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THE RACEHORSE IN TRAINING

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RACEHORSE IN TRAINING

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TO WHICH IS ADDED A CHAPTER ON "SHOEING"

By WILLIAM DAY

FIFTH EDITION

LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL
Limited

1885

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CLAY AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS.

PREFACE.

In bringing before the public a work that has for its
specific subject the training of the racehorse, and incident-
ally offers some observations on turf matters generally, the
author feels the need of its indulgence.

The experience gathered as the result of thirty years un-
wearied labour in the management of a large racing-stud, is,
he feels, the best apology he can put forward for the attempt
to write comprehensively on matters never before so treated
by a trainer. In order to inform, to please, and to encourage
the student, a thorough knowledge of the subject must be
supplemented by facts clearly stated, and by arguments
based on experiences that have stood the test of time. It
is perhaps too common to represent technical or professional
matters as full of mystery to the unlearned. Such a pre-

J

tence would be out of place here. Our subject is one easy
of comprehension, and it is the intention and desire of the
writer to apply to it the simple treatment of which it is
susceptible ; to set forth practical knowledge and important

and ascertained truths deduced from daily observation in a

3
—t? manner intelligible to the ordinary reader.

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vi PREFACE.

This is the work that the author has undertaken to do.
He feels there is something of presumption in the attempt
to write on a topic of so wide an interest and of so national
an importance, whilst so many of his professional contem-
poraries, pre-eminently fitted for the task, are silent. It is an
undertaking which only a trainer can hope to complete with
any degree of satisfaction to himself or benefit to others.
No one seeking information would read a book on Patho-
logy written by any one but a fully qualified physician, or on
Political Economy, unless its author were thoroughly versed
through experience and study in the features and neces-
sities of his country. It is, therefore, not assuming too much
to conclude that the fittest person to write on training,
and on matters more immediately connected with the turf,
must be a trainer. He has knowledge and practical expe-
rience which are denied to others moving in a different sphere,
however exalted, except at second-hand. Information, how-
ever good, if transmitted by a process of delegation, cannot
fail to lose in its course something of its value. For these
reasons the author has ventured to record his own expe-
riences of the training of the racehorse and of other matters
connected with the turf; and has supplemented the opinions
deduced therefrom with those of able and practical men.

The design of the book is to treat, in the first place, as
exhaustively as the writer's ability and experience will per-
mit, the process of perfecting the horse for the course; then
briefly to review and compare racing as it was and as it is,
and to draw such inferences as the study of the subject

PREFACE. vii

suggests ; and, lastly, to offer a few suggestions for reform
of turf proceedings, which, in his humble opinion, would be
of considerable benefit to this chief of our national sports.
To treat the subject comprehensively is his desire. It will
be found, therefore, that his suggestions are not confined to
the technical and ordinary affairs of the every-day routine
of a training-stable. He has endeavoured to the best of
his ability to examine other matters which are certainly not
inferior in interest. Thus, he attempts to show under what
circumstances some horses vanquish or are vanquished in
their public engagements. He has added, so far as memory
serves him, many memorable sayings, and the accounts of
notable doings of the most successful men and conspicuous
characters on the turf; as well as of others who have left
it for their long home, who, whilst here, were known for
their parsimony or their extravagance, as makers or as
spenders of fortunes, with other anecdotes which have
occurred to him as having some public interest.

This then, being the scope of the work, the author ventures
to launch it before the world, leaving it as it stands with
all its shortcomings and inadvertencies to the lenient con-
sideration which may be asked for a book that has no
other pretence than to advance the results of practical
knowledge, and to supply what may be a possible need
That all should have been said that may be said on the
various matters discussed, is impossible. The writer must
be content in the knowledge of having done the best in hi}
power to lay before the public the results of the experience

mi PREFACE.

of many years in a concise and intelligible form. He
should perhaps add, in conclusion, that in the rare instances
in which recent events show his facts or suggestions in a
new or altered light, it has been thought better not to
attempt to remodel that which has been already written,
but to draw attention to any apparent discrepancies by
the use of footnotes.

Wood YATES, February, 1880.

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION.

The favourable reception of the earlier editions of his
work, has induced the author to consider whether it is
possible to improve or extend it ; and it has been suggested
to him by many whose interest in the subject is well known,
that on one topic, highly important to all owners of horses
— "Shoeing" — a chapter might advantageously be added.
This has been done ; and in treating the subject, the aim
has been to deal with facts and to avoid speculation. Though
no new discovery can be claimed, it is hoped that it will be
found, in the result, that the best method of shoeing and of
the treatment of the foot has been not only discussed but
actually verified ; and that the prevention which, in the diseases
of the feet, as in all others, is better than cure, has been placed
nearer the reach of all. It would be ungrateful on the
author's part if he did not avail himself of this opportunity
to express his sense of the generous treatment of his critics.
Lengthy and favourable notices of his book have been the
rule without an exception, and in these he feels its faults
have been extenuated, its virtues extolled.

Shipton, Marlborough,
May, 1 88 1.

CONTENTS

CKAP. VAGS

I. — THE TRAINING STABLES ... -, ■ . I

II. — VENTILATION AND LIGHT ... ... 9

III. — STABLE MANAGEMENT , : . IS

IV. — STABLE MANAGEMENT (continued). . .21

V. — SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES . 29

VI. — CONDITION 41

VII. — CONDITION (continued) • 51

VIII. — THE TRAINING GROUND 59

IX. — BREAKING 65

X. — PREPARATION 75

XI. — preparation (continuea) .... > » 91

XII. — preparation (concluded) ..-...». 104

XIII. — HINTS ON PURCHASING "3

XIV. — THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS 123

XV.— TRIALS . , MO

XVI. —TRIALS rontinued) 149

xii CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAGB

XVII. — JOCKEYS 160

XVIII.— JOCKEYS (continued) 168

xix.— the race and its responsibilities 1 73

xx. — weights and distances 193

xxi. — professional hardships 209

xxii. — the racehorse as he was and is 225

xxiii. — racing, past and present . .... 234

xxiv. — betting as it is . . , 245

xxv. — betting as it might be 256

xxvi. — practicable reforms 269

xxvii. — minor evils of the racecourse 280

xxviii. — shoeing and the foot 292

xxix. — attacks on the turf . . . . .' . . 303

Index 319

Appendix 336

THE RACEHORSE IN TRAINING.

CHAPTER I.

THE TRAINING STABLES.

Introduction — Scope and design of the work — The training stables — The buildings
described — Tile roof recommended — The loose-boxes, stalls, and partitions —
Corn and hay stores ; screening the corn — Windows and airholes — Boxes and
stalls both necessary, and why — Disposal of the manure — Supply of water —
The pavement ; its material and slope — Drains condemned — The yard.

BEFORE proceeding to give the results of my experience for
the last thirty years as a trainer and for many years previously
as a jockey, it will possibly be some convenience to the
reader to sketch shortly the plan followed in the different
chapters.

First, in precedence, and deservedly so — as on the hygienic
principles upon which they are built and conducted so much
of success or failure depends — will be treated the Stables,
and their interior economy, with a glance at some of the
casualties arising from neglect of salutary rules in this
important department.

Next will come remarks upon that very interesting subject,
Condition. It is one that deserves a separate notice, for on
none is there more divergence of opinion and, it may be
added, general misconception. *

In their proper order will follow observations on the
Training-ground, and on the vital and arduous work of

2 THE TRAINING STABLES.

preparation, matters which cannot be dismissed without an
attempt, at least, to handle them exhaustively. As horses
have to be bought as well as trained, a few hints on
purchasing will here fitly find a place.

Trials will appropriately come next, and will occupy a
good deal of our attention. The subject is a technical one
little understood, and will warrant, it is hoped, the space
devoted to it. Then with some notice of the jockeys of
to-day, old and young, heavy and light, and the anxious
moments they frequently occasion to the trainer, we shall
come to the duties imposed upon owner and trainer alike
when the racehorse is brought to the post fit to run. In
connection with this portion of the subject some observations
will be offered on the weights for old and young horses and
the different courses.

Some notice of the difficulties, it may be almost said
hardships, which at every step beset the trainer cannot be
omitted, however personal the matter may appear, from a
work that attempts to be comprehensive. Few can imagine
how great and varied these difficulties are, or the important
bearing they have upon racing results.

A short review of the turf of to-day and of past times,
and a few suggestions obviously arising in the treatment
of our subject, will, as has been said, form what it is hoped
may be found an appropriate conclusion.

This design will, it is believed, give scope for the intro-
duction of many matters of genuine interest to the lover
of the racehorse. Under their respective headings, the
following subjects will find a place : Casualties and
sickness chiefly traceable to deficient stable arrange-
ments ; their causes, symptoms, and remedies. The
Dreaking of the yearling; its training and trials. The

SCOPE AND DESIGN OF THE WORK. 3

treatment of older horses whilst in training. A minute
comparison between horses of the present day and those
of past years, with the object of ascertaining their rela-
tive merits. Suggestions to clerks of courses, lessees, and
other functionaries ; and hints for a different manner and
time of entries for many of the large stakes and other
matters relating to them. The formation of an outer
ring, on all race-courses, to afford the convenience and
protection to the small bettor, which the opulent now
enjoys. The interest owners have in their horses, and
how far they may be called private or public pro-
perty. Commission agents and their emissaries. Notes
on trainers and jockeys. The purchase of yearlings, show-
ing the fallibility of the best judges in giving high prices
for useless animals ; and how the high and low priced horses,
ranging from 10 to over 4,000 guineas, have turned out ;
with hints which to reject and which to choose. The con-
sideration of engagements ; a serious item for the economist
and needy sportsman. Low and high standards of weights
and long and short courses. Our foreign competitors and
their studs. The subversion of the old and the introduction
of the new system of training. The abolition of sweating,
and the circumstances under which it was brought about.
The superabundant clothing once in use, and the paucity that
succeeded it. All these, and many other interesting matters
which cannot well be enumerated here, will be found em-
bodied in the work ; exhibited as fully and intelligibly as
the author's best efforts and anxious desire to do justice
to his subject will permit.

In PURSUANCE of the plan sketched out, the training stables
take precedence of the description of other matters. They

B 2

4 THE TRAINING STABLES.

demand our first attention, for unless they are properly built,
and their internal arrangements perfect, their inmates will
fall into a state of chronic disease, rather than enjoy robust
health, and will be more in need of the veterinary surgeon
than the trainer.

The stables I intend describing (which though not a model
of perfection, have probably fewer faults than most others)
are those I built here some twenty-eight years ago. They
have met the approbation of competent judges, and in a
sanitary point of view have stood the test of time.

They are built of brick and faced flint in the proportion of
two of the former to four of the latter without the least
attempt at ornamentation, square shaped with lofts above ;
the roof being composed of tile, which is better than slate,
being cooler in summer and warmer in winter — both desirable
objects of attainment. The nineteen boxes and thirty-one
stalls are intermixed for the more equal diffusion of heat ; for
a uniform temperature throughout is very desirable. Each
set of four stalls is divided from the others by sliding par-
titions of deal, fastened with iron latches. The boxes are
opened and shut by a screen running on rollers at the top.
This plan is safer than to have the rollers at the bottom,
for in the latter case, horses may, by kicking or other violence,
force the partitions open and get together. With the rollers
at the top, this is simply impossible, unless something should
break, a thing I never knew to occur.

In size the boxes are eleven-and-a-half feet by twelve, which
leaves a clear space of six feet behind the horses, giving
sufficient room to pass from stable to stable, and to keep the
animals from the draught of the windows and air-holes ; for
without this safeguard a sudden fall in the temperature during
the night may be the cause of colds, if of nothing worse.

THE LOOSE BOXES AND THE STALLS. 5

The stalls are of the following dimensions ; width, six feet
two inches in the clear ; height at head, seven feet six inches
tapering to five feet one inch at the tail — both ends being de-
signedly unusually high for the safety and well-being of the
horses ; two paramount objects. This height may appear
extreme, and has the effect of dwarfing the occupants in
appearance. But for racing purposes there is no object in
adding to their stature, and the advantages of the plan are
obvious. For one thing, the additional height prevents
horses from seeing each other and so becoming restless and
kicking over the lower end, and injuring themselves, which in
ordinary stalls they may do. Behind the stalls there is a
space of nine feet ; ample room for removing the dung every
morning and for traversing the stable with pleasure and safety.
The length of the stall from manger to lower stall-post is ten
feet five inches. This prevents the inmates kicking each
other, which in shorter stalls may very easily be done. The
height from floor to ceiling is ten feet. The partitions consist
of a two-inch planking of beech or oak, dowelled in three
places to prevent the possibility of separation through kick-
ing or other violence.

Over three sides of the square are spacious lofts for the
storage of hay, corn, and straw in separate compartments.
The ends are partitioned off and ceiled, forming sleeping-
rooms for the boys ; the head lad having a room to himself,
or if married sleeping at home. In one angle are two saddle-
rooms ; the one for keeping the saddlery when clean, the
other for cleaning it. In an adjoining room the clothes are
dried, and a copper in a small room next to it supplies
hot water.

The corn is conducted from the stores to the feeding bins
by means of a tube, before entering which it has to pass

6 THE TRAINING STABLES.

over a broad wire screen, which mechanically separates the
dust and small seeds from the corn. Thus a saving of labour
is effected ; for, though all the corn is again thoroughly sifted,
or should be so, the work is less trouble when this has been
done, and it is done more effectually. The hay is kept
in lofts, and sufficient only for each day's consumption is
removed to the closed bins below; by this means it is kept
from the tainted smell of the stables and when given is fresh
and sweet.

The lofts are approached by a side entrance so that no
fodder passes through the yard in transit to them.

The stables are lighted through thirty-nine windows in iron
frames, each four feet square. This is most desirable, as
giving the needful amount of light in which most stables
are deficient. The ventilation is effected through air-holes
at the top and bottom about a foot square each, behind
and over the heads of the horses, in proportion of about
two to each horse, which is ample. The doors are
thirteen in number, and are eight feet nine inches high,
opening inside flush with the wall, and four feet broad.

Something may be said about the relative merits of boxes
and stalls, which respectively have their advocates. The fact
is, both are necessary in every stable. If a horse is a weaver
put him into a box, for in it he is more contented and often
forgets his tricks. On the other hand, some horses, that
in a box would walk themselves to a standstill (being as
restless as a caged hyena) in a stall will rest comfortably
and consequently do better.

The manure is carted away to a distance every morning.
In town, where space cannot be had for money, it is
necessarily economised, and a dung pit is made in the
centre of the yard, where the manure is deposited and left

THE PAVEMENT AND ITS SLOPE. 7

too often only to generate deleterious gases by fermentation ;
the cause of much sickness. To lessen this, the pit should be
cleared of all manure twice a week and rinsed with a solution
of disinfecting fluid or sprinkled with chloride of lime.
Offensive drains should be treated in the same way if
there be any in or out of the stable.

The whole of the water from the roofs is conveyed from
the shooting by iron pipes to two large tanks, placed at
opposite sides of the yard, capable of holding about 400
hogsheads. This supply is sufficient for all purposes, as
I have never known the tanks to be dry longer than a
few days together, barely sufficient for occasionally cleaning
them out.

The pavement of the stalls is flint, which offers an uneven,
yet not an uncomfortable surface. It is preferable to bricks,
which are liable to become slippery and may cause injury to
the horse on rising. It has a fall of about four inches from
head to tail. A greater fall would be bad, for it would cause
the back sinews to be always in a state of tension. In dealers'
stables you may see the animals standing across the stalls
to avoid this. The great rise in such places is obviously
to make the horses look of more importance, to engage the
attention of the purchasers. But this would be an evil in
the racing stable ; nor do I think any horses would long
remain comfortable in so unnatural a position. The flooring
behind the stalls is of brick, but I think ground clinkers are
better, for they are not so slippery, and certainly are more
durable, and look nicer.

Drains are bad. They cause dampness, and often produce
the unpleasant smells they are designed to prevent When
undrained stables are kept scrupulously clean by frequently
removing the dung, no such smells will be generated, and

8 THE TRAINING STABLES.

less dampness will be found than in those that have
drains.

Having described all the necessary internal parts and
arrangements with, it is hoped, sufficient accuracy I need only
say that a turret clock on the north side of the building, with
the cardinal points, is surmounted by a horse {Joe Miller) as
a weather vane. In the centre of the yard is a grass plot
encircled by an evergreen hedge. A gravel path runs between
it and the doors, before which a space of a few yards is pitched
with pebbles. The whole is shaded in summer by a choice
specimen of the horse-chestnut.

COOL STABLES RECOMMENDED.

CHAPTER II.

VENTILATION AND LIGHT.

Light and air essentials— Cool stables the best— Stifling condition of certain

stables ; its effects and attractiveness to those preferring looks to health

Mr. Burns and Dr. Southwood on the value of pure air and principles of
ventilation — Another excellent authority and his arguments — Simple experi-
ments in proof of my theory — Temptations to an opposite course and
direful results — Extra clothing preferred to exclusion of air — Light equally
necessary — A worn-ont theory, " the tinsel of glossy coats."

LIGHT and fresh air are essentials to the health of all domestic
animals. Nevertheless, in olden times, when knowledge was
limited, owners of horses used to, as in some instances, even in
the present day (be it said to their folly) they do, shut up the
animals in ill-built stables, low and narrow, in fact, insufficient
in every dimension ; air-holes too small, too few and im-
properly placed, with small windows, made as though never
meant to be opened. I have seen trainers in their zeal for
the welfare of the animal, or his appearance, have the very
keyhole stopped with a small wisp of hay or straw, and
the outside of the doors barricaded, as if to resist an on-
slaught of some terrible enemy — half embedded in dung
suffered to remain till it has become in a high state of fer-
mentation, disengaging deleterious gases — for the sole purpose
of producing excessive heat, poisoning the circumambient
air that beneficent nature has provided.

io VENTILATION AND LIGHT.

From the exterior of such premises you may judge of the
state of the interior, which on entering will be found to be
filled with unpleasant odours, the thermometer standing at
seventy in the depth of winter, whilst on all sides not
only the olfactory nerves but the eyes are assailed by the
effects of ammoniacal gas produced by the imprisoned
ordure and urine.

The sensation is one to make the visitor only anxious to
escape into the open air once more. If we are to judge, then,
by the result produced upon the human being by contact for
a few minutes only with the contaminated air that pervades
the whole place ; what must be the feeling of the wretched
horse that has to live in it, or rather to die by inches, or
become blind from such pernicious treatment ?

To a superficial observer, and even at times to owners,
this state of things has a fascination. The horses ap-
pear with coats like satin, full of flabby fat (engendered
by heat) often mistaken for muscle. Such people never
think of the weakness, the languor, the loss of appetite,,
from which the poor horses are suffering, as the result of
continually inhaling and re-breathing the same poisoned
atmosphere ; every day, and day by day intensifying its
more deadly effects on animal existence. Pearl-like drops
are seen in countless numbers standing on most projections,
even on the hairs of the rugs, on the side walls, the ceiling ;
in fact, every particle of the furniture of the stables is wet
and clammy with the same impurely heated air.

My own views on the question of ventilation are embodied
in a book on this subject, which I remember to have read
some twenty years ago. It is entitled Practical Ventilation,
by R. S. Burns, and I cannot do better than here submit
an extract from it : —

PRINCIPLES OF VENTILATION. n

"The propersupply," the author says, "of fresh air is as
necessary to the health of the inferior animals as it undoubtedly
is to man. Baneful as is the influence of impure air on the
constitution of human beings exposed to its influence, it is
no less so to the valuable animals, the horse and the cow.
Many are the diseases which affect our domestic animals
that are brought on -by exposure to foul air, and many a
valuable animal is sacrificed to a close and ill-ventilated
stable."

In the same work Dr. Southwood Smith is quoted : —

" Nor is there one," says the Doctor, " among the many
questions thus forced upon the attention of every civilised
community, which is itself so important, or the correct solution
of which is so indispensable to the preservation of health, as
the investigation and subject-means for providing in every
space occupied by human beings a gradual but constant
change of air."

These quotations testify to the absolute necessity for both
man and the lower animals of air in sufficient quantities,
and to the evils of withholding it. The suggestions they
contain cannot be too highly commended to the study of all
who have anything to do with the care and management
of horses.

Nor are these my sole authorities. I can refer for con-
firmation of my conclusions — for I can hardly call that theory,
which has been demonstrated by practice — to a work on
stable management and ventilation which I think one of
great merit : —

"The principle of ventilation," says the writer, "has
been till lately but ill understood. If we thoroughly venti-
late, we run the risk of increasing the cold atmosphere of
the stable below the requisite heat. Not that heat should

12 VENTILATION AND LIGHT.

be so great as to starve the animal when he is turned
out, for though it is said to economise corn and lay on flesh
to have the animals kept warm, still it may be carried to an
improper excess. There is not generally sufficient discrimi-
nation exercised in the distinction between hot air and pure
air. Hot air is not always impure, nor is cold innocuous.
The fact is, other things being equal, a cubic yard of hot air
is certainly less nourishing than an equal quantity of cold air ;
because being more rarefied the former will of necessity
have less of the vivifying principle — the oxygen. Pure
atmospheric air ought to contain in one hundred measures,
seventy-three of nitrogen and twenty-seven of oxygen, nearly.
There is usually more or less carbonic acid gas mixed with
it, seldom, however, as much as one per cent. Now the
warmer the air in any confined place, the thinner it becomes
— it will be rarefied. Hence a stable filled with hot air, will
contain less oxygen than one maintained in cold, though
neither the one nor the other may be absolutely impure.
The operation of breathing destroys the oxygen and leaves
in its place a poisonous atmosphere, carbonic acid gas.
Now this is a heavy gas. It will remain at the bottom of
the stable unless forced upwards ; whereas the vapour and
hot air will always tend upwards .whether there is an aperture
or not. So long therefore as the air in the stable and that
of the atmosphere are the same warmth, there will be little
ventilation. It is this interchange from hot to cold, which
causes the principle to be set in motion to its fullest extent ;
and the most perfect ventilation of air is when the cold and
pure air is admitted at the bottom of the building and the
hot air allowed to escape at the top. It is a mistake also to
imagine that the foul air from a stable can possibly escape
unless fresh and pure air is allowed free access."

On such excellent and clearly defined principles comment
is needless. Having in a measure shown their basis I will
pass to discuss the effect of inattention to these essential
rules. The effect, indeed, may be readily discovered in a

A SIMPLE EXPERIMENT IN PROOF. 13

very simple fashion. Remove a horse from a cold place to
one much warmer, and, invariably, the result will be, he will
cough ; a sufficient proof of the injury he receives. Reverse
the process ; take him from a warm to a cool stable and it
is not so.

The result of this easy experiment may seem paradoxical ;
at variance with reason, if you will. Nevertheless it is true ;
and, it may be admitted, is well worthy the consideration of
every owner or manager of a stable. Yet for one object-
looks— the simple lesson it teaches is wholly disregarded.
Servants will willingly stake their own reputation, and their
employer's interest, on what is here shown to be a fallacy.

The temptation to do so, is comprehensible enough. The
beautiful effect produced by a hot stable on the coats of its
inmates, ensures unbounded admiration and lavish praise.
But few, very few, know the many diseases of which it is
the lamentable cause. In such a state, it may fairly be
said, the horse is constantly shedding his coat, and as a
necessary result becomes weak and enervated ; in fact is
in a state of disease rather than of health.

There is reason in all things. No one should, to escape
one extreme, blindly rush into another, and in order to
avoid a stable too hot, have one too cold. But when the
temperature is chilly, and your horses uncomfortably cold,
supply additional clothing rather than close windows and
air-holes. The latter expedient may improve their looks, but
it is a poor object gained at the cost of appetite, condition,
nay, more, not unoften the very animals themselves.

What must men of science, our veterinary surgeons, for
example, and other reasonable persons, think on entering the
stables of those adhering with such pertinacity to an exploded
theory, the effete doctrine of a worn-out age ? Yet whatever

14 VENTILATION AND LIGHT.

they may say, or we think, the practice is carried on to an
alarming extent, and even desired by some employers.
"Men willingly believe what they wish to be true;" and
warmth, like darkness, has a tendency to fatten. These facts
were thoroughly well understood by the ancients, if we may
judge from their low, ill-built, ill-ventilated, and worse lighted
stables — for light is as vital an essential as is fresh air.
They preferred round barrels and glossy coats to the health
of their horses ; and, now-a-days, men who think more of
appearances than intrinsic usefulness, foster the same prac-
tices. It will probably always be so to a greater or less
extent, for —

" The tinsel glitter and the specious mien

Delude the most ; few look behind the scene."

