348 LIFE WITH THE TROTTEES. 



In tlie f ourtli heat, Felix went away first and Nobby 

 last, which positions they maintained until the half-mile 

 pole was reached, and then Nobby began one of his wonder- 

 ful brushes, and when he turned into the home stretch I took 

 him to the extreme outside of the track, so that he should 

 have no excuse for making a break, thinking that if he 

 staid on a trot he would surely win the heat, which he did, 

 but there was nothing very sure about it, as he was first to 

 the wire by only a short head in 2:23|. No one paid much 

 attention to this, as it looked to me, and I think everyone 

 else, like a scratch heat. In the fifth heat the word "go" 

 was not cold out of the starting Judge's mouth before 

 Nobby indulged in some of the tallest breaking I ever saw, 

 which of course lost him all chance of the heat, and Felix 

 won easily in 2:25. As all the horses vsdth the exception of 

 Felix, Nobby, and Florence M. , were then sent to the stable 

 for not winning a heat in five, everybody wanting a pool- 

 ticket bought it on Felix. The odds did not seem to make 

 any difference, as it looked like a sure thing. By this time 

 the Blue Bull quality had come to the surface in Florence 

 M., and she was practically out of the race. 



When the judges gave the word in the sixth heat it was 

 raining slightly and the track was a little muddy. At the 

 half-mile pole Felix was at least ten lengths in the lead and 

 going as though he never expected to surrender. At that 

 point Nobby commenced gradually to close the gap, and at 

 the head of the stretch was within about five lengths of 

 Felix. From there to the judges' stand they had one of the 

 best contests I remember of. At the distance stand Nobby 

 got his head to Felix' s wheel. McCarthy drew his whip 

 and the crowd shouted for him to "come on!" but it was too 

 late, as Felix had shot his bolt, and Nobby beat him to the 

 stand an eyelash. 



The betting now took a change, and the speculators 

 seemed about to lose their lives. They had first played 

 Secret, then Florence M. , and hedged on Felix, and then to 

 have Nobby come along and look like a winner made 



