of Mr. A. J. Alexander, where he was bred, and his dam 

 was Woodbine by the thoroughbred horse Woodford. This 

 mare Woodbine also produced Woodford Mambrino, 

 another stallion that proved himself most successful on the 

 turf and in the stud, making a record of 2:21^ and siring 

 among others the famous stallion Pancoast, that was sold 

 for $28,000, the highest price ever paid at auction for a trot- 

 ting stallion. Pancoast made a name for himself when his 

 son Patron came out as a three-year-old a few years ago, 

 and trotted in 2:19^ that being the best record for a trotter 

 of that age. This he accomplished in a well-contested race. 

 Two years later he reduced that record to 2:14J in the third 

 heat of a race over the Cleveland track, in which he beat 

 Harry Wilkes. I state these facts to show that Wedgewood 

 comes honestly by his trotting speed and race-horse quali- 

 ties, and also his success in the stud. 



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