But my subject is running away with my pen. I shall have
occasion to recur to it in the chapter on " Condition."

HOURS OF WORK AND PRELIMINARY PROCESS. 15

CHAPTER III.

STABLE MANAGEMENT.

Hours of work and preliminary process — The winter treatment ; times of feeding
and exercise — Hand-rubbing preferable to bandages — No deviation permitted
— Removal of offal food — The summer treatment ; times of feeding and
exercise — Clothing must be dry — Prevention of griping — Temperature should
be even — Necessity of cleanliness — Practical results of my system — Mr. T.
Parr's plan and my objections to it — Hours of feeding and quantities of
food.

Having described the stable, and the necessity of its
requirements to insure the health of its inmates — ventilation
and light — it is now the place to treat of the interior routine
and economy. The process is not the same in all stables ;
though probably its chief features are not often very dis-
similar. I must be content to sketch my own system
for the reader's information.

The stables are opened at five o'clock A.M. in winter ; and
earlier in the summer. At both seasons the horses are first
tied to the rack chains, the dung removed and both boxes and
stalls cleanly swept out. When this is done, the horses are
brushed over and fed, the afternoon horses being watered
and done up with hay. The dung is then carted to the
manure pit, at a distance from the stable, and the stable-
yard thoroughly swept. The boys are then allowed time
for breakfast.

l6 STABLE MANAGEMENT.

In the winter, the horses are exercised at about eight o'clock
A.M. for a couple of hours. The limit varies a little ; some
taking as much as three hours exercise, whilst the young and
delicate go in earlier. They are then thoroughly well cleaned,
during which operation a little hay may be given to prevent
griping when watered, which is always done before having
their corn ; and the latter is given as soon as they are well-
dressed and their feet washed clean, tarred, and greased, and
their beds put straight for them to lie upon. This usually is
about half-past eleven o'clock. They are fed again about
twelve o'clock, and done up with hay at one.

The afternoon horses are brushed over and fed between the
feeding times of the others and are taken for exercise after
the boys have dined, until half-past three or four. The
same amount of dressing is given them in every respect as
that given to the morning horses before described ; and in
like manner after being watered they are fed.

At five P.M. the morning horses are again watered and
thoroughly well cleaned, by brushing and wisping them
well over. When the legs are cold they should be well hand-
rubbed till a healthy glow is produced on all the extremities,
hand friction being infinitely preferable to the bandage. By
six o'clock, as a rule, the horses are finished, when they are
fed, and again at seven. At eight o'clock both morning and
evening horses (exercised at their respective times) have hay
given them, after the cleanliness of the stable has been attended
to and the litter put straight. Their heads are then let loose
for the night that they may lie down. The boys have their
supper between seven and eight, and usually go to bed at
nine.

This is the general routine. It should admit of no variation
except in cases of illness, or in wet or foggy weather, when

SUMMER TREATMENT. 17

the horses do not leave the stable, unless there be a race near
at hand, when of course exercise is a necessity. On Sundays
the process is pretty much the same as on week-days ; except
that there is no exercising, and labour is in other ways mini-
mised as far as practicable. (On exercise in wet or foggy
weather, and on the undesirability of Sunday work, I shall
have something to say in treating of " Preparation.")

After every feeding, all the corn that is not eaten should be
removed and the manger thoroughly cleaned. The offal hay
should be treated in the same way. It should be removed,
and may be given to the hacks or to the cows. By adopting
this method, horses will sometimes be tempted to eat : whilst
nothing will induce them to look at, much less to touch, food
that has once been blown upon. If horses do not eat they
cannot be expected to work ; and it is certain they cannot, in
such circumstances, do sufficient work to enable them to
compete against others thoroughly exercised.

In summer, the horses undergo a different treatment, which
runs pretty much as follows : —

The stable hour is 4 a.m., when they are fed, and after the
preliminary matters are duly attended to, the morning horses
are exercised from five until seven or half-past, as they may
require respectively less or more work. On the return they are
done up as has been described in the account of the winter
management. The breakfast hour for the boys is 8.30 a.m. ;
and at nine o'clock the other horses are taken out to exercise,
returning about eleven. The cleaning is finished by noon,
when they are watered and fed. At this time the other horses
are again cleaned, watered and fed, and all are done up with
hay. They will rest until 4 p.m., when the morning horses are
again exercised for an hour ; some are cantered once or twice,
whilst others are only walked for that or a shorter time. (By

c

i3 STABLE MANAGEMENT.

this arrangement it will be seen that the horses that arc
exercised in the morning rest during the work of those
exercised in the afternoon, and vice versa.) After these have
been well dressed, as described before, the horses are watered,
and fed at six and again at seven ; and at eight, as in winter,
finished for the night and fed with hay.

The winter clothing is of course of a heavier description
than that used in the summer. Both sets should be thoroughly-
well dried before using, as damp clothing is most productive
of colds : for the prevention of which no stabling should be
without a drying-room. The water that is given the horses
to drink should have the chill taken off to prevent griping,
when it can be safely given ad libitum twice or three times
a day.

The stable should in all cases be kept as near one tempera-
ture as possible, about 45 degrees Fahr. in winter ; and in
summer as cool as can be. All the soiled straw should be
removed as soon as seen, and the stalls and boxes swept clean
every day, and allowed to be bare whilst the horses are out
at exercise ; the doors, windows, and air-holes, should then
be kept open, whilst the walls and partitions are freed from
dust and cobwebs. A plentiful supply of clean straw should
be given twice a week — either of wheat or rye : both are
very good but wheat is generally used on account of the
scarcity of the other. Sir Wm. Burnett's disinfecting fluid
I have used for years, and I think no stable should be without
it, in health 01 in sickness. As a preventive against disease,
a little may be sprinkled behind the stalls and boxes daily.
Its use and efficacy in sickness I shall advert to elsewhere.

My object in this chapter is to show the treatment of the
horse in health, and the hours generally assigned for his
exercise. His gallops and trials will be spoken of later, in

PRACTICAL RESULTS OF MY SYSTEM. 19

their proper place. I believe the system above given agrees
in substance with that to which most horses are subjected whilst
in training, as the art is practised in the present day. It is
at all events a system that I have adopted and pursued for
many years with almost unqualified success, and therefore
I can recommend it with confidence to others as being on
the whole the best. It, like all other rules, has its exceptions ;
and one of these exceptions it will- not be out of place to
give, although it must not be understood that in doing so
I agree with the principles enunciated.

Mr. T. Parr, who is undoubtedly an authority and whose
opinion is entitled to all respect, informs me that he uses no
artificial lights in his stables even in the depth of winter ; and
that both in summer and winter he gives large quantities of
hay, of which he thinks horses cannot have too much, whilst
on the other hand oats may in his opinion be supplied too
plentifully, and consequently he uses them sparingly.

One consequence of this is that, at certain seasons, the
horses in his stable can neither be dressed, watered, nor fed,
from about 3 p.m. to 8 a.m. or a little earlier the next morn-
ing ; and must in the meantime be not only in a most uncom-
fortable state of dirt, but breathing a foetid air that renders
them liable to bronchial affections and disease of the lungs,
which leave so many roarers ; and to ophthalmia and other
disorders of the eye. The times of feeding must be diminished
as well as the quantity of the corn given (the most nutritious
part of the diet), unless served in very large feeds, which would
tend rather to prevent the animals from eating than induce
them to eat. The hay too, if given in like unseemly pro-
portions, must have a similar nauseating effect on the horses,
preventing their touching what they would, if given in smaller
feeds, often eat and enjoy. It is clear the animals under his

C 2

2o STABLE MANAGEMENT.

care could be fed but twice, or at the most three times, a day ;
a principle which seems to me bad in theory, and one I can
no more approve of than his system of daily giving each
horse a ball. Yet he succeeded ; and " success is genius."

In sum, I may say that horses should be fed five times-
a day, with as many good old oats and hay chaff as they can
eat. These I think they require and should have, and nothing
more : though in some cases, light or delicate feeders may
have a few old white peas or split beans added to each feed.
In isolated instances this addition may be of service, though I
find most horses do well and even better without it. Hay
may be given, like corn, without limitation ; for as long as they
have plenty of both they will eat of neither sufficient to hurt
themselves. On the qualities of food and water, a matter
the importance of which cannot be overrated, I shall have
something to say in the next chapter.

A GOOD HEAD LAD INDISPENSABLE.

CHAPTER IV.

STABLE MANAGEMENT (continued).

Value of regularity — A good head lad indispensable — Occupations of the trainer
— Duties of the head lad — Food and its qualities — English oats preferred, and
reasons — Hay must come from good land — Good food the only food — Mr.
Clark on feeding and on soiling, and criticism of his remarks — Feeding in
past times and to-day — Water and its qualities — Mr. Clark thereon — Rain-
water in tanks the best, and reasons — Need of frequent examination of feet
and legs ; use of bandages condemned — Evils of inattention to this — Value of
neatness and regularity.

PUNCTUALITY in the hours and attention to stable manage-
ment are all-important, for on them rests the ultimate condition
of the race-horse when brought out to run. All the manage-
ment in the world out of doors will not compensate for, nor
rectify, mistakes made in that within ; so where both are not
done thoroughly, evil results must follow. It is therefore indis-
pensable that the trainer should have a man who is capable of
managing the indoor department as well as of attending the
horses at exercise in the absence of the principal.

If it is absolutely requisite, to be successful, that horses should
be under the charge of a skilful and attentive trainer, one who
knows how much or little work is required to be done by each
and every horse, and the best time to give it, (and the proposi-
tion will hardly be controverted), it is equally necessary that
he should have a good man at the head of the stable depart-

22 STABLE MANAGEMENT.

inent. To him must fall the management of the boys, and,
with other duties of less importance, the special one of attend-
ing to the wants' of the horses; for nothing requires greater
attention or more practical ability than feeding.

The services of a good kennel-huntsman are known and
appreciated by every master of hounds ; whilst to the hunts-
man he is invaluable. Of exactly the same use a head lad
should be to the trainer ; for it is quite impossible the latter
should feed the horses, before exercising, at 5 a.m., and be
constantly in the stables (meal-times excepted) till 8 p.m. —
for a portion of his time must be given to other matters that
cannot be deputed.

For example, the trainer has his correspondence with his
employers on the subject of entries and scratching. For
this purpose he must necessarily study the Racing Calendar.
It is needless to add that there are many other business calls
which consume his time, quite apart from the absences from
home to attend the different race meetings, which take up
no insignificant portion of it during the summer months.
And without art able man at the head of affairs during these
absences all would be anarchy with the boys and ruin to the
horses.

Such a man is a necessity. He should not only have
experience but be absolutely trustworthy, and trustworthy
in a special sense. He should be one to be depended upon
to carry out the instructions for out-door exercise. In this
matter, he should implicitly obey, and no more, the positive
orders fqr the work each horse has to do during the absence
of the principal. In the stable, on the other hand, he
should know exactly what is best to do, yet only at the
instigation of the trainer himself should any alteration
be made in the appointed times for feeding and watering ;

FOOD AND ITS QUALITIES. 23

hay, too, should be given at the regulated hours and at
no other.

In the important matter of food, he should be supplied
with the very best of oats ; old, certainly, till after March,
and later if they can be found sweet, and of English growth.
Winter at 42 lbs. per bushel, and black tartarian at 40, are
in my opinion the best, far better than the thick-skinned
Scotch white oats at 46 lbs. per bushel or even heavier ;
though the latter look to some people preferable to those I
have described, or indeed to any other. I do not object to
a few good white oats ; but they must be of home growth
of about 42 lbs. per bushel for mixing with an equal quantity
of black, such as I have named. But whatever the descrip-
tion given, they should be the very best of the sort or
sorts, for it is false economy of the very worst description
to buy inferior corn, however low the price. In fact, good
cannot be too dear ; whilst middling would be wretchedly
so as a gift. To supply the latter shows an utter want of
knowledge of his business on the part of any trainer.

My antipathy to foreign corn is so great, that I could
never be induced to buy a bushel, or any larger quantity,
in my life, knowingly. But I have too much reason to
believe I was once imposed on, in the year 1847, in having
supplied to me a load of heavy oats, said to be English,
which the price warranted, but which turned out to be
Scotch delicately kiln-dried ; a process I failed to detect
in their appearance, taste, or smell. The result was, they
gave the horses diabetes, from which weakening disease
it took them weeks to recover: a plain practical proof of
their inferiority, and a good reason that none but English
should be used. Buy of the farmer in preference to the
dealer, and you know you get the genuine article. To

24 STABLE MANAGEMENT.

good oats I think little need be added in the shape of
provender besides hay ; though for a spare feeder a few
old split beans may be added to each feed, or, what is
thought by many better, white peas : but as I have said,
I have little faith in the good effects of either and seldom
use them.

The quality of the hay depends more on the land that
produces it than on . anything else ; a fact which should
in no case be overlooked. Hay grown on rich alluvial
soil or well-drained clay is the best; and that raised on
hungry gravel or poor chalk is the worst. And though hay
well made from the latter land, retaining all its most attrac-
tive qualities, such as colour and smell, may be had cheap,
it should on no account be used : as it contains no nourish-
ment, and is really to the animal very little better than
poison. But that grown on good land usually let at 3/.
or 4/. per acre, is by far cheaper, at 61. or 7/. per ton,
than the other would be as a gift. For this reason, and
this alone, I have always had my hay grown on the land
in the Vale of Blackmoor : land I suppose as good as
any in the kingdom, and although draught carriage of
about sixteen miles is an expensive item, I prefer it to
any and all others, and use nothing else, nor have I for the
last thirty years.

I may supplement the above advice with a note from
Mr. Clark, who says : " New hay should not be given
to horses in strong work ; it should not be less than eight
or ten months old." He condemns clover, and prefers
rye-grass to meadow, saying : " It is less liable to imbibe
moisture, and being hard, and firmer than natural hay,
it obliges a horse to break it down more minutely before
he can swallow it, and is easier of digestion." Now as to

0!! SOILING AND ITS ADVANTAGES. 25

the age of the hay, I coincide with these remarks ; but I
cannot agree with his choice, and much prefer the meadow
hay such as I have described, when equally well made, to
any and all others for horses in strong work.

On soiling, in which I thoroughly believe for a change
in the spring, he says : —

" Clover, trefolium, vetches, or lucern may be used, and
carrots in winter. Grass in the spring is not only food but
medicine, and expeditiously cures disease. It carries off
worms and promotes all the secretions, and removes as it
were the whole mass of fluids in the body, which it restores
to the highest state of perfection of which it is capable."
"Sailors," he goes on to say, "from eating dry and salt
food are subject to scurvy, and are cured by fresh greens
and ripe fruit;" and adds, "it is the same with horses who
are fed on dry food ; they are likewise subject to the scurvy,
which in them is called the farcy."

Having said I agree with the system of occasionally
giving green food in small quantities as an alterative in
summer and carrots in winter, without discussing the simili-
tude existing between the scurvy in the human subject
and farcy in the quadruped, I pass on to notice his further
remarks on change of diet.

" Malt mixed with the food," he says, "should occasionally
be given as agreeable and wholesome. Barley is too purga-
tive, but when boiled is easy of digestion and is given
to horses when they are sick or to prevent costiveness."
" Oats," he continues, "are generally given to horses in
Britain ; but they are apt to make them too costive ; to
prevent which a bran-mash is given once a week, or as
often as circumstances may require." Beans he recom-
mends, and wheat and barley for a change, but, "new corn
like new hay, should not be given."

26 STABLE MANAGEMENT.

From the above remarks, it appears horses were fed in
olden times pretty much as they are fed now. Indeed
with the exception of wheat, barley, and malt, which should
only be given in illness, his recommendations leave little
to be desired with regard to the food.

The manner and times of feeding and the food itself
having been described, it should not be forgotten that
equal attention should be paid to watering at stated periods.
And here something may aptly be said on the quality of
water best suited to the horse.

Rain-water is preferable to all others, and where this
cannot always be procured and kept fresh in tanks, well
or pond-water, softened if hard with a little wheat flour
or chalk, may supply its place. From the use of either
so treated I have seen no ill effects. Mr. Clark in his
treatise on the horse, thinks water of so much importance
to the well-being of the animal, that he has devoted a
whole chapter of fifteen pages to its consideration, the
salient points of which I think well to give :

" Disease may originate," he says, " from the use of un-
wholesome water, and physicians are of the same opinion
as regards the human subject ; for where the water is bad,
disease prevails most. Horses do not thrive well on pit
or well-water, as the water is very hard, and causes the coat
to stare and stand on end. If taken immediately after it
is newly pumped, spring water is likely to partake of all
the metallic or mineral strata through which it passes, and
is salutary or noxious according to the nature of those
substances. River-water is much the same, but it is softer
than water that runs underground and better for use. VVell-
or pit-water is worse than spring ; being harder ; and the
deeper the well the worse the water. Pond-water, under
which head may be included all stagnant waters generally

RAIN-WATER IN TANKS THE BEST. 27

produced by rain, when it lies on a clean or clay bottom,
and is fresh, answers very well for cattle of all kinds ; but
in hot warm weather it is apt to corrupt and ferment,
which renders it unwholesome and the most disagreeable
of any."

As he makes no mention of tank-water, I suppose it was
not known, or but little used in his day, or he would not
only have named it, but most likely have recommended its
use above all others. For in substance he says pond-water
(which is rain-water), when fresh, answers well : but does
not say so much for any other. And when the rain-water
is collected from the roofs of houses and preserved in tanks
or reservoirs in large quantities, it keeps better than when
exposed to the fermentative influence of the sun. More-
over it is unmixed with the many impure particles that
help to contaminate pond-water, and consequently is better ;
and indeed to be recommended above any other sort. I
myself have used it for thirty years with satisfaction, and
I know it is used in other large establishments with the
same result. I could, were it necessary, quote the opinions
of many experienced men to this effect.

So much said concerning the food and drink of the race-
horse, my remarks on the internal economy of the train-
ing stable may fitly conclude with a reference to one very
important matter — the frequent examination of the feet
and legs, and the use of bandages.

Too much care cannot be taken in this respect. The
legs in particular should be constantly inspected ; for un-
less these be looked to, a horse, to all appearance the
soundest of animals, may have received an accidental
injury. The injury may be of itself trivial, and if timely
attended to may easily be set to rights ; whereas, should it

28 STABLE MANAGEMENT.

be neglected even for a day, the animal may be irretrievably
ruined.

It is now much the practice to sew cloth round horses'
legs, with the view, I should suppose, of giving support.
But whatever advantage may thus accrue is in my opinion
nullified by the fact that the custom hinders the ready
examination of the parts covered ; for a rupture or strain
of the tendon may exist unsuspected. The injury may
not be sufficient to cause lameness until galloped, but then
assuredly it will betray itself; often too late. The harm
done will probably be irremediable.

The feet also require frequent attendance ; for neglect of
them will be followed by serious consequences. The results
of such inattention, however, will be more legitimately treated
in the next chapter.

Let me add that a trite saying, " A place for everything and
everything in its place," is a motto that should strictly be
followed. Its observance economises labour, and gives the
show and reality of neatness. The broom, fork, and shovel,
should have a place assigned them as near the stable as
possible, where they may be kept when not in use. The
dung-barrow may be put at the back of the stable, or in
some other spot sheltered from observation ; as may the
tar and grease cans, stopping-box, and the sand-box. The
saddles and bridles may be kept with the other furniture in
use neatly folded up, in the drying or saddle-room, after
being properly cleaned and dried. The buckets may be
arranged in a row outside the stable walls, and in dry and hot
weather should be kept full. And even so small a matter as
the tightness or looseness of the head-collar is an object of
moment. For indifference to this, as I shall presently show
may be the cause of the ruin of a valuable animal.

SORE BACKS, THEIR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. 29

CHAPTER V.

SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES.

Sore backs; their prevention and treatment — The feet; attention necessary —
Thrush and its cure — The legs ; signs of disease ; treatment — Bandages not
recommended — Cracked heels and cure — Treatment of warbles — Quittors,
sand-crack, and cutaneous diseases are signs of neglect ; their treatment —
Coughing and strangles — Treatment of the latter — Cleanliness and air neces-
sary— Colds and their prevention — Sore shins ; curious instances — Mr. Cop-
perthvvaite on sore shins, and my objections — Swollen joints and ruptures, and
their results — Ringbone, splint, and spavin — Treatment of ringworm — Crib-
biting, &c, are tricks — Lameness; how frequently caused ; attention to the
head-collar and stirrup-irons — Roaring ; instances of cure.

I HAVE no intention to attempt to write at length upon the
diseases of the horse. The subject has often been ably
handled by veterinary surgeons and other persons duly
qualified for the task. There are, however, certain ailments,
the result often of improper or careless supervision, which
come prominently before the principal of a large racing
stable ; and a word on the causes, often preventible, the
symptoms, and some simple remedies, may not be thought
out of place.

Sore backs, for one thing, are frequently the source of
infinite trouble. These are oftener caused by pressure of an
over-tight roller than by the saddle. With the latter, if the
saddle-cloth be properly adjusted, they will not occur. But

3o SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES

with the roller, the breast-girth passing over the points of the
shoulders causes it to tighten, and thus the withers are pinched.
With ordinary supervision this should be avoided : and it
may safely be said that a sore back is suggestive, if not a
proof, of inattention.

But from whatever cause arising, the treatment is simple.
A fomentation with a little astringent lotion should be
applied to the injured part. This is the best, and, with
proper care, an effective remedy. But it is necessary to sec
that, when at exercise, the saddle does not increase the
mischief by pressing on the place. The roller should be dis-
carded in every case of soreness ; and a rug alone used,
fastened under the fore-rib and before the shoulders to keep
it from shifting.

It is very necessary, as I have remarked, to attend to the
feet. Neglect breeds thrush. But though this sometimes
lames the horse, it is neither a dangerous nor a malignant
disease, and readily succumbs to proper treatment. It will
be found that a little tow dipped in tar and applied three or
four times a week is the most simple and efficacious remedy.
The foot when hot may be so from disease, or from defective
shoeing in some way, and in either case ought at once to be
looked to ; for in a state of health the feet are cold.

The legs, on the contrary, should be comfortably warm.
When they are not so, weak circulation may be suspected.
On the other hand, unnatural warmth is a sure indication of
local injury, the precise seat of which may generally be deter-
mined by the exhibition of tenderness on pressure. In such
cases, bathing with cold water may be used two or three
times a day for an hour or more at a time, with cold flannel
bandages ; but if the suspensory ligament has given way,
then consider the first loss the least, and the sooner the

THE "WARBLES" AND THEIR CURE. 31

patient is disposed of the better — for scarcely one in a
thousand ever stands a preparation after.

Bandages, as I have said, I never use except in illness, when
dry flannels are the best. In health I prefer hand-rubbing to
anything else, to assist circulation. The benefit derived from
bandages I consider more imaginary than real. Still, like other
fanciful matters, they have their purpose of ornamentation if
not of use. The wavy appearance given to the hair on the legs
could probably not be so effectively produced in any other way.

Cracked heels are seldom heard of now, whilst formerly
almost every horse suffered more or less from this trouble-
some complaint, which in very bad cases affected its
condition considerably. The primary, if not the sole cause, I
believe, used to be sweating, for the evil has simultaneously
disappeared with its abandonment. But if the heels are left
wei; after washing out the feet (which is too often the case),
it will produce soreness ; therefore care should be taken to
wipe them perfectly dry. However, should any horse be so
affected, the best remedy is fomentation after the water has
been steeped in bran, and strained through a sieve or a wire
strainer, and a little of the following ointment applied twice a
day : Mix a little red precipitate powder with hog's lard,
simmer over a slow fire and stir till cold.1

Just before becoming, or when actually fit, horses are very
frequently attacked with " warbles," an irritating and very
troublesome complaint, though not dangerous. It usually
appears on the back and sides, and is no sooner cured in one
place than it returns in another. They are very seldom seen in
any horses except those in strong work, and in other respects in
the best of health. A little cooling medicine may be given, and
an astringent lotion applied twice a day to the parts affected.

1 Hog's lard, \\ lb ; powdered camphor, 3 oz.; red precipitate, powdered, £ oz.

32 SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES.

Ouittors, sand-cracks, and poll-evil, mange and other
cutaneous diseases, I never saw in my stables, and therefore
cannot pretend to prescribe for them ; but I am convinced
they should not exist where proper arrangements are in force.
Their appearance, like that of sore backs or crib-biting, is, in
my opinion, a sure sign of neglect. When cases do occur,
there is but one remedy — to hand them over to a veterinary
surgeon ; for, if unskilfully treated, the quittors and poll-evil
may assume an obstinate form, ending in death ; while most
skin diseases are contagious, and spread rapidly.

Yearlings when taken up to break, as a rule cough,
(probably from the stable being hotter than the one pre-
viously occupied) ; have sore throats and influenza, the latter
often the cause of strangles. This disease, many people say,
horses never escape, in some form or other (like distemper in
dogs) ; but my experience teaches me to believe other-
wise. Numbers pass from the side of their dams to the grave,
after years of racing, and do not have it, or any other disease.
They die from accident or old age, but not from sickness.
Strangles are however very common amongst young horses,
and may easily be detected by a cough, enlarged or sore throat,
and discharge of thick mucus, sometimes fetid, from one or
both nostrils, often attended with loss of appetite and ex-
treme debility. To blister the throat under the jaw with
" Day's " spavin liniment 1 or some other vesicant, is as a rule
sufficient to arrest the complaint ; if not, the application
should be extended down to the chest, when there is no
suppuration under the jaw. This will localize the disease
and prevent its reaching the lungs. After suppuration takes
place, little may be feared if the orifice be kept open, and a

1 In answer to numerous inquirers I should perhaps say that this liniment,
originally prescribed by my grandfather, may be obtained of Mr. W. Day,
M.R.C.V.S., Warminster.

WARM CLOTHING A NECESSITY. 33

little digestive ointment on a pledget of tow- be applied after
being washed clean with warm water three times a day.

Warm clothing, two rugs if necessary, and even a hood and
flannel bandages, should be used. The latter should be re-
moved twice a day, and, before being replaced, the animal's
legs should be well hand-rubbed all round. The stable should
be kept cool, and the patient fed on nourishing diet , on bran,
corn, and linseed mashes, hay, carrots, and above all, grass, if
it is to be obtained, though only a little. Malt mashes and
barley steeped in boiling water, both form very good changes,
and should be given in small quantities. On returning strength,
dry food may again be used, though the mashes should not
be entirely discontinued until the recovery is complete.

A little exercise may be given in fine weather if only for
ten minutes a day, increasing the time with the strength of
the patient ; a matter seldom attended to sufficiently early.
The state of the bowels should be rather relaxed than con-
stipated. The opportunity should be taken whilst the animal
is out to open all air-holes and windows, and have the stable
thoroughly cleansed and fumigated. I have before com-
mended Sir William Burnett's Disinfecting Fluid as a pre-
ventive. In sickness it should be used liberally : even wetting
the sides of the stalls and boxes, and suspending pieces of
cloth saturated with it — both often extremely beneficial.

The old horses are not so liable to illness as the younger
ones. Still, if after galloping in cold easterly winds they are
not soon after cantered or trotted to keep them warm and
comfortable, they will cough ; and a cold once caught is, like
disease in any other form, not easily got rid of; and if at-
tended with much fever would be infectious, and go through
the whole of the stable with greater or less severity. It should
therefore be guarded against ; prevention being better than

34 SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES.

cure. But in case of an attack, the sufferer should b2
immediately isolated, or the whole stable may quickly be
affected, from its epidemic character. Change of air is an
excellent remedy if only for a short distance, and a little
time, with careful nursing and liberal diet, will generally
be found efficacious.

Most horses suffer from sore shins. There is no guarding
against this complaint. It no doubt comes from work, but
unfortunately comes suddenly without the slightest warning
of its approach. It generally makes its appearance after a
few weeks' work, and sometimes before the young ones are
broke : some get it at two years old, when about three parts
fit to run ; some not till after being tried ; others still later get
it from running. But the cause and effect are the same in all,
as is the remedy.

Dressing the shins with some vesicant should be resorted
to, and a week's rest given and a dose of physic ; after which
the horses may be set to do steady work again, and alternately
worked and rested till the complaint passes off altogether ;
fortunately it seldom returns. A cure may be effected by the
first application, or this may want repeating many times at inter-
vals of about a fortnight : during which period only walking
exercise should be given. The action of some is so much
affected by this complaint that they can scarcely stride over a
straw, whilst others go as free and well as the horses that have
no signs of it, and its existence in such cases can only be
known by the touch.

A remarkable instance of this complaint occurred in Starter,
whose shins, when a yearling, were very bad, the soreness
never leaving him until after he ran for the Goodwood Stakes
at three years old. He never went short during the whole of
his work ; still the shins were very sore and flinched at the

TREATMENT OF SORE SHINS. 35

least touch. Fugitive, when six years old, after running in
deep ground at Egham, returned home with his shins very-
sore, having lost his action ; indeed it may fairly be said
he could not move. He was given up for a few weeks
and treated as before recommended, which soon had the
desired effect of removing the soreness and restoring his
action. This is the only instance I ever remember of one so
old being so affected by it in the fore-legs. I never re-
member an old horse suffering behind from it, although it is
not uncommon for young horses to have all four shins sore
at the same time.

We have seen there are instances of horses having sore
shins from running in deep ground, yet it is generally caused
by galloping on hard ground, over which, when thus affected,
some animals can seldom if ever move. But no danger need be
apprehended from the most obstinate cases. They may leave
a protuberance when the soreness is departed, which becomes
ossified, but in no way interferes with the action or general
usefulness, presenting only an eyesore. This fact leads me to
comment on Mr. Copperthwaite's expressed opinion in his
work entitled " The Turf and Stud Farm," in which he says

" he has known horses while in training and racing to be shin-
sore, and their owners and trainers did not dream of it, and
has known yearlings to be rendered totally useless and never
to recover their action through this complaint ; and little
wonder it was so, for the parties who had charge of them
(some of them their owners) could have expected nothing else,
taking into consideration that they were, in the month of July,
on the hard ground for hours (and cantering about) carrying
big men, their legs being little more than gristle."

For my part I certainly have known some thousands of
horses of all ages, and never saw one permanently hurt from

D 2

36 SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES.

sore shins as Mr. Copperthwaite asserts ; nor indeed did I
ever hear of such an occurrence as he relates before, nor do I
now believe in the phenomenon. Can one suppose, for a
moment, that the trainer, or in his absence the head-lad,
would not see if a horse went short in his exercise, and would
not seek for the cause by a careful examination of his feet
and legs ? Moreover, the legs are felt by the trainer, in the
ordinary way, twice a day, and rubbed oftener by the boy.
Could all this be done, it may be asked, and the excruciating
soreness escape detection, and the " trainer never dream " of
the cause of the total ruin of his best horses ; watching them,
thus deteriorate before his eyes, with supreme indifference ?
I venture to think not ; but rather, that Mr. Copperthwaite
has been mistaken in his opinion, as I shall have on a later
occasion to show how greatly he has erred in other matters
connected with this and kindred subjects treated in the same
work. But it is a work more on breeding than on training,
and little is said in it on condition, and that little too much,
either for the sake of the writer's reputation, or his readers'
patience, so far as I am able to judge.

Two other injuries which a horse is liable to, arise from work
— swollen joints, which sometimes are of no consequence ; and
rupture of the middle and main tendons, often attended with
fatal results. Rest and blistering are the two remedies,
although I confess that, as a rule, I have little faith in either.
When joints are swollen on the outside they become callous
and do not hurt ; but enlargement on the inside of either
fore-leg is generally fatal. Ringbone requires firing, splints
seldom hurt, and yield to the application of biniodide of
mercury or puncturing, and curbs to blistering : or in bad
cases to the actual cautery. The bog-spavin mercurial
ointment will usually cure, and the bone-spavin yields to

RINGWORM. CRIB-BITING. 37

firing ; but the thorough-pin nothing will permanently
eradicate.

Ringworm, that troublesome and very contagious disease,
is cured with a preparation of mercury, by rubbing the
affected part with a small portion once or twice a day for
three or four clays. Acetic acid once applied will, in most
cases, have a good effect ; if not, it may in a few days be
again resorted to. The same remedy is a good one to
prevent horses from rubbing the hair off the tail, making it
sore, and spoiling their looks.

It is only necessary to add that in all cases of illness a
plentiful supply of warm clothing should be used, in order
to keep the body at a proper temperature. This is infinitely
better than the restriction of the supply of fresh air, so
essential to the health of all animals.

These are the ailments which commonly come before the
trainer ; but there are, besides, injuries the result of tricks
arising from careless management, on which I have something
to say before concluding this chapter.

On attention to small things, success in great ones chiefly
depends. Horses when idle often contract bad habits — crib-
biting, wind-sucking, kicking in the stable — by which they
sometimes injure themselves. As a rule these things are
preventible, and should be prevented.

In treating of sore-backs, I remarked that crib-biting was
as easily avoided as they are, by a little attention and proper
management. When not feeding or set at liberty, horses
should be tied up by the rack-chains, and so kept from
nibbling any projections, such as the manger or top-rail of
the stall. When this is done, no crib-biters will be found.
The trick grows from constantly licking and biting the manger,
If it be not stopped, or the horse making the unpleasant

33 SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES.

noise removed, in a few weeks the whole of the inmates of
the stable will be equally bad. To my mind there is no
surer test of neglectful supervision than the existence of a
crib-biter, or of a sore-back.

I have mentioned the care necessary in fastening the head-
collar ; for if too tight it is unpleasant to the horse, if too
slack, he may either get loose or his hind-foot become en-
tangled in it. An accident of the kind has been the cause
of many an animal's ruin. The collar-rein should pass over
the roller or through the rings with freedom, and be long
enough to reach the ground to enable the animal to lie at
ease. But if too long, or the log to which the rein is
attached be not heavy enough to keep it moderately tight,
the horse will get his leg over it, and the result, not
unfrequently, be lameness for weeks.

When turned loose to rest in the boxes, the collars should
in every case be removed, to prevent this entanglement. In
the stalls, the bars should be put up between them, so that,
in case any of the occupants get loose, they may be hindered
kicking and savaging each other.

There is another thing to be mentioned. Many a valuable
horse has been ruined simply by getting the stirrup-iron in
the mouth when the boy has left him for a few minutes. To
prevent this, the irons should, the first thing on return to
stable, be drawn up as near the top of the saddles as possible,
and the stirrup-leathers drawn through them ; an effectual
safeguard against such an accident.

I do not know that roaring can fairly be set down either as
sickness or accident ; but it is a complaint that cannot be
passed without some notice, and perhaps will more fitly come
as a conclusion to this chapter than elsewhere.

Large horses are, in my experience, more subject to this

ROARING, AND INSTANCES. 39

disease than the small. It is not only often fatal to the
racing capabilities of the animal, but unfortunately it is trans-
mitted to the progeny when the horse is put to the stud.
But I have known, in a few instances, horses badly affected
with the malady to recover. There is regrettably neither
admitted cause nor known cure for it, for the seat of the
disease is quite uncertain.1

The late Lord G. Bentinck had a grey mare so afflicted
killed, and employed Mr. Field, the eminent veterinary sur-
geon, to trace the cause ; but he failed to do so, and said
the respiratory organs were natural and healthy, and in fact
that there was no malformation or disease, and nothing to
be seen that could enable him to account for it in any shape
or way. It comes on very suddenly, and is unmistakably
denned in a day or two. Horses that have had inflamma-
tion of the lungs, or a long illness from strangles, are more
subject to it than others that have not been so affected ; but
some hundreds recover from both these complaints without
becoming roarers. Again, whilst some few horses are scarcely
affected by it, others, as long as they have it, are perfectly
useless for racing purposes ; whilst some, the rare exception
it is true, recover, and are as good as they ever were,
showing no ill-effects whatever.

Brzganttne was an extraordinary instance of this exceptional
recovery. In the early part of her two-year-old career, she ran
successfully and in perfect health. In June she was taken ill,
but recovered sufficiently to fulfil her engagement at New-
market in the July meeting, when, however, she ran badly,
and on her return home was found to be an undoubted roarer.
The winter passed, and with the spring preparation, as her
work increased, the disease gradually diminished, and

1 Quite recenlly, scientific investigation has thrown considerable light on the
cause ; the cui e, if any, is still undiscovered.

40 SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES.

ultimately left her as sound as the day she was foaled ; in time,
indeed, to enable her to win the Oaks and the Ascot Cup
in the same year. I remember that many years ago Mr.
Osbaldeston had a horse called The-Devil-among-the-Tai/ors,
which turned a rank roarer, but recovered, and was as good
after as before the malady. Some horses, too, have run well
as roarers. Longbow was a good horse over a short course ;
whilst Shadow could stay any distance roaring like a bull.
Dulcamara and Noisy both returned from Chester confirmed
roarers ; but whilst there they both ran in perfect health, the
latter winning the Dee Stakes easily, beating some of the best
horses of his year ; but neither he nor the other could ever
afterwards beat a hack, although both tried and run in public
several times.

As to the cause, occult as it is, I feel sure that a sudden
change in keep and management has something to do with it.
That this is so may be seen with hunters. If they be turned
out to grass after a winter's hard work, from hot stables, they
not unfrequently become roarers. This is not only my own
experience, but I have heard others say the same. This is
probably a reason why, as a rule, racehorses are not now
turned loose in a box and treated with less care during the
winter than the summer months, as used to be the practice.
We certainly have fewer roarers amongst our racehorses than
formerly, and this I attribute chiefly to more attentive
management. Situation, too, may I think have something to
do with the malady. At the Cape of Good Hope, I am told,
horses never roar ; and that the worst roarers if taken there
become sound. This is partly confirmed by my own experi-
ence. When I consider the number of horses I have had and
the few cases of roaring amongst them, I cannot help thinking
that the dry and airy situation of my place is either a
preventive or an antidote, if so desirable a thing can be found.

PREDILECTION FCR GLCSSY CCATS. 41

CHAPTER VI.

CONDITION.

Predilection for glossy coats — The natural coat of animals— Anomalies of this
liking for sleek coats ; its evils ; the condition-ball and arsenic — Rough coats
most often seen doing work — Horses fit when rough : Hen?iit, West Austra-
lian— Docking — Public notion of condition; theory and experience — The
trainer alone a judge — Deceptive appearances of horses in big and in light con-
dition : Instances : Catch- tin- Alive and Historian ; La Pique — Sir Richard
Sutton's treatment of the latter and its uselessness — Personal experiences ;
St. Giles, One Act, The Coranna Colt: Inferences drawn therefrom — Condition
for long distances.

In treating of the subject of air and light, I have mentioned
the predilection of certain owners for looks rather than health,
and the complacency of those that serve them in satisfying
this disposition.

As this fallacy leads to many others, I may well dispose of
it before proceeding to touch upon the other points that bear
upon that important and interesting part of our subject —
Condition.

Glossiness of coat and sleekness have, I have already ob-
served, their especial attractions. The owner is satisfied, and
the gazing eye of the wondering multitude pleased. The
trainer, who indulges in the practice, is pleased to see his
horse, if not "the glass of fashion and the mould of form,"
at least " the observed of all observers ; " whilst the stable

42 CONDITION.

boy is half frantic with delight to observe the cunningly
devised work of his own unaided hands.

Now I, for one, do not say for a moment that a horse is any
the worse for trifling and tawdry embellishments, if legiti-
mately achieved ; just as I would not admit that he would
be any better were he burnished like gold, striped like a
zebra, and his attendant fancifully dressed like a zany. But
there is too much inclination in this direction. Some, perhaps,
would wish to plait or shave the tail and crimp or hog the
mane to complete the picture.

I protest against the practice, because I aver looks are no
test 'of condition. Bounteous nature has provided for the
comfort and well-being of the animal kingdom warm cover-
ings of various sorts. To the horse has been given long hair,
suitable to his nature, for protection against the inclemency of
winter. We all know that wild animals have a warmer covering
in winter than in summer. It scarcely requires a naturalist to
confirm what every observant person must be familiar with.
We see that birds moult in autumn, that the feathers may
be well grown, thick and long, against the approaching
winter. Buffonj in his natural history, from which I take
a few extracts bearing on the point, in speaking of the
beaver, remarks, " It is in winter they are chiefly sought,
because their fur is not perfectly sound in any other season."
Again alluding to the sable, he says, "and yet this (winter)
is the best season for hunting them, because their fur is better
and more beautiful than in summer."

The same principle applies, almost in its entirety, to the
horse. His coat, like theirs, is naturally longest in winter ;
although it can hardly be said to be then more beautiful, nor
is it desirable that it should be so. Deprive him of this be-
fore summer, and you do him an incalculable, an irreparable.

EVILS ARISING FROM THE PRACTICE. 43

harm. Yet, for a fanciful purpose, he is subjected to all kinds
of anomalies : kept improperly warm in the stables ; made to
take a daily condition-ball — and all for the removal of his
greatest possible comfort, and the substitution for it of his
summer coat in the depth of winter ! Who shall say how many
horses are annually lost in this way ? And yet, with many,
nothing but time and bitter experience will alter the practice.
One thing may be safely predicated of it, a fact indeed that
has not escaped even superficial observers — the horse with the
most glossy coat is least seen in public ; that with the roughest,
the most often.

But when once the love of popularity, in whatever form,
takes hold of the senses, folly is apt to oust reason. It is
difficult to say to what lengths this may not be carried to secure
the object of the ambition of the hour, or, it may be lifetime.
When its idol is the appearance of the horses, the stable
becomes a hot-house, its inmates, sudatory creatures, whose
stomachs are made the receptacle of the contents of a chemist's
shop. This is hardly an exaggeration ; for it is not possible
to tell the ingredients of the condition-ball, or their possibly
deadly effect. We know full well that many a man who has
charge of his master's hack or carriage-horse, has been detected
administering the harmful ball, or even arsenic in a crude
form, to give the coat the desirable glossy appearance in
winter as well as summer ; with the one inevitable result —
the death of the unfortunate animal and the punishment of
the man ; the latter richly deserved, it must be admitted.

Gentlemen are too willing to judge the condition of their
horses from the appearance of the coat. Were they to ask
the desired information from the trainer, whose pleasure, duty,
and interest it is to supply it, it would be more satisfactory
to both. And though the result might not agree with the

44 CONDITION.

preconceived views of owners, they should still be content in the
knowledge : first, that no one is so qualified to advise in such
a matter as the trainer ; secondly, that no one has so sterling
a motive to advise rightly. If this were the general practice,
we should see horses looking better in summer, as they would
be healthier, as well as in winter.

It will be appropriate here to instance, by way of illustra-
tion, a few rough-looking animals which have been brought to
the post in absolutely perfect condition — fit, it may be said, to
run for a man's life — but which, in appearance, were exactly
the reverse, and did not escape the public denunciation.

I will hereafter speak of La Pique, a mare of my own, and
a case in point. But let us take Hermit or Virago as examples.
What, it may be asked, did he look like the day he won the
Derby ? or she, when, with consummate ease in one and the
same day she carried off both the City and Suburban and
Metropolitan Stakes? Or again, how did West Australian
look when he won the St. Leger at the back end of the year ?
Why, like a bag of bones covered with hair as rough as a
badger's, on which seemingly a brush had never been laid.
A hundred similar instances I could name were it necessary.
But as with the smooth coat so with the rough — it may
be well or ill obtained. In these cases no amount, either of
ability or diligence, had been spared to bring the animals to
perfect condition. Consummate success was obtained, and
yet the eye was not satisfied — they lacked the unnatural and
debilitating sleekness at a time when Nature herself withheld
it. Surely the trainers did wisely to study the health of the
horses before their outward appearance. Yet the capricious
multitude and self-confident sportsmen bewailed the lack of
superficial gloss, and were, as usual, egregiously mistaken.
There was no lack of courage in thus braving, as it were,

SIGNS OF FITNESS. 45

public opinion ; nor was it, in the result, unrewarded. From
their employers, the trainers received well-earned and freely-
given thanks ; from the public, an ovation such as a victorious
General might be proud of. The public had erred, and had
to confess it ; being forced to admit that as horses run in
all shapes and forms, so they do in every conceivable state
of condition, so far as the eye can judge.

To insist at all hazards on a glossy coat is, in my opinion,
only on a par with the barbarous custom of forty years ago
or more, to shorten the docks of all horses young or old.
Usually they were subjected to this treatment during the
first or second week after their arrival at the training quarters :
the operation being performed by the severance of a few inches
of the vertebrae of the tail, staunching the hemorrhage by the
application of powdered resin and the actual cautery.
Happily for the tortured animal, the practice has long since
ceased to exist, as has nicking and nerving, that old and
useless veterinary practice ; " more honoured in the breach
than the observance." All men now prefer to see the noble
animal as formed by nature, rather than in a mutilated
shape, disfigured at the hands of capricious humanity.

We have learned something of the essentials, in feeding
and stable management, of good condition ; and it will now
be well to describe the signs that enable a person to judge
correctly of the fitness of a horse to do what may be required
of him.

Every one who has seen or takes an interest in a racehorse,
talks eloquently, in conventional terms and set phrases, on
his condition; a point in which one horse so resembles
another, that existing differences often escape all but the
experienced eyes. Horses that look pretty much alike are
praised or condemned, rightly or wrongly, as fancy dictates.

4<j CONDITION.

Now theory, the only guide that persons not intimately
conversant with the stable have, which runs so glibly and seems
so simple, is found utterly untenable when brought to the
touchstone of practice. To my mind, condition is one of the
most difficult problems ; one that, however great the genius
of persons differently employed, can only be solved by the
experienced trainer. There are many gentlemen, owners of
horses, most excellent judges of shape, make, and breed, equal
in this respect to any trainer; I may go further and say, better
than many, but who on condition, " are at sea," and their
opinion not of much value. Nor indeed can anything else
be expected. They have not the opportunity afforded them
of forming a correct idea, and cannot give one : whereas the
trainer sees the horses under his charge daily, and knows
the work each does, and how he does it ; whether progress-
ing towards or receding from the desired object, which should
ultimately culminate in fitness to run. But the owner can
know nothing of his horse's every-day performance at exercise,
or whether he eats little or much. The utmost extent of his
information is limited to seeing a gallop or two, or may-be
a tiial — the latter sometimes is a test of condition, but not
always ; for many are tried thoroughly unfit, and the result is
misleading, rather than a clue to the animal's real merits.

It is patent, therefore, that they can know little, if anything,
about the material points, and that on such insufficient tests
a trustworthy decision cannot reasonably be expected. And
if owners of racehorses, with such advantages as they do
possess, are often so lamentably mistaken, what must be the
value of the dogmatic and oracular opinion of the uninformed
public ? I think the general verdict must be mine— nothing.

If this be allowed, it will not be out of place to give one or
two illustrations of the difference in outward appearance of

EXAMPLES OF "BIG" AND "LIGHT" CONDITION. 47

various horses, all of which have been in the highest
condition.

When a horse is stout, or, as many would have it, full of
muscle, looks well in his coat, and has good action, then many
assert he is fit to run. Most fallacious and untrustworthy
idea; for often the appearance of the horse that is fit is just
the reverse — in a condition, indeed, as I have said, fit to run
for a man's life, yet no one would be bold enough to say so
who feared the laughter of the wiseacres. On the other hand,
there are few who would not hazard an opinion, and pronounce
to a man, the horse that is sleek and fat, the fittest. The fact
is, no one but the trainer, who has charge of the animals so
different in appearance, can give an opinion worth having ;
the public, on the other hand, would, I venture to affirm, be
wrong in nine cases out of ten.

I will give two examples of the comparatively exceptional
instances of horses being fit when big. Catch- em- A live, when
he got out of the van at Newmarket, was condemned as too
big by touts and turf critics, who cynically remarked he would
not have so many looking at him after his race (the Cam-
bridgeshire StakesJ on Tuesday ; yet he won, and from sheer
gamencss — a never-failing test of condition. Historian, on
his first appearance in public for the Lavant Stakes at Good-
wood, was fit and round as an apple, looking to the cognoscenti
quite fat, and all said he would see a better day — but he never
did, winning easily, and in the same state won many races
after.

Now let us contrast his seeming fat state with that of a
light bad-conditioned mare afterwards called La Pique, who
looked little better than a bag of bones encased in the roughest
of hair. At the appearance of such a wretch a general out-
burst of indignation was indulged in, and on all sides she was

48 CONDITION.

voted not good enough for the kennel, which certainly, they
added, was a more fitting place for her than the racecourse.
The fact is, she looked rough in her coat, and was, like many
others, a light-fleshed animal, just the reverse in appearance
to Historian and others. Yet she was well, and proved her
fitness by winning her race, beating a good field of horses in
a Selling Plate, enabling her owners and the stable to win a
nice stake at long odds, for I believe no one else backed her
for a shilling. There were, if possible, more absurd remarks
made upon her condition after than before the race. One
was for giving her a little rest ; another would add to that,
sumptuous feeding ; whilst the fortunate Baronet, the lucky
purchaser, knew she was in want of a host of things to make
her fit, and which she should have. The opinion of the rabble
was expected ; but hardly this confident declaration on the
part of a gentleman of his experience.

The late Sir Richard Sutton placed her in the hands of an
eminent trainer to carry out his positive instructions intended
to improve her neglected condition. This was done, but to
no effect ; in fact, he failed to make her capable of winning
anything. The lamented Baronet then tried his own hand at
metamorphosing her ; and I can readily believe that she was
indulged in every sort of luxurious feeding, with rest without
limit ; but to no good end. Finding himself a victim to his
own credulity, he sold her, as utterly useless, never having
won a race with her.

Now here are animals which, to look at, seemed as diverse
as it is possible to find in nature — both two-year-olds, one
looking really big, perhaps too big, whilst the other was de-
cidedly light, and indeed far too light in the eyes of the public.
The public, indeed (who, having no horses of their own, are
always professing such superior knowledge of the condition

MY OWN EXPERIENCE, AND INFERENCES. 4)

of those belonging to others) stoutly declared in these cases
that neither were fit, though their running then and subse-
quently sufficiently proved the folly of such an opinion and
the penalty incurred in uttering it.

Even trainers may be, and no doubt some of us at times
are, deceived. As a proof that the public are not always
alone in this respect, I confess to having been grievously
deceived on two or three occasions. One Act misled me, and
so did a colt by Coranna out of EyebrigJit. As a three-year-old,
I thought St. Giles fit and tried him, but he was little
more than half fit to run a distance of ground, and was dis-
gracefully beaten in his trial ten days before Northampton.
Knowing that, as a two-year-old, he had stayed well, I con-
cluded he must require more work than he had had, to make
him stay as a three-year-old. I therefore galloped him every
day two miles till the Saturday previous to the race, and then
tried him, with the same tackle and the same weight, over the
same course, when he won just as far as before he had been
defeated. He went to Northampton and won the stakes with
ease, beating perhaps the best horse in England {Skirmisher)
according to his subsequent running.

The case of One Act is very similar ; the mare having, as I
thought, done sufficiently good work for months previously, I
tried her, when she was beaten very easily. This I attributed
to her condition, or rather the want of it, and set about im-
proving it in the same method — galloping her every day, two
and a quarter miles till just before her race at York. I sent
her for this as I had done St. Giles, and with the same fortunate
result. She won the two great handicaps at York, and fol-
lowed up these successes by winning the Chester Cup in the
following week, " looking like a rail." These facts, it maybe
readily conceived, remain indelibly engraven in my memory.

E

50 CONDITION.

Again, the Coranna Colt, just before his intended trial, being,
as I thought, fit to run and if anything rather too light, broke
his thigh, and was at once destroyed. To my astonishment
when he was opened, he was found to be a mass of fat ; clear
evidence that he was not more than half prepared. Yet, as I
have said, his outward appearance betokened that he was
thoroughly trained, and if anything, rather overdone. The
natural and immediate inference to my mind was that when
beaten in their respective trials, St. Giles and One Act may
have been in the same condition ; and I concluded that had
the Coranna Colt been tried he would as assuredly have been
defeated. These results plainly indicate how absolutely neces-
sary time and work are in preparing a horse to run a long
distance. The practical part of training, the knowledge gained
by experience, enables the trainer to give an opinion on the
condition of the horses under his charge before any one else ;
yet, from the many anomalies attending the process, some of
which have been explained, even he may be deceived. One
horse may look fit, when in reality he is big and short of work ;
another that is absolutely fit, looks just the reverse, or as
some would style it, overtrained.

These difficulties staring him in the face, it behoves the
trainer to be ever on the alert ; to watch the condition of each
horse from the first canter to the last gallop ; and how exact
and continuous this watchfulness must be will be explained
when we come to treat of Preparation.

OWNERS' IDEAS OF CONDITION. 51

CHAPTER VII.
CONDITION {continued).

Opinions of owners on condition ; Mr. Dixon — Coughs and their various effects —
Lameness and its results — Diverse opinion of two owners — The trainer knows
his own horses — Curious belief in different treatment for handicap, and
weight-for-age races ; the fallacy shown — Joe Miller, Voltigettr, Brigantine —
The public and condition — Typical instance of big and light conditions ;
Tame Deer and Fisherman — Condition of pedestrians — Fat men — Horses
oftener fit when light than big — Mr. Clark on equine fatness.

I HAVE, in the last chapter, given my own opinion of con-
dition. It will not be amiss in the present to supplement
it with the opinions of other people, of owners and others.
The space devoted to this will hardly be regretted, because
success depends so much upon the condition in which horses
are brought out to run.

I will commence by giving a short account of Mr. Dixon's
experiences. He was the owner of Blarney and other good
horses, at the time placed under my care. One of the latter,
PJiilippa, he had purchased as a two-year-old for ^300, after
she had been raced two or three times and easily beaten on each
occasion. In the first race I ran her for, which was shortly
afterwards, she beat Borneo, who had been purchased for 1,500
guineas, on whom odds of seven to one were laid. I mention
this to show the quality of the mare when fit to run. The
year following she was tried just before Bath Races, when
she was coughing and easily beaten as one would expect.

E 2

52 CONDITION.

Notwithstanding this warning, Mr. Dixon would run her, and
did, and being beaten took her out of training, though she was
the soundest mare alive and had many good engagements that
year, and by the next might have had many more. He put
her to the stud, where she turned out a complete failure —
indeed she did not live many years.

Now a cough may be innocuous, or it may be fatal. Horses
often cough on leaving the stable, and in it, and after galloping,
whilst in good health. At the commencement of exercise
horses will often cough, but if, after it, they blow their nostrils
no ill-effect need be apprehended. From following others in
their gallops a horse will get dirt in his mouth and so a cough ;
but it quickly passes off. Again, horses will cough after being
watered in the stable ; but it does not hurt them. But on the
contrary, if horses cough badly in the stable before watering
and feeding, or at exercise shortly before galloping, it is a
certain warning, not only that they are not well, but that it is
not possible to guess the extent of their illness. Something
similar, it may be remarked, can be said of lameness.
Swollen legs may prove to be of trifling importance, or end
in the total uselessness of the horse so afflicted. I have re-
marked on this point in an earlier chapter, and also shown the
variety of causes which create lameness, sometimes of little
and sometimes of the greatest consequence. But as a matter
of fact it should be added that nearly all horses trained for
long-distance races, trot lame and yet are practically sound.

It is well to note these things ; for they serve to show
how little owners really know of condition, the possible
result of lameness, or effect of a cough ; and how greatly
to their advantage it would be, if they would listen to the
advice of those whose occupation provides them with this
information. But there are owners and owners, and a

DIVERSE JUDGMENT OF TWO OWNERS. 53

chapter would not suffice to describe their respective idio-
syncrasies.

In regard to this point, I will briefly give the opinions on
condition expressed by two different owners on the same
animals within the space of a few days. Whilst strolling
round the stables one of them said in great astonishment,
" Why, William," addressing himself to me, " what on earth
have you been doing with so and so, or rather I should say
what have you not been doing ? Why, he and the others that
have to run next week are like so many bacon hogs." I
begged to differ in the opinion he expressed, and said that as
far as I knew they were well and fit. This was far from
satisfying him ; whilst his colleague, who happened to come
a few days after by himself, gave it as his opinion that
"the horses were thoroughly unfit." They looked bad in
their coats, were too light and as " dry as a chip," wanting
at least a month's rest and yet had to run the next week.
He added inquiringly " Can they be well ? " I replied as
before by saying I thought so. In the result the truth of
my view was amply verified by their running ; though I fear
little to the benefit of their joint-owners, who both came to
the same conclusion as to their unfitness, but, as has been
shown, from diametrically opposite bases.

Such cases are too frequent, and disappointment as
assuredly follows. All opinions cannot be right, and of
three that differ two must be wrong. How is a trainer to
please owners of horses holding these extreme views ? To
this one of his many difficulties, I shall have to recur at the
proper place. It is not from ostentation that I say so
much ; but because, if I am to benefit the reader, I must
speak plainly. My experience tells me that if a horse blows
too much after galloping, his work must be increased without

54

CONDITION.

regard to his looks — essentially a very minor consideration.
So, too, if he feed badly, his work should be reduced ; whilst
it should at all times be apportioned to suit individual
constitutions and the state of the legs of the different
animals.

These things properly attended to, then, the trainer who
knows the daily progress of his horses, can give an opinion
worth having on their condition — but no one else can. I may
therefore be emboldened to ask, with all the respect that
is due to them, what can owners know of these things ? They
are little better than casual observers, and can only form
their judgment on that most fallacious of all tests — the eye;
and by no parity of reasoning can be said to know when, and
when only, a horse is fit to run. It is so even with ourselves
out of our own stable. I should assuredly find myself
lamentably self-deceived, were I to hazard an opinion on the
condition of a horse prepared by any one else. It would be
the same with the most experienced trainer or the astutest
judge of horseflesh, were the one or the other to pronounce on
the condition of any animal they had not seen before or for
a length of time. Just as in sickness, the qualified profes-
sional, the veterinary surgeon, will not trust his own senses
entirely, but will consult the attendant before prescribing ;
or the physician will inquire his patient's state of the
nurse, so should the owner seek his information of the
trainer.

But I can give instances of even more extravagant notions
on the part of Ovvners than those already cited. On one
occasion a nobleman told me (and I have not the slightest
doubt said that which he thought strictly true), as the
reason he sent his high-priced yearlings to John Scott, and
the cheap ones to me : " He thought no trainer could train

CURICUS BELIEF IN TWO STATES OF CONDITION. 55

a horse for a weight-for-age race like him," and added, " but
I prefer you to all others for a handicap." I argued the point
exhaustively with his lordship, but my logic failed to convince
him to the contrary. And he believed in his preconceived idea,
that when a horse is fit to run for a weight-for-age race
there is something lacking in his preparation for a handi-
cap and vice versa. Surely when a horse is fit to run a
given distance (no matter what) for a handicap, he must be so
for a weight-for-age race over the same course ! More, it may
be said that many races of the latter kind become and
virtually are handicaps, from the extra weights imposed on
some and allowances made to other horses by the conditions of
these races. I can adduce many proofs, were they needed,
that my reasoning is sound ; but two must suffice. Let
me ask, then, can any one suppose for a moment that
Joe Miller was less fit to run when he won the Emperor's
Vase at Ascot (a genuine weight-for-age race without
penalties or allowances), beating Voltigeur and most of the
best horses of the day, than when he won the Chester
Cup, a handicap ? Or can any one be simple enough to
believe that when Brigantine won the Ascot Cup or the Oaks,
she was wanting the condition that assisted her to win the
handicaps at Newmarket ? I need say no more to show the
fallacy of his lordship's argument.

But now a word must be said of that irrepressible body
the British Public, the first to utter all sorts of illogical
assertions, yet limiting inquiries as to the real merits and
condition of racehorses to finding fault with those who have
the care of them. Owners and trainers alike fall in for
their share of the rancour of these prescient sages, who
oracle-like condemn " at one fell swoop " and in true stereo-
typed form, all light horses as starved or galloped to death

56 CONDITION.

Yet it must be patent from what has been said in the last
chapter, and it is to all conversant with the habits and treat-
ment of the racehorse, that the ordinary categorical
denunciation of the condition of all beaten horses, is but
an evidence of profound ignorance. As for myself, I have
shown reason enough, I hope, for my conviction that no
trainer would be found guilty of an act so suicidal as
not properly to prepare his horse. His reputation is
at stake, his very existence, it may be said, involved in
the well being of his horses. And if these be ill-fed or
neglected, how can they work ? And if they cannot work,
how can they compete with those that do ? No, these base-
less charges carry their own refutation. No man would set
himself to defeat his own ends ; to successfully accomplish
that which each one of us is so strenuously seeking to avoid —
his own degradation and shame. It is sheer nonsense. Horses
have run light and will do so to the end ; it is one of the
grand essentials of condition, and few are really fit in any
other state.

But after all, condition is but a relative term, as it may be
viewed by different people. This horse is as widely praised as
that is widely condemned, equally without reason ; for do all
we can, nothing will prevent horses in condition being light
in appearance — in some instances to the extent of seeming
neglect — and yet these horses, oftener than not, beat the big
and fat ones. We need go no farther for an example than
the race at Lincoln between Tame Deer and Fisherman ; the
former looking like a donkey and the latter with a coat like
satin, his ribs covered (as it was said at the time) with muscle.
At 3lbs. difference Tame Veer won, proving himself on that
day and in their respective conditions the better horse at even
weights — yet it was subsequently proved and remains an

CONDITION OF PEDESTRIANS. 57

authenticated fact that Fisherman was two stone and a half
the better horse. I may add I never saw the tables turned ;
a fat horse beating a thin one so vastly his superior ; nor do I
think any one else ever did.1

I think I may fairly assume enough has been said to
convince even the sceptical that horses must and do run light
from other causes than overwork or mismanagement. But
I am prepared to do more : to assert that as a matter of fact
there are more horses insufficiently trained and looking too big
than there are overdone with work. I mean of course for long
distance races, not short ones ; for which, as less work will
suffice, horses may be run bigger. I am strenuous on this
point ; -but I may remind the reader that I am not descanting
on the merits or usages of this or the other trainer ; but am
contending for a principle in the superiority of which I myself

1 Turning from the horse to the human being, the condition of pedestrians may
be taken as an instance to point my observations. A pedestrian when fit to
walk a long or short distance looks' starved, more like a skeleton than a man in
robust health living upon the most nutritious food without stint. At the time
" Corkey" accomplished his surprising six days' walk at the Agricultural Hall he
weighed but eight stone : a proof that he was neither fat nor in what is ordinarily
supposed to be good condition. Fattest men are not as a rule the greatest eaters,
nor do they confine themselves to a diet more nutritious than that of the spare and
meagre. The late Mr. Banting could not check his obesity by abstinence in the
matter of food. The nobility and gentry live well, yet as a rule they are spare
men. In the workhouse or the cottage, on the other hand, we find those who
fatten on the poorest of food, and in many cases an insufficiency of that. In my

own experience I remember Mr. F. H then living at Exeter, a very thin man,

to all appearance but half fed, who once at the instigation of Mr. S (on

whose authority I give the anecdote) undertook to eat a roasting pig for supper —
and did it ; a feat that probably would have bothered the renowned Dan Lambert.
Yet until the clay of his death he remained as cadaverous and as thin as ever, in
spite of his appetite. A correspondent of the Lcuicet lately sent particulars to
that paper of the case of Mr. W. Campbell, landlord of "the Duke of Welling-
ton," Newcastle on Tyne, who "stands 6 feet 4 inches, and weighs over 50 stone,"
yet, "his appetite is not more than an average one, and although not an abstainer,
he is moderate in his drinking."

58 CONDITION.

implicitly believe ; whose success I have compared with that
of other systems, as have other trainers before me. This
assurance renders me insistent in recommending it to those
who have not had the same opportunities to test it.

As a fitting conclusion of our subject, Condition, I will
venture to give an extract from an admirable work on the
horse by Mr. Clark (from which I have already quoted at
p. 24 on food) : —

" But the greatest caution," he remarks, " is necessary to be
observed with horses that are very fat. They require a long
course of moderate and regular exercise before they can be
put to that which is the least violent with safety. Their
fat, which they acquire by excessive heat, is melted by violent
exercise as it were into oil, and carried into the blood and
causes what is called an oily plethora, which produces a most
violent and sudden inflammation of the lungs, &c.

" The viscidity of the oily matter obstructing the vessels
and preventing the other fluids passing through them,
frequently occasions sudden death ; many instances of which I
have known particularly in those horses which have been fed
with a great quantity of boiled meat in order to fatten them
for sale. To attain this desirable end and keep him in
robust health in an artificial state we must bear in mind
what he was when wild and imitate it as far as possible.

" Count de Buffon says that very warm climates, it would
appear, are destructive to horses, and that when they are
transported from a mild climate to a very warm one the
species degenerates. "

It therefore may be granted that horses like a medium
climate bordering on cold rather than heat, for we find the same
author (vol. 3 page 38) states that in Iceland, where the cold
is extreme, horses though small are extremely vigorous.

THE TRAINING GROUND DESCRIBED. 59

CHAPTER VIII.

THE TRAINING GROUND.

A training ground and its essentials described — Its surface — Extent and shape —
Downhill exercise condemned — Distinct courses necessary for summer and
winter — The trial ground — Methods of restoring the surface — Newmarket
and other sites — Appreciation of situation — A quiet spot recommended and
reasons — Effect of publicity on owners— An instance to the point at
Woodyates.

Having learned something of the horse in sickness, and of
what is and what is not condition, we may, before proceeding
to the consideration of the preparation of the horse in health,
give a description of the training ground as it ought to be.
There is nothing more essentially necessary to a training
establishment than a good training ground. The extent,
the nature of the surface, and subsoil, are matters of the
greatest importance and deserve a strict inspection, when
selecting a spot. The soil should be neither clay nor sand ;
for though the latter may in wet weather afford pretty good
going, in dry it becomes very hard and unfit for galloping.
Unmixed clay is still worse ; for in wet weather it is too deep,
and in dry, bakes like a brick, and is very seldom in a state
fit to gallop on and then only for a short time.

The surface soil should be one of a light friable loam
resting on a chalky subsoil, sufficiently retentive of moisture
to keep it moderately soft in dry weather, and porous enough

60 THE TRAINING GROUND.

to prevent its being heavy in wet : such for example are
many of the South Downs in Sussex and those about
Salisbury Plain. The extent should in a great measure depend
on the number of horses likely to be trained on it, and should
always be too big rather than circumscribed ; for when it is
the latter, continual galloping on the same track spoils it,
and the horses are more likely to become lame. Moreover
a change of ground is in other ways beneficial for them.
Plenty of scope you must have or you cannot train for a long
course ; besides, the walking ground should be distinct from
the galloping ground. It is necessary to have two or three
pieces of half and three quarters of a mile in extent, and in
addition, space for gallops of a mile, a mile and three quarters,
or two miles, or even longer, straight, is requisite for prepara-
tion for long courses. If you have not this your horses
will suffer, as you cannot have them gallop round a circle as
in an amphitheatre.

We are told that pedestrians when in training are made to
do most of their fast work uphill — a clear proof that it is
considered far preferable to running down. It is a system
that cannot be too closely followed with the race-horse.
Horses might be trained by galloping uphill only ; but if
only permitted to gallop downhill would never be got fit.
There is no objection to an occasional steady gallop over
undulating ground ; but the fast work should be done uphill
or on level ground. It is necessary too, that the galloping
ground should be nearly straight, not angular, or the pace
cannot be kept up all the way ; a matter often necessary, and
especially in trials.

In the preparation for spring engagements, the horses cut
up the ground and spoil it for summer use ; it is necessary
'therefore to have entirely distinct courses, which should be kept

RESTORATION OF THE SURFACE. 61

respectively for winter and summer work ; or in other words,
for wet and dry weather. As soon as the March winds set in,
exercise may be started on the summer ground ; but rather
than spoil it, in the event of a wet spring following, return to
that set apart for winter. In this matter it is the weather
rather than the season that must in all cases regulate the
choice of ground ; and if one have to be overworked, let that
one be the winter ground.

For trial ground, the best should be selected and strictly
appropriated to the one use; although there are occasions,
when the ground is dry and little impression made by
galloping, when it may be used if needful for ordinary work.
When much galloping has rendered the surface of the ground
uneven, most trainers have it bush harrowed and then rolled
with a heavy roller to fill up the cavities and reduce the uneven
surfaces. I cannot say that it is a plan I am enamoured
of. Repeated rolling improves the appearance of the ground
by levelling it, but unfortunately makes it hard, which is the
one thing to be avoided ; whereas my method, removing
the turf by manual labour, levelling, and lightly treading in
the turf when replaced, is infinitely better. In old times the
boys in the stable used to do this, but now nothing would
induce them to attempt it : so a few labourers in the spring,
or as often as is necessary, may be engaged for the purpose ;
and as a rule they do their work in a satisfactory way.

Newmarket as a training ground is not inferior to any
that I know of, and better than most. It has scope and
other advantages to recommend it. Its worst feature is hard-
ness in a dry summer ; but in both spring and autumn it has
no superior. And if there are other places equal to it, by far
the greater number are, taking all things into consideration,
inferior; places on which scores and sometimes hundreds of

62 THE TRAINING GROUND.

horses are trained, in which the nature of the ground precludes
the possibility of doing them justice. What is the result
of such training ? The horses go lame ; and those that remain
sound must be run about half fit, of necessity courting defeat
by horses that are fit — a remark specially applicable to long
distance races.

Therefore as horses cannot be trained elsewhere, it is of
paramount importance to have a good training ground. The
selection of it should be made in dry weather. Then it is
in its worst state, and its nature can be thoroughly judged.
Bad or indifferent stables may be altered or even rebuilt ; but
the nature of the ground no process can appreciably improve.
As you find it, so it remains ; and on it such as it is, you
must either work your horses or neglect their condition.

By many the situation is considered the chief object.
To make it so, is all very well if the owner race for love of
sport regardless of expense. Gentlemen of this mind, prefer
having their stables and downs in their own neighbourhood,
or failing this, near London, so as to be easy of access during
" the season." But those who are bent upon making their
horses pay their way, who race with a view of recouping
the heavy outlay on the purchase of a stud and its attendant
expenses, should choose a quiet spot and good ground wher-
ever they may be found; but reasonably, the farther from a large
town the better. My preference would be for a place thus situ-
ated within two or three hours of the metropolis, giving owners
ample time to see their horses at exercise and in the stable and
return to town for dinner. In such a place there would be per-
fect freedom of action : no telegraph set in motion to announce
your whereabouts on arrival or departure, nor touts to annoy
you. Plans could be arranged in peace and the result waited
in hopeful expectancy, which would often be well repaid.

A QUIET SPOT RECOMMENDED. 63

As a matter of fact, there are merchant princes, both of
the city and provinces, who dare not see their own horses
except on the race-course or on Sunday for fear of being
recognised ; a disability that debars many others from joining
in the sport. The late Mr. Graham, the noted distiller, who
raced in princely style, was driven from the turf, thus losing the
only pleasure of his life in the way of sport, by the annoyance
of the attention of would-be friends and the intrusion of touts.
As for the latter merciless and wretched spies, many suffer
persecution at their hands ; for when they assemble in large
numbers it is not easy either to control or avoid them.
But if your ground be in such a spot as I have recommended,
you may and can prevent the appearance of these unwelcome
visitors ; a fact, if generally known, that might not only prevent
secessions from the turf, but induce many gentlemen to keep
racehorses who never owned one before.

It is not as though this immunity from espionage were
restricted to one or two places. Hundreds of spots, equally
undisturbed, could be found, which at a small outlay might be
adapted for training grounds equal to any in the kingdom.
There is no need to rush into the enemy's camp. As if is,
owners more frequently go to the tout than the tout to them.
Indeed the rendezvous of this gentry are well known. There-
fore avoid them and train in a place "exempt from
public haunt," where by yourself, or with invited guests you
may have the pleasure of watching your horses gallop, when
and as often as you please, without dread of the incursion of
the arch-enemy of all racing.

I will give an instance of what was once accomplished here
at Woodyates, which I venture to say could not have been
achieved at any resort of the tout, although I do not doubt
that others who train in quiet spots could record similar doings.

64 THE TRAINING GROUND.

About a week before the Chester meeting, Starter and
Our Mary Ann, the property of the same owner, were tried
for the cup, and the latter found to be by far the better of the
two. The result was telegraphed in cipher to the owner, then
at Newmarket. He at once went into the ring and did as
follows : On asking the price of Starter he was offered
700 to 100, supplemented with an offer to take 800 to 100.
The owner laid the odds, and being asked to do so again, laid
them again, when the taker a book-maker, obligingly offered
to lay 1000 to 10 against Our Mary Ann. These odds the
owner took, and other bets followed until he had in all 2500/.
to 27/. ioj-. laid against the mare — the two animals ultimately
standing in the betting, Our Mary Ann 1000 to 15, Starter
8 to 1.

Now mark what would have taken place had the horses
been at a public place and the immense difference in results
to the owner. Immediately after the trial, there would have
been a race to the telegraph office, and the lynx-eyed
fraternity would have telegraphed the result to thousands of
people within a few hours. When the owner would back
his mare, he would have been offered 700 to 100 and been
told it was a good price ; and should he not like it, the book-
makers would have offered to take 800 to 100 themselves and
have finished by offering 1000 to 10 against Starter.

The frequent occurrence of disappointments such as might
here have occurred had the circumstances been different, will,
I think, clinch my arguments in favour of quiet training
quarters for all that race either for profit or, it may be said,
their own pleasure.

BREAKING THE YEARLING. 65"

CHAPTER IX.

BREAKING.

Gentleness essential — The tackle described — Other methods, and objections to them
— The bit and bridle — The colt ridden loose — Age at which horses should be
broke : opinions of Buffon and Cuvier — Best season for breaking — Should
be broke as a yearling — Different practices and objections to them — Reasons
for breaking early — Examples from foreign horses — Instances in proof of my
system ; Antagonist and the Nottingham Colt — Confirmed by the French
practice — Big and little yearlings compared — Lord George Bentinck's usage
of them — Sir Tatton Sykes's treatment of yearlings described and commended.

HAVING some idea of the ground to be selected, we may now
proceed to describe the breaking of the yearling.

" Those that do teach young babes,
Do it with gentle means and easy tasks."

The couplet is one worthy to be borne in mind by all who
would undertake to train horses. The yearling, when he
comes from the breeder's hands to those of the trainer, is (as
Mr. Clark observes) often fat. In such cases he requires
time, and should only have gentle exercise at first — walking
and trotting for several hours daily — and then a dose of
physic. After this he may be lounged, and in a few days
the breaking tackle may be put on him.

The tackle consists of pad, with side reins fastened to it,
bridle, crupper, and kicking straps. When he is familiar with
these and lounges quietly both ways (to right and left) a
saddle may be added ; over which the pad is placed — the

F

66 BREAKING.

crupper and straps remaining still attached. A linen rubber
may also then be tied on either side of the saddle. When
this ceases to attract the attention of the colt, and he is in
other respects quiet, he may be ridden ; the boy being first
placed across him a few times in the stable, when by coaxing
and gentle handling the colt will soon become used to the
burden, and the boy may sit erect. So much gained, and it
requires but patience to achieve it, the colt should be lounged
after being led at a walking pace for a short time, and when
sufficiently quiet, which will be in the course of a few days,
may be turned loose.

Different methods are preferred by different trainers. Some
would mount him in the open air for the first time. In this
case, great care should be taken not to frighten him. He
should be held by a short rein, which gives greater command
over him when he plunges, that he may be stopped at once ;
for if he get his head in front of you, nothing will control
him, and in breaking loose the shock to the nervous system
would be so great that he probably would not recover for
weeks. Gentleness and time are two most essential ad-
juncts in breaking the colt ; for if departed from, and he be
hurried in his work or abused in irritable hands, immediately
the progress you are seeking to make becomes a retrograde
course.

I have seen a plan of breaking yearlings, which to my
mind cannot be too strongly condemned. It is to drive them
before you ; for what purpose I am at a loss to conceive, and
not being curious enough to ask, remain in ignorance. It
requires no conjurer to tell us, that, if half a dozen men
cannot hold a horse that is bent on escape when close to
him, if his head is straight before them, no one man can, at
the length of the cavesson-rein, prevent his getting loose

* OTHER METHODS AND OBJECTIONS. 67

whenever he pleases ; and this evil is sufficient to outweigh
any advantages the system may seem to have. A man
leading a yearling should never, until the animal is to
a certain extent quiet, leave his head, but have his right
hand on the cavesson-rein, holding it within a few inches
of the point of the cavesson. If this be done, then if the colt
start from any cause, he can be stopped at once. But if, on
the contrary, the man be a few yards from him, should he.
jump forward and kick, which frequently happens, the
advantage is entirely his. As well pull at a house with the
hope of pulling it down, as think to stop a horse by the same
means. The result will be but one : the colt gets loose,
the cavesson-rein dangling at his heels to add to the fright
already occasioned by the other trappings, and he will likely
go for miles before he is secured. I have seen this happen,
and necessarily to the' great injury if not absolute ruin of the
horse. It is clear therefore that a valuable (or for that matter
any other) yearling should not be permitted this chance of
freeing himself. There are unfortunately too many occasions
when ruin may result from uncontrollable circumstances,
without adding this gratuitous one.

The bit that as a rule is worn first, is a large snaffle with
a few pieces of steel or iron in the middle, and is called a
" player bit." The middle part should always be kept in
the centre of the mouth : it should not be allowed to remain
on one side or the other. The bridle should not be too long
in the head, or the colt will get his tongue over the bit, which
should in no case be permitted ; nor too short to prevent it
passing with freedom when moved on either side, or it will
cause hardness of the mouth.

When the colt has become perfectly tractable he may be
ridden loose, having an old horse to lead him. He should be

F 2

68 BREAKING.

made to walk and trot, turning right and left at the will of the
rider, and cantered straight ; and when so much is accom-
plished, the colt may be considered sufficiently advanced to
commence training — before which the tackling should be
removed and a smaller bridle substituted.

With regard to the age at which horses should be broke
and ridden, it should be said at the outset that various and
conflicting opinions are held on the subject. But though the
question is often mooted, I think it is seldom discussed to
a practical conclusion.

On this point the naturalist Buffon says, in speaking
of the horse, " When two, or two and a half years old, they
are mounted, never having before that period been either
saddled or bridled." He is here evidently speaking of the
Arab, for he goes on to say, " Every day from morning till
night all the Arabian horses stand saddled at the tent doors."
Again he says, "At the age of three, or three and a half, we
should begin to dress the colts to render them tractable."
And after giving special instructions for their care and culture,
the author proceeds to say, " They may then be mounted and
dismounted without making them walk till they are four years
old ; for before that period a horse has not strength enough to
walk with a rider on his back ; but at four years old they mav
be walked or trotted at intervals."

If the natural strength of the horse has been here faithfully
depicted, how weak they must have been in the last century
as compared with the horses of the present day !

His description is corroborated in a very striking manner by
Cuvier some fifty years later. In his "Animal Kingdom"
he says, speaking of colts : " At three they are fit to be
handled and accustomed to some management." How totally
altered is the practice of to-day ! For we know that they
can not only be ridden without hurt before three years old,

THE BEST SEASON FOR BREAKING. 69

but at two, and even as yearlings, when they are trained. There
were in fact a few years ago yearling races, a practice happily
proscribed. Schism ran at Shrewsbury, and others at this
ag-e. and as far as I know received no hurt from it.

As to the season at which horses should be broke, a very
important subject, our authorities are silent. But common
sense supplies the omission, and tells us, that when the
ground is soft, then it is fit for this severe preparation.
This period may, and most likely will, be in different years
at different times between July and September, and even as
late as October.

But if the ground be soft enough, in July or soon after
would be the best time to ride yearlings loose; or even
(if thought desirable) those that are fit enough may be
tried before the winter sets in. But in respect to trials the
majority would be of necessity in a backward condition, and
the following spring would be soon enough— just before the
March races, should the colts be wanted so soon. On the
other hand, the trials of those having engagements late,
may be deferred until nearer the time of running, when
a more satisfactory result may be obtained than by trying
early as yearlings. Yearlings are broke, I know, as early
as June, whilst the ground is hard as adamant — a practice
I cannot but think hazardous and one that should not be
followed ; for they must feel the ill-effects of galloping and
plunging in trying to free themselves from the tackling, on
the hard ground without shoes or the least protection to
their feet.

As to the age when horses should be broke, there is, as I
have said, a diversity of opinions ; but most thoroughbred
horses are broke as yearlings, which I think the best age :
whilst some few agree with the practice as given by Buff on

7o BREAKING.

and Cuvicr. The late Lord Jersey used to have the most of
his horses broke at two-years old, and run them at three, and
he succeeded with a small stud. Whilst Mr. Wreford, and
many others who were equally fortunate, broke their horses
as yearlings (which is the general practice), though some
were not raced until they were three-years old.

As for myself, I am clear on the point. Whatever the
age at which the horse has to run, he should be broke and
ridden as a yearling. One good and sufficient reason for this
practice is, that he is then more tractable, and reduced to
submission with less restraint than when older. If, too, the
breaking be left late, vicious habits may have been contracted
which no training will eradicate. The late Mr. J. J. Farquhar-
son, of hunting celebrity, used to keep his horses till four and
even five years old running loose in large paddocks, before
sending them to be broke. But I never knew him possessed
of a good one so treated. A winner he may have had, which
is all that may fairly be said in favour of the produce of his
stud. A more savage lot of horses in the stable I never saw,
or on the turf a greater set of rogues. This experience
should, I think, deter any one from following a plan that
in my opinion has so signally failed, and which may be
said to be the only one tried to such an extent without a
redeeming point.

Those who favour the system of late breaking say : " Our
horses are ruined and prematurely brought to the stud
through unsoundness and the want of stamina caused by early
breaking and running so often." Such an allegation may be
easily refuted. For do we not see horses running till ten
or twelve years old, broke at such an age ? Historian, Lilian,
Reindeer, and a host of others, may be mentioned to prove
the absurdity of such a proposition ; for these and many

FOREIGN HORSES ARE BROKE EARLY. 71

others on retiring from the turf were sound as on the day of
their birth. Now these horses had run over a hundred races
each, besides probably an equal number of trials, and it may
be surmised could, if required, have done as much more.
Their retirement was simply because they were required for
the stud or to go abroad : and if evidence were needed of their
absolute soundness, it is found in the latter fact ; for foreigners
seldom make the mistake of buying any but sound horses — a
compliment we can hardly pay ourselves.

In judging of this matter it must also be borne in mind
that a horse that formerly ran one race a year, would in the
present day run forty or more — doing, in fact, more in one year,
than of old was done in a lifetime. We can judge too from
horses imported from nearly every quarter of the globe, which
we are told were not broke early, nor raced till late in life.
Yet these, after receiving careful treatment in skilful hands,
are, in comparison to our own early broke ones, deficient
both in speed and stamina. The French horses, it is true, are
equal to ours ; but why ? because they are broke and run
early, as ours are. Whilst the instances of the American mare
Prioress and a few other winners, are only the exceptions to
prove my assertion. The Americans have achieved victories,
not very many, with other horses, but in two-year-old races
only ; and it is a notable fact that after a year's racing in this
country, their horses changed their pristine youthful vigour
for premature old age — Umpire to wit, who did nothing
after that age, and there are other examples.

At all events, we have seen nothing in any way to prove
the advantage of late breaking ; and I think the two cases I
am about to adduce, if honestly compared with our system
should conclusively instruct us to adhere to it.

They are the following : The Arabs we have seen do not

72 BREAKING.

break their horses until the third or fourth year ; yet they are
always inferior to our own, even in their own country and at
any distance. One remarkable example of this was shown
by a little mare, Antagonist, by Venison, the property of the
late Mr. Death. She won a few races for him, and was in
1850 sold for ,£300 and exported to Egypt as a three-year-old.
There, it appears, she was matched against the very best Arab
for a twenty-mile race, and beat him in the commonest canter
under the most adverse circumstances ; for not only had she
no preparation for so severe a course, but she had not recovered
from the effects of the voyage. The English mare, half-trained
and unwell, beat the Arab over a course specially suited to
his staying qualities and totally different to anything she had
been accustomed to ; and it seems to me, gave the best proof
of the advantage of the system of early breaking.

The second instance, equally conclusive in its favour, is that
of a little two-year-old colt by Nottingham scarcely selling
plate form, that I sold for £60 for exportation to Calcutta.
On his arrival out he was matched for two miles (quite
beyond his distance) against the best mare there, and was
beat by a head. But the next day, at a mile and a half, the
running was reversed, the colt winning easily, and being there
and then sold for 1,100 guineas. This statement I give on
the authority of the gentleman who bought the animal from
me, Mr. William Smith, who himself raced and sold the colt,
as related.

Little more, I am persuaded, need be said in favour of
our system, as regards the age at which we break our
horses, to prove it is the most suitable — superior, in fact, to
that of any country or era. But I may remark, as confirma-
tion of my theory, that our only formidable rivals are the
French, (of whom the greatest is Count Lagrange, a most

BIG AND LITTLE YEARLINGS CONTRASTED. 73

honourable and unflinching sportsman, deservedly esteemed)
and as their horses race as two-year-olds, they must follow
our plan and break them not only as yearlings, but, I
imagine, about the same time of the year as we do, if not
earlier. So much said, a few additional facts occur to me,
as perhaps of interest to show the proper treatment of the
yearling in the paddock, as also to establish the fact of the
precocity of some horses and the length of time others will
take to reach maturity.

In the paddock small yearlings generally show to the
best advantage, for the larger ones will seldom exert them-
selves. But this is a poor criterion of real merit. Lord
George Bentinck gave much attention to this subject (as he
did to most turf matters), and paid dearly for his credulity.
He used, as some men do now, to let several yearlings loose
together side by side at the extreme end of the paddock ;
and the one that was first across it, he generally took for the
best, and heavily engaged him. Foozool, a compact little
horse, was, from this circumstance, thought to be good, and
engaged accordingly ; but he turned out moderately, and
many he could beat in the paddock, in after life could beat
him, and very easily. PyrrJius the First, was to look at in
the paddock, the slowest of the slow, and all that were with
him then were apparently better ; yet not one was worth a
guinea, whilst he won the Derby.

These opposite instances show the little reliance to be
placed on the galloping of yearlings in the paddock, in which,
it may be said, there is nothing to rouse the indolent ; the
big ones being, as a rule, content to yield the palm to their
light-hearted and ambitious little companions. But at
exercise the real merits may be gauged with some degree
of accuracv.

7+ BREAKING.

I may aptly conclude this chapter by describing the treat-
ment of the yearlings in the paddock adopted by the late Sir
Tatton Sykes. Not a few amongst my readers will have
pleasing recollections of strolls with the lamented owner
round the Sledmere paddocks. There, were to be seen in
each capacious and well-divided inclosure, some twenty or
thirty yearlings disporting themselves in the best of pastures
many acres in extent; the colts and fillies judiciously and
timely separated, whilst the foals with their dams evidenced
by their gambols their absolute freedom.

Here, it may be said literally, the yearlings knew no
restraint from the day they were foaled until taken to
the place of sale. The best of corn grown on the estate,
and hay from the surrounding pastures, given in the man-
gers running the whole length of the sheds, was the chief,
if not the only forage supplied to the yearlings. These
sheds are the sole protection against the weather, except in
severe frost, when exercise would be dangerous. On no other
occasions are they kept in the stables, I believe, a single day,
except for a short time before the day of sale, to accustom
them to a little restraint before being led out. There can
be no method equal to this, to my mind, in which to rear
thoroughbred stock. Some of the results of it, in my own
experience as a buyer, will be given when I treat of the
purchase of yearlings.

PREPARATION PAST AND PRESENT. 7^

CHAPTER X.

PREPARATION.

Past and present methods of preparation contrasted — Sweating in old days ; no
longer necessary — My disuse of it — Its evils — Other practices happily
abandoned — Other contrasts — Mr. Lawrence on preparation — Alteration in
bridles — Sir Charles Bunbury's method — Best season for preparation — Early
preparation advocated— The preparation of the two-year-old described— The
proper hours for exercise — Alternate rest and labour essential — The pre-
paration of older horses — Danger of excessive work when unfit — Training for
long and for short courses — The preparation of the yearling — My own and
other methods — Clothing — Exercise in frost — Essential principles to be
followed with horses of all ages — Should be commenced in time — Deceptive
condition — Appetite — The legs and feet — Final gallops — Precautions against
cold — Exercise in wet weather ; and in fog — Curiously fatal result of exercising
during fog — Sunday labour not necessary — Pleas for Sunday rest ; anecdote
of the late Lord Ribblesdale — Tendency to accept new theories ; the Turkish
bath.

We have seen how the yearling is broken in. It may perhaps
lead to a clearer understanding of his subsequent preparation,
and that of the older horse, if, as a preliminary, a brief com-
parison be made of the salient features of the system in
vogue to-day and that of some years ago.

For one thing the old practice of sweating — the steady
gallop of four miles under the excessive weight of two heavy
rugs, a woollen breast-sweater and two hoods — is little heard
of nowadays. Indeed the result is so weakening that the
principle should have been abandoned long before it really
was, especially as it is certain that the evil of it was

76 PREPARATION.

proclaimed by Mr. Lawrence as far back as the year 1809.
His protest, unfortunately, was useless, for subsequently the
evil increased, and was carried to so great an extent that
no horse was thought fit that had not been thus galloped
a number of times.1

I may take the credit, I believe, of being the first to discon-
tinue the practice some twenty-eight or twenty-nine years
ago. And I have never reverted to it, for in addition to
other evils patently resulting from it, there is one in itself
irresistible — the great danger of the horse breaking down. I
made this unpleasant discovery for myself by laming two,
past recovery, that before were sound as a bell. Finding no
good accrued from it, I not only abandoned the practice, but
denounced it as fraught with numerous unlooked-for and
non-preventable dangers.

The work done when I was a boy, some thirty-five or forty
years ago, of which I have a vivid recollection, was markedly
severer than that of to-day. The sweating, for example,
was not restricted to matured horses, but the two-year olds had
to go through the same trying ordeal once a-week. And this
extreme work was only an addition to that done every day
of the week, Sunday itself not being an exception ; although
on that day the work was minimised, insomuch that a short
and slow gallop took the place of the long and fast one. It
was in those days customary, before sweating, to gallop
the horses the course, whatever it might be, they had to
run, certainly up to two miles, whilst the two-year-olds
had a half-speed gallop of about a mile ; and though they
only galloped once a day, the old ones would gallop twice —
first about half speed, a mile and a half or two miles, as the

1 Mr. Chifney also thought the work done in his day too severe. A book on
pedestrianism, too, I find considered it very trying, and the severest form of work

OTHER PRACTICES HAPPILY ABANDONED. 77

case might be, and after walking half an hour, the same
distance as well as they could go. Mr. Chifney, in his
" Genius Genuine," speaks of horses sweating six miles twice
a week. For my part, I have never seen it practised more
than once a week, nor the distance to exceed four miles : and
this is surely enough work for the veriest glutton, considering
what was to follow. For on the hottest day, when there was
not a breath of air, the sweat streaming continuously for half
an hour, the horse would be scraped, wiped dry, and again
started to exercise. It should be said, in fairness, that the
horses under this severe preparation were as fit to run as any
horses can be, or are made in the present day, and looked as
well. Yet, in these lenient days, few would like to revert to
so extreme a practice, whilst the danger of laming the animals
would deter the boldest trainer from its adoption, even though
he should think it might be beneficial in some respects.

It was the invariable custom in summer to water the horses
whilst out, from a trough near a pond or well, and canter
them afterwards ; a custom plainly at variance with common
sense, and one I unhesitatingly condemn. The night before
the horse was to run, he was kept muzzled to prevent his
eating the litter. This is seldom done or needed now. There
were other usages — minor matters, it is true — in which the
past system differed from the present. I may name one. At
the end of the Houghton Meeting (then the recognised con-
clusion of the racing season) the horses were, in many cases,
turned into a loose box, without exercise, cleaning, or clothing,
being only well fed, and left in that state till the following
January, when they were physicked and gently put to work —
a plan now wisely abandoned ; for the sudden transition from
heat to cold, and vice versa, and from galloping one day, to re-
lapsing into a state of lethargy the next, has caused many to

78 PREPARATION.

be roarers, and been the fatal forerunner of other diseases.
This practice was the undoubted cause of Elchds death whilst
under the skilful treatment of the late Prof. Spooner, of the
Royal Veterinary College, for an enlarged hock.

I have already referred to Mr. John Lawrence's book, "The
History of the Horse," published in 1809, and may submit
from it certain extracts showing the preparation at that time
thought requisite to get a horse fit to run. He confirms what
I have said of its severity, the six-mile sweats twice a week,
which now, where not happily abolished altogether, are
reduced to four miles, and once a week. " The horse," Mr.
Lawrence remarks, for one thing, "was purged too much, and
shut up from the light of the sun as if it would endanger his
eyesight, and kept in the atmosphere of a hot-house as if in
training for the climate of Africa, or a hotter place." We
happily, to-day, give more, both of light and air, but perhaps
few of us to the required extent ; though the difference must
be very marked, even as it is. Even in bridles there is a great
change now to those in vogue some forty years ago. The
majority of boys had then to assist them in managing horses,
otherwise uncontrollable, martingale-drawing-reins and saddle-
drawing reins. Now such things are scarcely known even
by name, and never used. Again, curb-bridles, once con-
stantly used at exercise, and often in the race itself, are
seldom seen in our days either in the one place or the other ;
though I prefer their use to martingales, so much in request
just now.

Sir Charles Bunbury's method of training, we are told,
consisted in gentle usage and little work. No one that knows
anything of training, I think, would disagree with the former,
or approve of the latter system. Nor do I agree in thinking,
as some do, that by walking many hours a day a horss may be

THE BEST SEASON FOR PREPARATION. 79

made fit to run a long course without the aid of galloping
the distance, or, indeed, by steadily doing a shorter one. The
eccentric and facetious Mr. T. Oliver, senior, used to say he
could get a steeple-chaser fit to run two miles, without a
gallop, by walking and trotting exercise only ; and it is the
opinion of a celebrated trainer of the present day, that a
horse has only to gallop a mile and a quarter to make him fit
to run for a four-mile race. After what I have stated, I need
scarcely say this is not my opinion ; nor have I seen anything
in the running of the horses so trained, to induce me to alter
my ideas on the subject in the slightest degree.

These are some of the contrasts of methods which years
have brought about, and are sufficient, it is hoped, for the
purpose of illustration ; and we may therefore proceed to
consider the process of preparation, as it is carried on in
the present day with horses of different ages.

As regards the season of the year best fitted for preparation
— all horses should, if possible, be prepared in the spring, with-
out regard to age or sex, as the ground is then soft, and they
can be got fit at less risk of injury to the legs than when it is
hard. The following is a summary outline of the work to be
done in the spring and succeeding months, until winter
brings once more the time of rest, putting a stop to all
exercise but on the straw bed.

Commence, as I have said, as soon as the state of the
ground will permit, minimising the work when it is dry, at
which times the horses not immediately wanted to run maybe
rested, with gentle exercise only. If the drought be of long
continuance, a dose of physic may be given before going into
active work again. This will keep them from getting too
big, and has been the means of bringing many an animal to the
post fairly prepared, when so much could not have been

8o PREPARATION.

accomplished in any other way. (It is the custom, I should
here observe, to keep horses in the stable the day after the
physic has operated ; but if time be of consequence and the
weather fine, I should not object to their being gently
exercised for an hour on that day).

On the other hand, with horses that have to run shortly, the
work must be continuous at all risks. The necessary amount
for each horse varies with the age and constitution of the
animal. A gross feeder would naturally require more than
a delicate one, of either sex ; and bad feeders especially
should not be overdone with work. In open weather, if the
two-year-olds (for to them I shall for a short time direct my
remarks), after walking a few minutes feel chilly from a
bracing atmosphere, they should be trotted to assist circula-
tion. When thus made comfortable they may, after walking
some time, be cantered, and this may be repeated at short
intervals ; and afterwards they may be galloped about half
or three quarters of a mile, gradually increasing the speed
as they approach the finish of their preparation.

Occasionally they may be set off side by side with an old
horse, and made to go the whole course, as well as they can
all the way ; but they must not be abused, or even frightened
by the sight of whip or stick. More should be done with
the handling of the reins and the use of the heels than by
any other mode of urging them to their utmost speed ;
whilst just before the finish, the young ones should be
allowed to pass the old ones, if they could not do so earlier.
The commencement of the gallop teaches them the way to set
off quickly ; an important part of the tuition of all two-year-
olds : and the finish, by passing the old ones, inspires them
with confidence attainable only in this way. This is most
desirable ; for if, becoming faint-hearted, they once lose

THE PROPER HOURS FOR EXERCISE. 81

their natural courage, by racing with those they know to be
their superiors, it is seldom regained, and they thus often
become rogues, and worse than useless. With regard to
sweating, whatever may have been the plea for its practice
with older horses, it should never have been used, I am
convinced, with the two-year-old.

The hour at which exercise should be taken is important.
In winter the weather may regulate it ; and almost any time
of the day will do, so long as the horses get sufficient —
an hour and a half or two hours. But in the summer it is
very different ; for in hot and dry weather exercise should
not be commenced later than 5 A.M., and after an hour and
a half or two hours the horses may be taken in, and in the
afternoon be again brought out at 4 o'clock for three quarters
of an hour or an hour.

The advantages of early exercise are obvious. The ground,
in the first place, is much better in the morning. It has been
rendered more elastic by the night's dew, and so is condu-
cive to the growth of the feet; and the atmosphere being
cooler, horses do their work with less fatigue, and escape the
immoderate sweating which, under the broiling heat of a
midsummer's sun, with ground as hard as a turnpike road,
would be likely to break some down and enervate others,
if it did not cause prostration only to be overcome by a long
rest. I feel it needful to dwell on this point ; to impress
indelibly upon the mind of the reader the absolute necessity
of adherence to this rule in fine weather. The little extra
trouble it may entail should be reckoned as nothing when
regard is had to the compensating advantages ; one of which,
not previously named, is the alternate and more equal division
of time allotted to rest and labour.

Now the time of dressing and feeding is included in that

G

82 PREPARATION.

of rest. Thus if you exercise at 5 A.M. the horses rest from
8 until 4 P.M. and from 5 P.M. until 4 A.M., the latter a space
of eleven hours. Whereas if your horses exercise at 8 A.M.,
they are brought in at 11 A.M. and rest until 5 A.M. the next
morning, a spell of eighteen hours, being an additional rest of
seven hours, or more than the fourth part of a day — a division
between rest and labour in my opinion excessive. Moreover
by the former practice the stables are opened to receive the
fresh and pure air twice a day instead of once ; whilst your
horses are enjoying themselves inhaling the same on the
breezy downs, an additional incentive to the better enjoy-
ment of their evening repast, when " good digestion waits on
appetite, and health on both."

To this point my observations have had special reference
to two-year-olds. The older horses will now claim our
attention.

Their work is of necessity similar in most respects, but
there are a few variations which should not be lost sight of.
In the first place, it will be well to remind the reader that
after a long winter old horses get very fat, as indeed do most
others, even fatter than appearance would denote ; and in
this state great care is requisite in commencing their spring
preparation. The ground then is heavy, and in anything but
a fit state for galloping ; yet the horses are fresh, and the
boys falling off in all directions. From a long-continued
frost the time is getting on for active work ; and with such
incitement the trainers are often tempted to work the horses
in an unfit state, commencing too suddenly and imposing
tasks too severe, resulting in injury. This temptation is un-
doubtedly the primary cause of many a breakdown ; but
whether from accumulation of fatty matter inside, or
the want of faster exercise than can be given in the

DANGER OF EXCESSIVE WORK WHEN UNFIT. 83

circumscribed limits of a straw bed, I know not : probably
both have their influence. The result, however, is a fact
there is no denying; for unfortunately there have been
too many proofs, one of which should be sufficient to rout
a thousand speculative theories to the contrary.

On the first day on which the horses leave the straw bed
for the downs, they should have an hour's exercise in the
former before leaving for their canter. This quiets them,
and helps to keep the boys on their backs ; for if taken from
the stable direct to the exercise downs, many would get
loose, and probably hurt themselves by galloping too far,
or by some accident. Sometimes after a week's gentle work
the legs will fill. In this case they should have a dose
of physic, and indeed any that are very big should have
some before doing more work.

When trained for short courses, the amount of work is
very much the same as that recommended for two-year-olds ;
but for longer courses more time and longer gallops would
be required to complete the preparation. After the usual
amount of walking and trotting exercise, as previously
described, they must first gallop a mile, gradually increasing
the distance to the required length, whether it be two, three,
or four miles. It would be the excess of folly to say how
often they should do this, or how fast ; as this would entirely
depend on the individual horse's condition at the commence-
ment of training, and his constitution. Nor should the state
of the ground be totally ignored. All these things can only
be ascertained by experience and personal inspection, and
unremitting observation of the progress made from day to
day. On broad principles only we can say the animal should
be made to go steadily a short course for a week or two, till
his condition enables him with ease to go faster ; then the

G 2

84 PREPARATION.

whole length of the course may be galloped at better speed,
and on alternate days at half speed, until he is as fit and as
well as he can be. The signs of this fitness I shall endeavour
to describe in a following chapter.

As a rule, the training of the yearling is commenced by
steadily cantering two or three times daily short distances up
to half a mile. At this age horses should not be allowed in
exercise to exceed, nor in trial to go less, than this distance.
I am aware that both Mr. Scott and Mr. Forth were of
opinion that a distance of three furlongs is sufficient. But
as against their authority there are many that think with me,
not least of them my father. He never, that I know of, tried a
less distance ; and certainly no one tried with greater accuracy
or more complete success. It may appear strange, but it is
nevertheless true, that some horses as yearlings stay well
three furlongs, but never get beyond that distance ; just as
we see horses which, as two-year-olds, stay the half mile, but
never get beyond it when older. But this part of our subject
may be more thoroughly investigated in its proper place.

It is well perhaps to say here that the yearling wears no
clothing in the stable until January, when he also wears it at
exercise. In frosty weather the yearlings are exercised with
the old horses on the straw bed, and when the weather
breaks up they should go on the downs.

Reverting to the subject of preparation in general, I should
not forget to reiterate that unceasing watchfulness is absolutely
necessary. From the first canter to the last gallop the
condition of the animal must be carefully noted from day
to day. Nor does our care cease here ; for even in trials, at
the eleventh hour some defect may be seen which if speedily
rectified may bring the desired success. Appearances are
deceitful and those who trust in them alone will assuredly be

GENERAL PRINCIPLES TO BE FOLLOWED. 85

disappointed. It is the knowledge of the work that horses
have done and of what remains for them to do, and the time
left in which to do it to complete their preparation, that
is essential ; never forgetting that it is safer to stop horses
in their work from prematureness, than to force two days
work into one in order to make them fit. But although a
dangerous practice, yet in extreme cases, and under uncon-
trollable circumstances, I would rather have recourse to the
latter than knowingly run a horse unfit.

No horse should be worked off his appetite, nor indeed
should he be without one, for this only tends to weaken in-
stead of strengthening him. Rest is here the only remedy ;
not. a total cessation of work, but a diminution of it till
the return of appetite, and then the requisite work may be
given, whatever that may be.

The legs and feet of each animal should be carefully looked
to every day, as named under stable management. If any-
thing is amiss with them, practically your horse may as well
be dead for the time being. Those with sound feet and legs,
and in other respects well, can scarcely do too much work in
these lenient days of training: for if horses are not thoroughly
and often extended in their gallops, you may rest assured
they will be so in their races ; and in the latter, when near
home and apparently winning, they may be often beaten by
worse animals than themselves for the want of sufficient work
in this respect. A great deal of course depends upon the last
week or two. At this time they should not be spared in their
exercise, but vigorously galloped. Sometimes, even the last
few gallops do wonders ; so much so, that by their fulfilment
or neglect you complete or leave unfinished a preparation,
by the result of which you gain or lose a reputation.

I must not omit to mention that great care should be taken

86 PREPARATION.

to keep the horses warm whilst at exercise during the cold
and windy month of March, by additional clothing, or walk-
ing them at a brisk pace ; or if this be not sufficient, a canter
may be judiciously given at short intervals, and after the
gallop another steady canter. Otherwise they are apt, if
not certain, to take cold and be laid up the greater and best
part of the summer. These remarks apply with equal force to
wet weather. If horses are not allowed to dawdle about, but
kept moving whilst out almost to perspiring heat, and brought
in comfortably warm, they will seldom catch cold from being
kept out in such weather, or indeed take any other illness.
On the other hand, as sure as they are allowed to mope about,
or, worse by far, allowed to stand still, shivering, with their
coats reversed, under the supposed friendly shelter of a hedge
or plantation during the continuance of the storm, so sure are
they to cough and have other ailments; brought about, I need
not say, by mismanagement, aiming more at the comfort of
the boys than the benefit of the horses. This practice should
not be permitted under any pretence whatever.

A striking proof of the harmlessness of exercising in wet
weather may be given in the case of Joe Miller. For three
consecutive weeks it rained incessantly, during which time
he never missed a gallop, nor felt the worse for the deluge, as
was shown by the ridiculous ease with which he won the
Ascot Cup, when a part of the lower side of the course was
submerged. His victory, indeed, as was abundantly proved
both before and after, was less due to his own capacity than
to the lack of exercise on the part of some of his opponents.

But though no stress of weather, fog perhaps excepted, would
prevent my galloping daily a horse near his race, ordinarily,
in cold, wet and ioggy weather, I let the bulk of the horses
remain in the stables, but for not more than a couple of days

SUNDAY LABOUR NOT NECESSARY. 87

at a time. Fog, as I have hinted, I do not like, because, if
very thick, there is danger. I can relate a most remarkable
instance which happened during a trial at Newmarket on
a Good Friday, and which comes to me from the highest
authority.

On a beautiful spring morning, after the "dolls and
chains" had been removed to allow the horses room to
pass through, in galloping "across the flat," just before
starting The Two Middle Miles, or immediately afterwards,
a most dense fog very quickly arose ; the jockeys went out
of the course and all fell over the chains and dolls that
were left standing, with such terrible effect that some of the
horses and jockeys were killed, and others so dreadfully
shaken that they never got over it, the surviving horses
being rendered useless. I daresay there are trainers and
others living who remember this occurrence and may have
known both the jockeys and the names of the horses.

And this story brings one to the question of Sunday work.
As with sweating so with this practice — I have not taken a
horse to exercise on a Sunday this last quarter of a century.
Ovid says, "Alternate rest and labour, long endure;" and
my dislike to Sunday labour is not my only reason for abolish-
ing it ; I think to do so benefits my horses. Since 1850, up
to which time it was on the increase, sweating has gone out
of fashion, and so, too, I am happy to say of late years, has
Sunday labour.

I may adduce here a few reasons for Sunday rest. First,
then, I believe it is essentially necessary that horses in strong
work should have absolute rest periodically allowed to them
to recruit their wasted strength. Why should the racehorse
be the only animal in captivity doomed to perpetual slavery ?
He is worked till he becomes as stale as some unfortunate

83 PREPARATION

hack whose only release from the burden of perpetual toil is
death. Agricultural horses, carriage and other horses, and
even the poor and illiterate costermonger's donkey, are
exempt from work on Sunday ; and by such a benevolent
action their owners show themselves greatly in advance of
those who gallop their horses on that day against the dictates
of reason and the usages of modern civilized society.

And what after all is the incentive ? It is the fashion, that
is all. One does it, and another must follow in his footsteps,
or be thought singular or affected by his neighbours. But
stronger reasons than this should be given for its continuance,
or the objectionable practice should be at once and for ever
abolished. It may furthermore be remarked that the cab
horse, working but six days a week, is capable of doing, and
does, more work than the horse working the whole seven.
This, which I have from a very good source, and thoroughly
believe, should be sufficient proof in favour of Sunday rest,
even if nothing else could be said for it, to induce owners to
keep their horses in the stable one day a week. In wet
weather they are kept in sometimes for days together ; a
sufficient guarantee that the one day's rest would do no
injury.

As one instance of marked consideration in this respect I
may mention that the late Lord Ribblesdale came all the
way from the Falls of Niagara to see his horses tried. He
arrived here (Woodyates) late on Saturday night, with the
intention of seeing them tried the following day. But
though he had only that day at his disposal, having to leave
early on Monday morning to return to his ship, which had
merely called at Southampton for forty-eight hours, he re-
frained from doing so, and saw them in the stable only. I
tried the horses on the Monday and sent him the result.

THE TURKISH BATH. £9

Whilst here his lordship had requested me to put his horses
in the Grand Prix of Paris. He had said he saw no harm in
running them on Sunday. But this was not my view, as his
lordship knew, and consequently he countermanded the
entries in a letter in which he said that he concluded on
mature consideration, "What might be right for the French
people to do in their own country, was not quite the thing
for Englishmen to do out of or in theirs."

Personally, I do not work my horses either on Christmas-
day or Good Friday ; a matter of prejudice some will say.
Still I do not like to do so ; and although, of course, I do
not mean to assert that such a thing as the fearful accident I
have described as happening at Newmarket on the latter
day might not have happened on any other day, it would
not at all events have happened when it did, had the horses
been in the stable, and probably would not have occurred on
a subsequent day. As a matter of fact I have never heard of
any other accident so appalling during a trial. I hope I have
said sufficient to influence those who practise Sunday labour
to abandon it. Cardinal Wolsey is made to say, " And
nature does require her times of preservation, which perforce
I, her frail son amongst my brethren mortal, must give my
tendence to." The lesson should not be thrown away.

One other usage in stables, a modern innovation, fortu-
nately shortlived, and now completely abandoned, I will just
glance at in conclusion. We are not altogether free from the
weaknesses of our Transatlantic brethren, who, great in ideas,
indulge in theories that momently allure only to make the
culminating disappointment the greater. Rather than be
content with the numerous practical facts at hand for our
guidance, to avoid one extreme we rush headlong into
another. Sweating being condemned as too severe, we must

90 PREPARATION.

perforce abandon the practice for one more trying — the
Turkish bath. The Turkish bath, in many instances beyond
the endurance of the human race, many having succumbed to
its enervating influence, has proved to horses little short of
annihilation.

This tendency is, as I have said, a national failing. We
have Mr. Darwin's theory, arising out of Lord Monboddo's
idea. His lordship said over a century ago, " that in some
countries the human species have tails like other beasts,"
and traces monkeys up to men. The wonderful rope trick
was known many years ago, though introduced as something
new by the Davenport Brothers, and ascribed to spiritualism.
The great horse-tamer Mr. Rarey, again, introduced as
the greatest novelty and successfully palmed off on us a
trick long before both known and forgotten.

These, on their introduction, had their believers ; and the
Turkish bath, like other wild and utterly chimerical schemes,
found its followers who, only when too late, saw the folly of
their credulity. In various parts stables were turned into
horse-baths, or places were built for the purpose of carrying
out the sweating process with all its adjuncts. There was,
however, a strong feeling adverse to such an experiment, and
comparatively speaking few subjected their horses to the
ordeal. As no benefit followed its use it was speedily given
up ; not however until several horses had died and others
had suffered severely from the process.

POPULAR NOTIONS OF FITNESS. 01

CHAPTER XI.

PREPARATION {continued).

The public and their estimate of fitness — The duly imposed on the trainer — Evils
of running unprepared — Running "big" and "light" — How Mr. John
Scott beguiled the public ; instances : The Era, Michael Scott — My father's
system and instances — Inferences drawn from the training of the pedestrian —
Prejudice of owners for "big" condition — Example in my own experience
of "big" and "light" preparation — Severe preparation not necessarily
harmful — Evils of "big" condition — Work done in old times — Instances in
support of my theory : Fugitive, Historian, Oxonian — Successes with my
stable in past times ; list of the stakes won, and of the winners ; horses pre-
pared by me and subsequently sold, and prices ; their subsequent perform-
ances— Abuse of severe preparation ; horses run too often — Comparison of
two- and three-year-old running : Weatherbound and Dnlcibella — Reasons for
my insistence on " light " preparation — Any general rule necessarily imperfect
— Farming and training compared.

No trainer, even the most sanguine, can ever hope to
bring his horse to the post in a condition to please all
parties. His employers are satisfied seldom, and other
people never. Before every race his horses are too big,
like a bullock, or too poor, or galloped or starved to death.
But the winner in whatever condition is unreservedly praised.
There are two things we as trainers have to guard against :
the first is, the displeasure of our employers : the second, the
running of our horses unfit — both unwelcome things ; but of
the two, rather than do the latter knowingly, I would submit
as cheerfully as I could to the former. If you run half fit,

92 PREPARATION.

you please every one before the race ; and if from superiority
you win, the victory is attributed to condition, which is highly
praised though in reality non-existent. But if you are beaten
for lack of condition, the horse will not unlikely pass to
another, who, training him regardless of popular preju-
dice, will make a marked improvement in the animal, and
you not only lose your horse and your employer, but above
both, and what is most dear to you, your reputation. On the
other hand, if you train your horse and suffer defeat, pleasing
no one but the owner, some wiseacre buys him with the inten-
tion of making him bettei\ He makes him look better ; but
when it comes to racing it is decisively shown there is no
improvement ; that in fact he runs worse — a result that helps
to make your reputation as a judicious and fearless trainer.

I ask, would any sane man run his horse light, when he
by any known process could be made to run as well big ?
Most certainly he would not be so silly. Some may and
do, in spite of public opinion, run their horses light for the
best of all possible reasons — they know they run so best.
There are others that knowingly do the reverse. The great
" Wizard of the North," as he was facetiously called by
" Argus " and other sporting chroniclers of the day, knew
horses could not run when fat. Yet he tickled the popular
taste ; in short, hoodwinked the public, and made it believe
horses run best in that condition, although nothing could be
more fallacious than the conclusion thus arrived at. In reality
the horses he used to run big, were those that were bad, or
were supposed to be so. His good horses he took care to
run light as other experienced trainers did. Of two-year-
olds, the lightest I probably ever saw run was Dervish at
Epsom, and of three-year-olds West Australian at Doncas-
ter ; and yet, in spite of their ragged appearance, they both

MR. JOHN SCOTT'S PRINCIPLES AND 'PRACTICE. 93

won easily. The great trainer may have had occasionally
his own motives which fatness assisted ; but I conceive the
chief one was to please the public — a predilection which in
some cases forced him to part with good horses simply
because run out of condition.

Two or three cases may be named to show either that he
was not quite proof against public opinion, or that he mistook
the merits of his own horses. Adamas was lost in this way
in a Selling Plate to be sold for £<\o. In the following year he
won the City and Suburban and was third for the Derby. The
Era was also claimed out of a Selling Plate and afterwards ran
third for the Goodwood Cup, and won the Manchester Cup, and
other good races ; whilst Michael Scotfs running was wretched
both as a two- and three-year-old. At the latter age he ran
seven races and in many carried the lightest weight — mostly
in bad company ; yet he was unable to win one, or even get
placed whilst in the hands of Mr. Scott. This worst of all
brutes then passes into other hands, and within a month com-
mences his successful career by winning the Great North Riding
Handicap at Northallerton, and adding six more races consecu-
tively to his list of winnings that year. He therefore loses
seven races while at Malton and wins seven after leaving it.
He was afterwards sold for a large sum to go abroad.

What would be said if such an occurrence took place with
any one that professed to train his horses light ? My father
always trained his horses light, saying, " Show me a better
plan, and I will gladly follow it." But as none was forth-
coming, he continued in the same way with the greatest suc-
cess. In no single case but that of Toothill was any horse
made better after leaving his stable ; and this exception was
clearly traceable to the ground, as it afterwards appeared
that Toothill could not move on hard turf in such a state as

94 PREPARATION.

the ground was whilst the horse was with my father. For he
won directly afterwards, and whilst in the same condition as
on leaving Danebury, for it rained heavily in the short
interval before the improvement was shown. On the other
hand, the benefit of his system was exhibited in the improve-
ment of A iry, Pounce, and many other horses. In no single
instance, however, can I call to mind that any horse was
made better in the hands of the great Whitewall trainer, who
always professed he adopted the same method of preparation.
And if he could not show the superiority of big condition
over light, I may ask who can ? For no one ever had more
chances.

I have no faith in a fat racehorse or a burly pedestrian, and
nothing will, without proof, lead me to think otherwise than
that both are gigantic mistakes.1 I know my theory and

1 Man, as a pedestrian, has to undergo great stretches of endurance, his treat-
ment being analogous in many respects to that of the horse, as I have described it.
Briefly epitomised, it is thus given by the author of "Aberdeen : " —

"After taking physic twice he commences his training ; walks and runs about
twenty miles a day. He rises at 5 A.M., runs half a mile at the top of his speed,
uphill, walks six miles at a moderate pace, and at 7 breakfast ; walks six miles
after at a moderate pace, and at 12 lies in bed for half an hour. Then he walks
four miles and returns to dinner, immediately after which he runs half a mile at
the top of his speed, winding up with another six miles walking exercise before
returning home. Thus prepared for three or four weeks he takes a four-mile
sweat, running in flannel at the top of his speed the first thing in the morning,
proceeding with his usual work after. Added to which he amuses himself by
playing at cricket and similar games."

If the violent exercise taken after a heavy meal and the excessive speed of his
sweats be excepted, the method of his preparation to render him fit to run is pretty
much the same as that of the horse, and where it differs I cannot agree with it.
The book further says : —

" It is as difficult to run a mile at the top of one's speed as to walk a hundred :
and he is fit, if he can do the first well, to accomplish the latter." Moreover,
it says : "It takes some months to complete. Crib weighed 16 st. at the com-
mencement of his preparation, and lost, in five weeks, two stone, being further
reduced to 13 st. 5 lbs., having had three sweats in the last month, and walked
and run thirty miles a day, besides exercising himself in other ways."

Poor Crib, I think, from such severe work, could have been little more than a

PREJUDICE OF OWNERS FOR BIG CONDITION. 95

system have been always condemned : not by thinking men,
but by those only "who think true what they wish to be
so " — the fitness to run of a fat horse. As do men look in
the circumstances of Crib, given at foot, so do horses in the
eyes of their owners when first they see them fit to run ;
having, be it understood, never set eyes upon them since the
day when, enveloped in fat, they left their own stables for
those of the trainer. At this sudden and great change
employers often express not only surprise but dissatisfaction ;
forgetting or not knowing how necessary the change is — as
I hope has been proved by what I have said. From Mr.
Copperthwaite I may glean an amusing anecdote to the
point. He tells us that a friend of his did not know his
own horse after a month's training, and said to the trainer,
" Why, sir, this is not the half of him ! " and added, " I had
better secure the remaining half whilst I can ! " And did so,
removing the horse there and then.

It is not often that gentlemen volunteer to instruct the
trainer in his business ; yet I have been requested to train
my horses big— requests which I may say virtually amounted
to positive orders, and as such were faithfully obeyed. " The
late Mr. Scott made a practice of training his horses big,
and why could you not do so ? " was a remark once made to
me. "Simply because I know they run better light," was
my reply.

On one of these occasions a trial was made. The horses
arrived, as many living noblemen and others can testify,
in the most splendid condition, full of vigour, as round
as apples, and coats shining like stars. At Ascot an

shadow of his once great self, yet, from what follows in the narrative (which it is
not necessary to repeat here), he appears to have never been better, as success
attended his efforts.

q6 PREPARATION.

opportunity was given to them of showing their supposed
improved form and of displaying their luxurious appearance
in the (supposed) very pink of condition, leaving, as was said,
nothing to be desired to insure the most splendid success,
but a good start and no accident. All seven that ran were
disgracefully beaten, one only obtaining even a third place.
I should mention that I had another horse with me about
whose training there was no order, who won the Queen's
Vase, and it is almost needless to add that before the race
his condition was as much abused as that of the others was
lavishly praised.

Now all this was not business. It was simply a useless
and costly repetition of an experiment which had signally
failed over and over again to my own knowledge, and had been
tried with the same fatal results by my ancestors. In order to
prevent another fiasco I was requested to run the same
horses as I liked at Goodwood seven weeks afterwards. On
arriving there their condition was thought much too light ;
but the result of their respective races will give the most
convincing proof that it was not — and show the superiority
of light or (as I think) well-trained horses over those that are
only thought fit to run when big. One of them won, beating
a. large field carrying 8 st. 4 lb., or 6 lb. more than he carried
at Ascot. Another carried off the Molecombe after a severe
race with a mare hitherto considered invincible, and also won
again afterwards. Whilst the third beat a large field for
another race, and followed up her success by winning again.
The other two were placed, being only just beaten.

Now to do bare justice to this most important part of the
subject, and to proceed still further and show not only (as I
have done) that horses are better for racing purposes for the
time being when light, but also that they are not the worse

EVILS OF "BIG" CONDITION. 97

for it after, and retain their form not merely for weeks or
months but years, I will give one instance, which I think
should be sufficient to establish the truth of my argument.
Three of the horses that ran at Goodwood ran afterwards at
Ayr in six races, winning five. Other stakes were likewise sub-
sequently won by the others that ran there. Mr. H. Robinson
used to say, " I like my horses to run big with plenty of
work." So do I, and I should like to know who does not ;
but the thing is not possible. What do we work our horses
for, but to try and remove the fatty matter? Unless this be
done, you may as well keep them in the stable, for a " fat,"
or if the term be preferred, a " big " horse must tire. It is not in
the nature of things that he should do otherwise. He is not
only a little big to all intents and purposes, which is clearly
seen ; but he is internally burdened with a weight of fatty
incumbrance, his breathing is obstructed by adipose matter
which rightly can only be removed by work. Without going
so far as to say that after a certain period of preparation is
reached before completion, every pound lighter the animal is
by that amount he is so much the better, yet it is clearly an
approximation to the truth of the principle I advocate ; for
what does not assist progression, retards it. A severe pre-
paration, some will say, is the cause of breaking down many
horses that would otherwise stand and run for many races.
This is a proposition I am not exactly prepared to admit or
deny. Historian ran under a severe preparation till ten years
old ; whilst others we see are continually breaking down when
young under a more lenient system. But, for argument's sake
— admit as a fact that some horses do so break down, yet
surely in doubtful cases it is far better for them to break down
at home before you have backed them, than in the race, with the
mortification of a double disappointment, losing the race and

H

98 PREPARATION.

your money, besides the unpleasantness of hearing in various
quarters the invidious remarks made as to your horse's condi-
tion, and the questionable purposes for which he was started.
But that something beyond my bare assertion may evi-
dence that horses under, as it is called, a severe system, can
run many races in one year and for many consecutive years,
I shall proceed to lay before the reader a few indubitable
facts in support of it. In enumerating a few of the races
won by horses thus trained, it must be borne in mind that
racing twenty or thirty years ago was very different to what
it is now. Then, a £100 plate was thought no mean prize,
^20 at head quarters brought a field to the post ; and .£50
or £"100 added was considered a munificent donation — one
to be keenly contested for. Now we have £S°° given to
many of our races, and even £"1,000; prizes which help to
swell the aggregate winnings of owners (although to a
certain extent the money comes out of their own pockets
first, in the shape of three and five guinea entrances to the
fund). To win a race in those days, when heats were allowed
and stakes were only of a few hundred pounds value, wouid
be something like winning three or four races now, and as
many thousands in money. I mention this that a fair
estimate of their relative value may be made ; because it
was in those early days that many of my victories were
achieved. My first racehorse, Fugitive, commenced by
winning all the three races that he started for at Plymouth
and Tavistock, and the total stakes won did not, I think,
amount to £"200.

Historian ran till he was ten years old, and Schism till
after she was aged, notwithstanding the early age at which
she made her appearance in public. Oxonian ran till twelve
years old, and is still running ; whilst Vex, and a host of others

SUCCESSES WITH MY STABLE IN PAST TIMES. 99

too numerous to mention, ran many years successfully, and
left off as sound as on the day they were foaled. They
ran various courses, from three furlongs to three miles
and five furlongs, two-year-olds winning courses of three
miles. In these they won stakes numbering considerably
over 400 (besides others of less significance), amounting
in the aggregate to the value, exclusive of the minor races,
of over ^100,000 sterling.

Heats, as I have before mentioned, and long courses, in
those days added greatly to the enormous amount of work
horses had to do to accomplish such feats ; yet, as far as I
know, no more were broken down than usually succumb to
a more lenient treatment in the present day. That some
estimate of the merits of the animals they had to meet may
be formed, I summarize at foot a few of the races they won.1

As to the performers, I could give a lengthy list; but I
must be content to cite a few, and give a brief survey of their
performances whilst with me ; and I may add that after
leaving me, their names were not again included in the list of
winners on the flat. They were disposed of in a variety of
ways ; some by public auction, others by private contract,
while some few were claimed out of selling races, or bought

1 Handicaps. — Chester Cup, Cambridgeshire, Royal Hunt Cup, and Somerset
shire Stakes, three times each ; the Metropolitan, Steward's Cup at Goodwood,
Great Eastern Handicap, Goodwood Stakes, and Northamptonshire Stakes, twice
each ; the Portland Plate, the Caesarewitch, the Chesterfield Cup, the Steward's
Cup at Chester, the Doncaster and the Lincoln Handicaps, and the Newmarket,
Lincoln, Goodwood, Doncaster, and Stockbridge Nurseries, the Shrewsbury
Handicap, besides most of the lesser Handicaps. Among two-year-old victories may
be mentioned the New Stakes at Ascot, and Molecombe and Lavant Stakes, and
Mottisfont twice each ; the Findon and Ham Stakes, and Criterion, as well as the
following weight-for-age races at three years old and upwards : the Oaks, Good-
wood Derby (twice), Queen's Vase at Ascot (twice), Emperor's Vase, Ascot and
Goodwood Cups, the Two Thousand Guineas (twice), Royal Stakes, and other
races of less importance, including the Yearling Stakes at Shrewsbury.

II 2

loo PREPARATION.

at auction after winning them. Thus be it remembered, they
were not sold as old horses worn out : but as two-year-olds,
such as La Pique and Fortune Teller filly, who, like many
others with me, were never beaten ; the rest as three-year-olds
and at other ages, sound and in the prime of life, having won
a great number of races of most descriptions, including the
Somersetshire Stakes, the Goodwood Derby, Cup, and Stakes,
Metropolitan Stakes, Royal Hunt Cups, Royal Stakes, and
the Two Thousand Guineas. I append the names of a few.1
Surely out of this list some of them would have improved
and done wonders after leaving my hands, if they had been
treated on a wrong principle whilst in them ? At all events,
if they had subsequently theoretically a better training, not
one of them retained his or her form.

I am aware that in mentioning this I lay myself open to the
charge of that self-praise which is truly no recommendation.
But I trust the reader will not so misconceive what is simply
a narrative of events, having for its object intelligibility and
not ostentation.

But it must not be understood from my strenuous advocacy
of severe training, that horses in my opinion cannot be over-
done. I know to the contrary. I have myself trained horses
that when fit have been tried so often to ascertain their own
form and that of others, that they have been as stale as the
proverbial post-horse and as slow as his rider. Yet this proves
nothing against the system ; they are but the occasional
exceptional cases which go to prove the rule. It is not the
training itself, but the abuse of it, in running them so often

1 Castle Hill, Benefactress, Fortune Teller filly, Philippa, Jcco, Sir Charles, Con-
fidence, Valuer, Judge, Starter, La Pique, Miss Williams, Benefactor, Cedric,
Conductor, Cedric the Saxon, Pitchfork, Allie Slade, Bugler, Promised Land,
Plunkelt colt, Leah colt, Albanus, Camelia, and many others.

TWO AND THREE-YEAR-OLD RUNNING CONTRASTED. 101

when trained and trying them so continually, that deserves
censure, and should be abandoned. Johnny Armstrong and
Sultan, the only old horses that I remember ever giving a
high price for, did not suffer from the change of treatment if
they had been previously leniently trained. The former beat
most of the horses of his day at Newmarket ; whilst Sultan-
won the Cambridgeshire as a three-year-old very easily,
carrying 7 stone 6 lbs.

Facts are more telling than arguments. I may therefore
refer to the horses once under my care, and afterwards sold,
and trained by the most eminent trainers, which never won a
solitary race for their new owners. Of these the names and
the prices paid for them will be found at foot.1

It will be to the point to compare, here, the running of
Weatherbound and Duleibella as two- and three-year-olds.
WeatJierbound as a two-year-old was a selling-plater, and as
such won two little races. Having been previously beaten
seven times, her selling price was only £A£>. As a three-year-
old she suffered defeat no less than twelve times, only winning
two little races. When she came to me the same year, she
ran four times, and among her victories may be mentioned the
Cambridgeshire Stakes, and division of the Sefton Handicap,
running well for two other races ; and she continued her
successful career the following year.

Dulcibelld s form as a two-year-old was simply wretched.
She was placed last in a field of six at Newmarket, and in the
same hands ran little better in the early part of the following
year — Cape Flyazcay, a very moderate horse, giving her 171b.
and no one knows what beating, whilst in other and worse

1 Promised Land, ^2,350; Cedric, ;£i,ioo; Sutherland, £1,000; Traducer,
£1,500; Conductor, £1,000; Cedric the Saxon, £\, 000 ; A Ibamis, £"]oo ; Schism,
£1,500. All these and many others shared the same fate as Benefactor, never
vanning a race after leaving me.

• 102 PREPARATION.

company she ran equally badly. Yet this worst of all per-
formers comes to me, and a few months after these wretched
performances, wins the Caesarewitch in a common canter by
ten lengths, giving weight to both the second and third horses
— conceding to the latter, a four-year-old, II lbs. If we con-
sider the way in which this race was won, it may safely be
assumed to be the shortest time race on record, being given
in Bell's Life as 4 minutes 1 second.

The reader may think that in this long chapter I have dwelt
too much on the advantage of training horses light, especially
as the matter has already been dealt with at p. 47 et seq.
in the chapter on "Condition." There, however, it was
intended to show the difference between horses " big " and
"light" ; here, how to prepare them "light," and the results
of the preparation.

But my faith in my system, trebly tried as it has been by
practical results, will, I trust, warrant my insistence on this one
point. I can hardly believe that an unprejudiced mind would
refuse to believe, after the experiences here set forth, that a
horse will run better light than big. There are cases, I admit,
of horses running well when big, and of improving year by
year when so treated ; but they are too few and far between
to recommend such a system for general adoption.

I do not say, in spite of all I have adduced, that the
system of training I recommend is perfection ; on the other
hand, I do not admit that any other is. But I venture to
submit that it is clearly the best, and if so, it ought to be fol-
lowed. In truth no one can attain perfection, and for venial
faults excessive blame should not be awarded ; for trainers,
however fortunate they may be in individual cases, are fallible
like all human beings. We see an analogy to this in hus-
bandry. The agriculturist who mismanages one field of

TRAINING AND FARMING COMPARED. 103

many, or treats injudiciously this or the other one of his live
stock, is not to be unreservedly censured ; because to a
certain extent such cases are unavoidable. But he who from
inability or unpardonable neglect, such as want of cleanliness
or mismanagement, suffers his fields to become sterile and
his herds to be decimated by preventible disease, cannot offer
as an excuse that a field here or there is flourishing, or that
this or the other animal is in blooming health.

And if in farming, concerning which hundreds of works
have been written by scientific men, and for the instruc-
tion of whose followers colleges have been built, so many
acknowledged difficulties present themselves ; what must
be the difficulties that beset the trainer ! In our profes-
sion we have no learned treatises ; no lectures on condi-
tion ; no teachers of the subtle art. It is a sealed subject,
never discussed ; one on which nothing beyond a mere
passing word has been written.

Under such circumstances, to lay down clear rules is a task
neither easy nor safe ; and infallibility cannot be looked for.
Amongst trainers, then, the one who makes the fewest
mistakes is most to be commended. No judge or general, no
layman or divine, is perfect in knowledge. Knowledge is in
fact progressive and progressing. The man who at a given
time knows more than at the same time in the previous year,
is in a fair way of attaining the knowledge he not only covets
but deserves, be his merit or his station ever so humble or
so exalted. " Reason," we read, "is progressive; instinct is
complete. Swift instinct leaps ; slow reason feebly climbs."

104 PREPARATION.

CHAPTER XII.

PREPARATION (concluded?)

Horses differ in constitution — Treatment must be- varied as necessary — Horses
should not be run in public too often ; evils of the process — Fitness ; its signs
indicated ; only to be achieved by perseverance ; anecdote of the late Mr. R.
Stephenson — In-and-out running considered, and examples — Jester and Charon:
their performances explained ; the lesson to be learned therefrom — The
American system of training — Contrast of distance and pace — Extra clothing
— Proofs of its inferiority in rarity of their victories here — Prioress at New-
market— Mr. Ten Broeck and Mr. Sanford — Condition of Preakness when
at Epsom.

The trainer's difficulties are numerous and great. No rule
can be laid down with mathematical precision that will enable
him to overcome them. We must be content therefore to
accept general rules, and apply them as far as may be prac-
ticable in varying cases. In a stable of fifty horses or less, it
may be said that no two of them will thrive on exactly the
same treatment. When it is so, it is the exception. They
differ in many ways : in constitution, in temper, in variability
of health, in soundness and in appetite, as well as in other
things ; and each individual case should be carefully studied
and treated accordingly. This special treatment applies to
the time and manner of feeding (the change of hay, corn,
and green food) and in other ways attending to their com-
fort in the stable, and to the regulation of the work given
to each animal in his exercise. Nor is this all. Physic is

TREATMENT MUST BE VARIED AS REQUIRED. 105

undoubtedly an essential in training; yet were all horses
physicked alike, the lives of some would be endangered,
whilst others would be hardly affected.

In some horses the urinary organs are so defective that it is
necessary after severe work to give them sweet spirits of nitre
in the water; for without it, not only would the animals suffer
great pain, but inflammation would set in and death follow.
Again, of two horses, one will probably be predisposed to
constipation, the other to relaxation of the bowels ; to treat
both alike would be tantamount to killing one of them.
There are other differences of constitution and temperament
in different animals too numerous to specify, which can only
be discovered in each individual by a practised eye ; and
these should be dealt with as the particular case indicates.
Moreover the time at our disposal is short. Horses, like
company, are continually coming and going, whilst each
season brings its addition of yearlings. One mistake is often
sufficient to produce disaster. " Break but a link in the
chain and it is useless," is an aphorism to be borne in mind in
connection with training, and not less the one that tells us
" One man may lead a horse to the water, but twenty cannot
make him drink ; " the latter applying with equal force to
edibles, for " Druid " tells us in " Post and Paddock " that
John Scott could never coax Voltigcur to eat.

The treatment of preparation would be incomplete
without this caution against a conclusion that it is to be
achieved by following any dogmatic rule. There is another
point on which a word of advice should be said — the frequency
of running in public.

I am not an advocate of doing this too often, and when I
do run my horses I like them to be fit. It is perilous to do
otherwise even when you think you have something in hand ;

loS PREPARATION.

for others may not only think so too, but have it. The result
is that; if half prepared, you are beaten through reliance on
your own horse's superiority and the inferiority of your
opponents'. There are some trainers who purposely start
their horses only half prepared, that they may race themselves
into condition, and even back them when in such a state; and,
in the result, they often lose their money, as they richly deserve
to do. If you bring your horse fit to the post, you probably
win the race, and most likely a large stake in bets in addition.
After one such victory you can afford to wait; it is worth half-
a-dozen that may be won with half fit animals that you cannot
back with confidence. For let your first victory be what it
may, you are sure to have the unwelcome assistance of the
public whenever you want to back your horse again. Another
reason why I like to run my horses fully prepared, is, that a
severe race does not affect so prejudicially a horse so trained,
as it does one only half fit.

There seems little more to be said on the subject than
briefly to explain some of the signs of this desirable fitness.
One clue is, when it is found, at the finish of his gallop, that
the horse's nostrils are distended comparatively very little,
that he blows little, does not heave at the flanks, and quickly
recovers his former state of composure. Excessive sweating in
gallops or races is no proof of unfitness ; for often those that
sweat most profusely are fitter to run than those which, after
galloping, are scarcely wet. But, after all, there is nothing
like a trial to arrive at a horse's exact state of fitness ; for,
if he tire, then he will probably require more work, but
if not, may be considered fit — and the issue may be taken
as his correct form.

It is said of the late Mr. Stephenson, of engineering cele-
brity, that when making a reservoir he was told after it was

IN-AND-OUT RUNNING EXAMINED. 107

completed that it leaked; to which he replied, "Puddle."
This was done, but with little effect, and recourse was had to
him again. He again replied, this time somewhat peevishly,
" Puddle, puddle." In the end, by following his laconic
advice, the defiant nature of the work was satisfactorily over-
come. I can only recommend any one aspiring to train a
racehorse to keep this anecdote in view ; for gallops added to
gallops will often complete that which less work would have
left undone.

This, I think, must conclude my direct reference to the
subject at present under consideration. But before proceed-
ing to another, it will not be inappropriate to glance at two
matters cognate to it ; that interesting puzzle, in-and-out
running; and, secondly, the system of preparation favoured in
America — from both of which inferences may, it is hoped, be
drawn that may help us a little.

On the former head it may be allowed, at the outset, that
horses are not always in the same condition of health. Could
we correctly ascertain the state of their health, at given times,
we should be much assisted in coming to a fair conclusion
as to their real merit, and should satisfactorily conclude the
reason of many, otherwise unaccountable, defeats. It is
equally certain that horses may and do improve, in a manner
which no amount of vigilance can detect or skill account
for. Moreover it is an indisputable fact, proved beyond all
manner of doubt, and intelligible enough to any thinking
man, that horses get ill unobserved by the most observant
of all observers ; and whilst so, that no man can calculate
to what extent they are affected by such illness.

I will illustrate this by the instances of two of the most
remarkable horses I think I ever remember in one year, and
emphasise their performances by contrast with those of others.

108 PREPARATION.

Jester was one of the most wonderful horses of his day in
respect to the improvement he made between his two and
three-year-old form. As a two-year-old he ran no fewer
than fourteen times, mostly in Selling Plates, without win-
ning. As a three-year-old he started a new career by win-
.ning at Winchester, after being beaten at Epsom. He won a
second race at Winchester ; and the third time at Ascot,
where he was claimed for ^1,000. At the same meeting
he won another race, and was sold for ;£ 4,000. Yet this
wretched plater could have been had as a two year-old over
and over again at Selling Races for less than ^"ioo. The
real mystery here consisted in the fact that he was undoubt-
edly run out of his course — a short distance instead of a long
one — and in all probability was never tried privately; his
sterling merit being only shown, when in public he proved he
was, over a distance of ground, about five stone better than
over a short course.

In this case condition had nothing to do with the wonderful
alteration, as he remained in the same hands, and therefore
no doubt received the same treatment one year as he did the
other. It is certain, also, that he would not have been run
unfit in Selling Races, for fear of losing him, if his merits had
been known beforehand. Neither the trainer nor the public
discovered the improvement he had made at three years old,
until his public form showed it. No, not even that lynx-
eyed individual, the tout, who daily saw him at work ; or, if
this latter gentleman did, by some strange oversight he forgot
to mention the astounding fact to his numerous patrons, even
in his stereotyped form, as " going well and strong, and
pulling up sound." So much for the valuable services of
such fellows.

We now come to the performance of the second horse

PERFORMANCES OF JESTER AND CHARON. 109

referred to — Charon. In him we have a similar case of
improvement from two to three years old, except that he did
show pretty good form in some of his two-year-old races, having
beaten Hesper, Julias Ccesar, and other fast horses. He was in
the hands of the most talented men, who had the whole of the
winter and part of two summers, to discover his latent merit ;
yet the commencement of his three-year-old racing was so
wretched, he was pronounced a " selling plater," and as such
was started at Goodwood and won, when he was claimed by
one of the shrewdest and most popular gentlemen on the
turf, and within a few weeks placed the next race he ran for
to his new owner's credit. He was " sold again," as the
Cheap-Jack says, for a sum comparatively small in relation to
his real worth ; and after passing through the hands of well-
nigh all the talent, fell to one who, if his discernment had
been equal to his luck, and had led him to try the horse
privately over a distance of ground before making his merits
public, would not have missed a fortune without adding to his
reputation for astuteness. In his hands he eclipsed all former
doings, winning several long-distance races, and was sold for
1,750 guineas. Nor did his victorious career end here, for he
did his noble owner good service by beating Jester and the
winner of the French Derby, besides many others.

Here, again, the secret seems to have been that the horse's
forte was over a distance of ground, and no one appears to
have been aware of the fact till too late. At his first effort
on a long course every one was fairly electrified ; he was only
beaten a head by Thunder, and as Lily Agnes was behind
them, it proved that the old horse was not out of form. We
are all very wise after a mistake has been made, and see then
what should have been done to prevent it ; though in reality
we would probably have done the same thing, or something

1 10 PREPARATION.

worse. Had the precaution been taken with Charon to try
him privately over a long distance before running him
publicly ever a long course, he would, like Jester, have been
one of the most valuable horses of his day ; for the two great
handicaps at Newmarket, and many more, would have been
entirely at the mercy of one or other of the two.

It may well be asked, what was the cause of this astonish-
ing change ? Was it simply that a trial over a distance of
ground was wanting to develop their merits ? Was the
previous bad running the result of illness or defective manage-
ment ? Or did time, and nothing else, work the wonderful
change in the two ? The facts are set forth. The reader may
be left to form his own deductions as to the curiosities of
in-and-out running, and the fallacy of form, as shown in
public running, and occasionally in private trials. One thing
I may say in support of my preference for light over big con-
dition, which was manifest to every one who saw Charon at
Doncaster. He was extremely light, and being a light-
framed animal, his slender form looked most attenuated. Yet
he was fit as a fiddle, and, in any other condition, probably
would not have been so.

As regards the system of training favoured by our Trans-
atlantic cousins, it would not, if Mr. R. Ten Broeck's be taken
as an example, be a bad one with a little modification. So
far as I can learn, his plan is to walk his horses many hours
daily and gallop long distances slowly. The time devoted to
walking I certainly think excessive, for as many as six or
seven hours a day are spent in this way. Also in regard to
the long distance gallops, four miles, which are done at a
very slow pace till about the last half mile, when the speed
is increased to its utmost stretch, I must add, with all
respect to Mr. Prior, a most worthy man and excellent

THE AMERICAN SYSTEM CONSIDERED. in

trainer, I think the distance might, in most cases, be curtailed
beneficially, and the speed advantageously augmented and
kept at a more uniform rate. The clothing, again, is super-
abundant, and I should think such a load, in hot weather,
must tend to weaken the horse. One thing is quite certain.
If the Americans do not use too much, we use too little, and
the knowledge of the happy medium would be of service
here, as well as in the work done and the way of doin<r it.
We appear to do fast and short work, while they do long and
slow. If we made ours a little further and they made theirs
a little shorter, probably both systems would be improved,
whilst, in other respects, the plans of each might be adhered
to. There is one thing pretty clear ; the American horses,
in spite of all the long work they do, have never stayed
better than our own. This has been shown on many occasions,
but never more clearly than in three long distance races, the
Goodwood Cup and Stakes, and the Caesarewitch, under
favourable circumstances as regards weights. These I won,
beating them very easily with Promised Land, Elcho, and
Didcibella. Nevertheless, the victory of Prioress in the last-
named race, after running a dead heat with FJ Hakim and
Queen Bess, with a large field behind her, is evidence that the
American system is not a bad one.

But that, as compared with our own, there is something
defective either in the system of training, or in their manage-
ment, or in some other way, may, I think, be reasonably
concluded from the fact that, with a fair opportunity of
exhibiting their prowess, they were compelled to beat a
retreat ; our horses showing themselves better than theirs, in
my opinion, over any course. Mr. San ford has not, up to
this point, done much good with his little team, and if he have
no better horses than, so far as we know, he owns at present,

H2 PREPARATION.

I fear he will have to follow in the wake of Mr. Ten Broeck,
and seek victory against native horses in his own country.

I have never heard anything said for or against his mode of
training, and therefore conclude it must be much the same as
our own. But this I do know : the horse he ran at Epsom,
Preakness, was bigger than ever I saw an English horse
turned out to run in good company. The animal may
have shown the result of the American system of training
and Mr. Sanford's idea of condition, but certainly was not
prepared, according to my notion, for a two-mile course.

Of other foreign horses, most are trained after our fashion
whilst here. Indeed, as a rule, the preparation is entrusted
to English trainers, and consequently could hardly be
otherwise.

THE PURCHASE OF OLD HORSES. 113

CHAPTER XIII.

HINTS ON PURCHASING.

Purchase of old horses — Those best worth buying — Value of a trial ; other con-
siderations— The best seasons to buy — Legs and hocks : uncertain durability
of; cases of indifferent legs standing severe work — Wapiti, Virago, The
Deformed — Curbs, spavins, and their results — Defender's thorough-pin —
Unsound horses best sold — Horses should stand well — The foot and its size ;
signs of speed — Moderately-sized horses preferred — Large and small horses
and examples : Camerine, Touchstone — The first railway-van — Durability of
small horses illustrated in the case of Joe Miller and his performances —
Exceptional instances of the same in large horses ; Rataplan, Fisherman —
Contrast of the running of small and large horses as two- and three-year-olds
and examples : Parole, Heroine, Wild Dayrell, See Saw, The Earl, and
Crucifix — Roarers — The earliest yearling race — Inferences to be drawn from
the preceding — Reasons for trial before parting with large horses — Observa-
tions on warranty ; curious instances — Chronic lameness of horses in strong
work.

IN offering some observations on the purchase of horses, it
is my intention to endeavour to describe the sort most likely
to repay the purchaser. In buying old horses — that is, those
whose form is known in public — regard should not be had to
their performances only, but also to their soundness and the
condition in which they were run. Nor is this all : their breed-
ing, size and shape should be considered, and also the prospect
they offer of becoming good brood mares or sires at the stud
should they break down. A well-bred, good-looking mare, or
horse, that has run well, would be worth more lame than a

1

114 HINTS ON PURCHASING.

moderate performer, indifferently bred, would be worth sound,
the difference in value between the two varying in instances
from £ ioo to £ 1,000.

If a private trial be given, the result should mainly deter-
mine the animal's worth. Yet there are other things besides
those already mentioned that should not be omitted from the
calculation — the animal's engagements, and the probability of
his winning the whole or a fair portion of them ; and the state
of his legs in reference to their capability to stand many pre-
parations. A horse that has shown form at two years old, and
lost it at three without apparent cause, may be of very much
more value than one that can win smalj races at the later age.
For in the latter case no improvement could be looked for ;
but in the former a return to the two-year-old form may be
expected, and your hopes realised in a valuable purchase.
Mares, it should be remembered, often run better at the back
end than in the spring of the year. We have had many ex-
traordinary instances of this, particularly with the three-year-
olds, at York and Doncaster in August and September. The
best months in which to buy three-year-olds that have lost
their form, are June, July, and August, with the hope of their
returning to it in the autumn. For general purposes I should
always prefer a small horse to a large one — one that stood
well on his legs, having moderately-sized feet, in preference to
large ones. But no one is judge enough to decide whether
this or the other horse's legs will stand one preparation, and
much less, many. Yet this fact should not deter the exercise
of our judgment in the selection of those which seem most
likely to do so.

On this point I will give a few illustrations to show that legs
which have appeared the best have gone first, whilst those
which have looked the worst have stood longest. The case

DURATION OF LEGS SOUND AND UNSOUND. 115

of Cracovienne is a remarkable one to the point. To all
appearances she was the soundest mare in the world ; but
she broke down standing in a loose box, and from the severe
effects of this breakdown she never recovered, and after
baffling all veterinary skill had to be put to the stud. On the
other hand, Wapiti, Vauban, and Virago were so bad on their
legs that their most sanguine admirers scarcely hoped to see
them many times at the post, if at all. As it turned out, Wapiti
was the best mare of her year, and was never beaten. It is
true she never ran except as a two-year-old ; but the other
two I have named won many and large races as three-year-
olds over very trying courses, astonishing every one, and not
least their trainers. As Mr. Copperthwaite justly remarks :
" Some legs last longer than others, and in many instances
doubtful-looking ones prove the best."

All that has been said in relation to the leg applies with equal
force to the hock. The worst-looking hocks, with spavins and
curbs, often stand the test of work, whilst the perfectly-shaped
ones will give way with little or no warning, and never get
right again, treat them as you will. No one would like to
buy horses with malformed hocks and legs except at a greatly
reduced price. But when they can be had cheap, I should
not mind buying them, if I did not think the defects too bad
and liked their appearance in other respects. The Deformed
had her fore feet twisted in so much that her toes nearly
touched each other as she stood ; and her knees were so far
apart that one might have wheeled a wheelbarrow between
them without touching one or the other. Yet shaped like
this she could not only run, but well, and won many races.
Like Wapiti and Virago, she was a beautiful and very fine
mare down to her knees, but dreadfully bad below.

In hocks I should not much object to a spavin or a curb ;

I 2

u6 HINTS ON PURCHASING.

for though I have seen many horses with them, very few ever
were hurt by either defect. Nothing, however, would induce
me to buy a horse with a thorough-pin ; for I have never
known one so affected to stand a complete preparation, no
matter what, or how numerous the remedies that were tried.

I remember well the late Lord George Bentinck buying
Defender of Mr. Isaac Sadler for 2,000 guineas (a large sum
in those days). On his arrival at Danebury his lordship
asked my grandmother (Mrs. A. Day) to look at him ; and
she said he had a thorough-pin, though perhaps it was not
fully developed, adding that he would never stand a prepara-
tion. On this startling and unwelcome announcement his
lordship immediately sent for that eminent veterinary sur-
geon the late Mr. Field, who after examining the horse said
he apprehended no danger, and that he thought the defect
would yield to mild treatment ; if not, that a seton would
effect a cure. This and many other remedies were tried, but
to no purpose, and the horse never ran afterwards, and was
put early to the stud.

When horses break down they are best sold or given away
for other than racing purposes ; because not one in a hundred
ever stands afterwards. Soapstone was an exception, and so
was Misdeal ; the latter was fired, but the chances of standing
with a crooked sinew are too remote to be worth a trial.

Horses sometimes are lame from big joints, and if the en-
largement be on the inside, it is, as I have observed before, as
a rule, fatal ; but, if on the outside, with a little rest and blis-
tering, the joint generally gets right, though the enlargement
remains. Capote and Maid of the Vale had such legs ; yet
both stood, and won lots of races. A fair-sized foot is pre-
ferable to a very large or extremely small one ; for the former
of the two is better suited for cross-country purposes than for

MODERATELY-SIZED HORSES PREFERRED. 117

flat racing, and the small foot is often the result of co: itraction
brought on by disease. As horses sometimes get lame from
diseases of the feet, it is best to purchase those only that
appear sound in this respect, and without malformation,
unless a proportionate sum be taken off — a concession many
demand, as before mentioned. For the stud, or running, I
should prefer moderately-sized horses — about fifteen hands
one or two inches high, standing straight on their legs ; but if
bent either way at their knees, forward rather than backward,
as in the latter case they are more liable to break down. The
toes should stand straight on the feet : but if they be
turned either way it is preferable to buy horses whose toes
turn out, which is an indication of speed, rather than those
whose toes turn in, an indication of slowness.

A really good big horse is probably better than a really
good small one ; but as a rule you may get fifty good small
horses for one good large one, and the former will and do run
well after the latter has been put to the stud. Bay Middleton
and Elis, two exceedingly good racehorses, were both failures
at the stud, having left the turf early ; whilst Venison, com-
paratively a pony, was good at both. His son, Joe Miller,
was also a pony ; and Dulcibella and Weatherbound very
little bigger.

A good big horse may beat a good little one over a short
course, or even at a mile or so ; but I think at three or four
miles a good little one would beat the best big one I ever saw.
Camerine was perhaps, in her own or any other day, the best
four-mile mare, and Touclistone probably the best long-distance
horse. The former, after winning a race over the Beacon
course (four miles), ran through Newmarket on to the Bury
hills (the other side of the town) before she could be stopped.
Neither of these horses stood, I should think, over fifteen

n8 HINTS ON PURCHASING.

hands and an inch, and Venison was still less. Venison's
performances were extraordinary. He was beaten only twice
at three years old, by Bay Middleton and by Touchstone — who
was two years older — and it should be remembered he travelled
over 1300 miles on foot, running long distance heats in twelve
races, including many King's Plates. We may well ask what he
might not have achieved in these days of railway locomotion.
In the same year, Elis was sent in a van to Doncaster with
The Drummer. They were the two first horses conveyed in
this way to a race-meeting ; and I believe the van was the
first made for such a purpose, and was, as may be imagined,
a heavy affair in comparison even with the improvements on
it which were in general use until the cheaper and more
expeditious railway horse-box superseded them.

More particularly to illustrate the durability of small horses
over big ones, I may mention that Joe Mille r was not specially
prepared to run a long distance on one or two occasions only,
but was so trained over and over again. His first race as a
three-year-old was for the Metropolitan (two and a quarter
miles), which but for an accident he would have won : for he
beat the winner, Stilton, and forty-one other horses, in the
easiest possible way just afterwards for the Chester Cup.
He was then prepared and run for the Derby and Ascot Cup
(Emperor's Prize), winning the latter, two and a half miles,
never having been headed from start to finish ; a proof of the
method to make running, it may be observed, which may
be of service to us later by way of illustration. And besides
being prepared for other races, he was made use of to try
Weathergage and Hobbie Noble; the former winning the
Caesarewitch and the latter running second for the Cam-
bridgeshire, and indeed would have won it, as those who
saw the race know, had he not been ridden to a standstill.

THE RUNNING OF SMALL AND LARGE HORSES. 119

Some years after doing all this, Joe Miller retired from the
turf as sound as the day he was foaled. To set against this
experience are the instances of Rataplan and Fisherman, both
large horses that achieved wonders. But they are the only
two of the kind that I can remember to have run so often
and so well over a distance of ground.

Little horses as a rule seldom improve much after their
second year ; some I think are never better than as two-year-
olds at half a mile. Parole and Heroine are, I think, instances
of this. The latter won very easily the yearling race at
Shrewsbury in 1856 (the first on record, if I am not mistaken),
and the former a small race at Brighton as two-year-olds ;
but though Heroine was a winner afterwards, they neither of
them did anything later really worthy of notice. Large horses,
on the other hand, improve often when much older, and even
until they are. aged. Crucifix, a long, leggy and slender
mare, was good, it should be remarked, as a yearling, and also
later. But Wild Dayrell when tried as a yearling so con-
spicuously failed that he was sold ; whilst both See Sazv and
The Earl at the same age were positively wretched, and
indeed did not improve much as two-year-olds till late in
the year. These three were not only large but heavy
horses, which may make the difference in the two cases, and
account for the badness of the colts as yearlings and the
goodness of the filly at that age. "What's in a name?"
The then Lady Grosvenor thought there was much in one,
for she said to Lord G. Bentinck, " You have an admirable
mare, but I don't like her name." To which he replied,
"When she is beat, Lady Grosvenor, I will change it." But
as she never was, she retained it ; and after running was
known by her famous title at the stud. The inference from
this is that small horses are at their best as two-year-olds

120 HINTS ON PURCHASING.

and the large, later: a very important consideration in either
buying or selling.

There is another matter in reference to the size of the
horse that it will not do to ignore altogether ; large horses
are not only more liable to break down, but more often
become roarers.

The performances of small and large yearlings in the
paddock have been referred to in Chapter IX. ; but the
purchase of yearlings is a subject of so special an interest,
that I shall not attempt to deal with it now, but reserve it for
the next chapter. We may however, I think, conclude from
what has been here put forward, not only that small horses
are best as two-year-olds and the larger ones later, but that
small yearlings, if bad, may be got rid of with little fear
of parting with a good one. Large horses ought to be tried
a distance of ground before being sold as good for nothing ;
as indeed should the small, unless they are wretchedly slow.
A horse that has speed should always be tried over a distance
of ground which may prove to be his forte before being
parted with even for a good sum. So much said, it appears
that with some observations on warranty, this portion of my
subject may be brought to a conclusion.

It is very seldom a warranty of any sort is given with a
racehorse, age and pedigree always excepted. I have known
but very few people who ever asked for, or gave one, as to
soundness. Though I have sold hundreds of horses I never
remember warranting one sound, and have seldom been asked
to do so. When Oxonian was sold for £i, 200, it was conditional
that the veterinary surgeon should pass him sound. He was
examined and returned, though really one of the soundest
horses alive, and the following year, after doing " the state
some service," was sold unconditionally for ^1,100 to the

OBSERVATIONS ON WARRANTY. 121

gentleman that had before refused him. He has since been
running some eight or ten years, apparently as sound as ever.
I doubt if one race-horse in a hundred would pass a strict veter-
inary examination ; for if nothing else would condemn them,
all horses that are trained go short, wanting the freedom
of action noticeable in carriage and other idle horses. A
veterinary surgeon cannot well pass them in such a state,
though there may not be, for racing purposes, the least thing
amiss with them.

I have seen and known several curious cases in selling horses.
I once sold a thorough-bred horse for a hack for £15, certainly
as far as I knew, one of the soundest horses in England, and
a few days after he became a confirmed roarer. My grand-
father once sold a horse for a small sum, and was asked by
the purchaser to allow him to remain for a few days ; to this
he assented, but jocosely remarked, "If he die in the night
he dies yours." This had so great an effect on the purchaser
that he went home and sent for him next morning ; but on
the arrival of the servant the horse was dead. My brother-in-
law had a young hunter, and sold him to a gentleman for
;£8o if he passed the veterinary examination. This ordeal
he was subjected to, and on account of an incipient spavin
rejected. I was asked to look at his hock and did, but
failed to detect anything amiss with it. The late Professor
Spooner was called in and passed him sound in every
respect, and the gentleman took the horse, and as I never
heard of anything being wrong with him after, I imagine he
remained sound.

A few days before Joe Miller ran for the Ascot Cup, whilst
trotting in the paddock he went very lame. This so astonished
his owner that he begged me not to gallop him ; but I
assured him he was never otherwise when in strong work,

122 HINTS ON PURCHASING.

and I took no notice of it. He was satisfied ; the horse
galloped, and won after. Many horses can scarcely walk
when they first leave the stable, and some do not regain
their proper action until they have had a good trot and a
canter or two. After such experiences who would venture
to give a warranty of soundness with any, even with these
apparently free from every defect ?

FALLIBILITY OF LOOKS. 123

CHAPTER XIV.

THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

Difficulties of judgment— Fallibility of good looks— Hints on buying : attendance
on sales ; opportunities at Doncaster ; necessity to try paces before purchase-
Failures of high-priced yearlings : Maximilian and others ; exceptional case
of Promised Land— Instances of successes of low-priced yearlings : Brigan-
tine, Schism, Blue £ock— Judges of yearlings and their reputation ; Lord
George Bentinck, my father, and Mendicant ; her performances as a race-
horse and her appearance as a yearling— Instances of yearlings rejected as
undersized : Sweetmeat, Venison, Joe Miller, Musjid—K high-priced failure :
Glenhvat— Prices in past and present times contrasted : absurdity of prices
now given at public auctions ; contrary examples of out-turn of reasonably-
priced stock; Mr. J. B. Stark ey's purchase of Viridis ; my purchase of
Elcho for Mr. Gerard Sturt and his achievements— Fashion and its influence:
how yearlings are bred to be sold, and how they should be bought — Value of
blood ; produce of old mares often good : examples, Crucifix and Caractacus

Predilection for fat yearlings, and resulting disappointment to owner and

trainer— My preference for light yearlings ; where such may be bought, and
instances : Starter, Judge, and Shward— Progress of light and big yearlings
contrasted ; prevalence of sore shins with the latter — Excellent result of Sir
Tatton Sykes's method of breeding ; rarity of disease amongst his stock ;
their successes and instances — Points that should be looked for — Reason of
Sir Tatton's successes ; " like begets like " — His disposal of colts and fillies ;
account of a visit to Sledmere and purchase of Palmistry — Private and
public breeding-studs contrasted, and reasons for the successes of the former —
Results of paying high prices, and examples— An unfashionably-bred vi inner :
^.r&r— Horses run in all shapes — Inferences to be drawn ; the best yearlings to
buy— Engagements of yearlings : hints and arguments; current errors; early
trials recommended, and reasons— Dictum of the Marquess of Anglesey.

The subject I have chosen for this chapter is one of great
difficulty. Nothing perhaps in racing is attended with more
trouble and less satisfaction than the purchase of yearlings.

124. THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

This, T think, will hereafter appear. As " all is not gold that
glitters," so the best-looking yearlings are often the most
worthless. No rule can be laid down by which to guide an
intending purchaser with any degree of certainty as to
selecting the best and refusing the worst. Experience is
the only sure guide ; yet a few hints may be thought neither
presumptuous nor out of order.

In the first place, then, I should recommend the would-be
purchaser to attend all the yearling sales, or in any case those
which usually commence in June and end (at Doncaster) in
September. There are sales too at Newmarket so late as
October which may be attended with profit. But for many
reasons I should purchase if possible before then.

There is no better opportunity to buy, in my opinion, than
at the Doncaster September sales. There is always a plentiful
supply of all breeds and sizes at all sorts of prices and, very
often, cheap. Before buying anything I would always see the
animal in action. If I could not see all his paces, I would
at least see him walk ; for if he does that pace well, he
will generally gallop well. Many a good-looking, fair-sized
yearling by a young, well-bred stallion unknown to fame at
the stud, and out of an equally well-bred mare, may be had
there for about ioo or 150 guineas; whilst fancy-bred ones
fetch fifteen or twenty times these sums. I have seen year-
lings sold for 1,000 and 1,500 guineas apiece, or double,
which- were not worth sixpence for the purpose for which they
were bought. Indeed I think the highest priced yearling ever
bought, Maximilian (he fetched over 4,000 guineas) is not
good enough, to judge from his public running, to win a Selling
Plate at the lowest allowable rate, if he ran for one.1 Even
roarers have been bought for as much as 1,000 guineas
1 See footnote p. 135.

SUCCESSES OF -LOW-PRICED YEARLINGS. 125

apiece. However, this is an error any one may fall into ;
for there is no method of detecting the existence of the
defect before purchasing, unless, indeed, surreptitiously
through the attendant.

For one, Promised Land, I gave this price ; or rather I
should say, I gave Mr. Robinson £500 for half of him, and he
was a fortune to both of us. I have bought many cheaper ones,
such as Brigantine for 150 guineas; and indeed, had always
an objection to paying long prices in so risky a matter.
Amongst good bargains in yearlings, I may mention ScJiism
for twenty guineas, bought at Doncaster at public auction on
the sale of the late Lord Clifden's horses. She won me many
thousands of pounds, and her victories included the Queen's
Vase at Ascot, and the Somersetshire Stakes at Bath. I
sold her afterwards for ;£ 1,500. But the very smallest sum I
ever gave for a yearling was ten -guineas for Blue Rock, who
won me many races, including the Great Eastern Handicap
at Newmarket, and Cup at Shrewsbury. On the occasion of
his winning the former race, he slept in London, went down
to Newmarket by train in the morning, and returned to his
stable at night without sustaining the least harm.

It is a very common expression that Mr. So-and-So is a
first-rate judge of yearlings, and on every fortunate purchase
his praises are sounded everywhere, though little is ever said
of his mistakes. The late Lord George Bentinck was always
looked on as one of the best judges of his day ; he certainly
bought many good, and it may be added, many bad ones.
My father, with whom he then trained, bought most of his
lordship's yearlings for him. One of his purchases was
a filly by Touchstone out of Lady Moor Carew, which was
bought privately of Mr. Whitworth for 300 guineas. It
appeared that his lordship had previously seen and condemned

126 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

her as too light, without legs sufficiently strong to carry even
so weak a body. He refused to have her, and no doubt
there was much truth in his opinion. Yet she was racing like
and evenly shaped, and if nothing else, she looked like going
fast ; so my father had to keep her, and afterwards sold a
moiety of her to Mr. Gully. This wretched-looking under-
sized "weed" that the astute nobleman would have nothing
to do with, was Mendicant, the best animal of her year ; the
winner of the One Thousand and The Oaks, besides many
other races. She was better than PyrrJius the First, the
winner of that year's Derby, of the truth of which assertion
there can be no doubt, for they belonged to the same owners
and they said so. Here is a remarkable instance of two
acknowledged judges disagreeing as to the latent merits of
one of the best yearlings in the world ; one being in raptures
with her looks and blood, whilst the other disliked one if not
both. The sincerity of their declarations on this point was
supported by their unwavering faith in their judgment ; the
one rejected and the other bought her.

With this case before us, how can we trust the judgment of
any individual ? Sweetmeat, I am told, did not fetch ^looas
a yearling, and many a noted good one has been sold for half
that sum. Venison was so small that the late Lord Lonsdale
would not send him to the sale with the rest of his yearlings ;
and he was afterwards purchased privately by my father.
Joe Miller, in the month of July, looked more like a foal than
a yearling. Musjid returned to his paddock after having been
seen by all the best judges at Doncaster, for the want of a
purchaser at 150 guineas ; at which sum the late Sir Joseph
Hawley bought him some time afterwards. Glenlivat was
bought for 1,000 guineas, a high figure in those days, but he
only won once by walking over, after running a dead heat with

ABSURDITY OF PRICES IN OUR DAYS. 127

Hetman Platoff, who broke down in the struggle for victory
at Warwick.

In*those days, some forty years ago, it was considered an
extraordinary sale if anything fetched 1,000 guineas ; but now
it is a poor business if many of the yearlings do not reach four
figures, their lucky and brave purchasers receiving deafening
plaudits for their skill and indomitable pluck in securing the
coveted prizes. This is no romantic picture, for as a matter
of fact I remember a few years ago seeing yearling after
yearling sold not only for 1,000 guineas, but 2,000 guineas
each ; reaching as much, in one case, as 2,400 guineas. Nor
must it be concluded that a few picked lots only went for
high figures ; for some forty, I think, realised at this sale an
average of 500 guineas apiece. Just after one of these sensa-
tional flatcatchers had been disposed of to some unfortunate
individual, a nice little filly, but rather upright in her fore
pasterns (a dwarf to the giant that preceded her), was led into
the ring, and nearly led out again without a bid, as Mr.
Tattersall had ordered her back and called for the next lot,
when a couple of hundred was offered for her and she was
knocked down at that figure. The late Mr. J. B. Starkey was
the bidder ; and the impression was that the purchase was
made, not by a particularly good judge, or by an astute trainer,
such as had bought the high-priced yearlings, but by a genial
gentleman, who, having shared in the host's hospitality, felt
it a duty to bid for something. However, he bought the best
animal at the sale, and though this is not saying very much
for his bargain, it proved a really good one, as the yearling-
ran a very good mare — the well-known Viridis. Now there
were present on this occasion not only all our home pur-
chasers of note, but foreign judges buying for their respective
governments or private clients \ yet not one of them selected

I28 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

the right horse ; to do so, was left to a gentleman up to that
time not celebrated as a purchaser of yearlings. So much
for the judgment of good judges.

Mr. Gerard Sturt (now Lord Alington) asked me to buy
him two yearlings, if I liked any, of Sir Tatton Sykes, at
York. He had but one restriction to make, and that was : he
would have them out of mares that had bred a winner, no
matter of what, or how few races. I bought him Elcho and
Prince Imperial (as they were afterwards called), for ioo
guineas each. The latter was claimed, in a Selling Race at
Doncaster, and the other won the Doncaster Nursery, Good-
wood Stakes, and the Metropolitan, beating Asteroid and
Caractacus, the Derby winner of the same year, giving him
2 stone 5 lbs. He was a little horse, but stayed well, an
additional instance of the goodness of little horses. I would
much prefer having three or four yearlings for i,ooo guineas
than pay that sum for one; and there are many good-looking
ones that may be had for 200 guineas each or less. But such
is the rage now-a-days for fashion, that dwarfs or giants, legs
crooked or straight, are alike quickly bought, at any, even
enormous prices, often to their new owners' sorrow.

I do not for a moment say that you should disregard
particular breeds, such as are distinguished as having pro-
duced runners. I say rather: "Buy them if you like their
appearance, and you can do so at a reasonable rate." But
rather than give extravagant sums for fashionably bred weeds,
or overgrown brutes without legs or anything but flesh to
recommend them, I would buy something to look at, out of a
young mare, even if by a young stallion. For many so bred
turn out well. On the other hand, I have seen many
fashionably bred yearlings fetch large sums, that after the
fall of the hammer were never heard of again, except at the

HOW YEARLINGS ARE BRED TO BE SOLD. 129

stud ; and there only as failures no less marked than they had
proved in racing.

Nor should yearlings out of old mares, hitherto failures at
the stud, be totally disregarded, for at times such old mares
breed good ones. Of such produce we have examples in the
following: Crucifix, who was sold by the side of, and with
her dam, for sixty-five guineas ; Caractacus, Hero, and One Act,
all good animals, whose dams before had produced nothing —
indeed, had figured for many years before at the stud as
useless breeders of a more degenerate race than themselves.

It is now the fashion to have yearlings sent for sale,
walked only from the stable-door to the rostrum, like so many
fat beasts at Smithfield or some other cattle-show. Breeders
see, and for their own purposes take advantage of, the pre-
vailing taste for large animals ; and by having their yearlings
well fatted are sure of a market. Let them but be fat, and
it does not seem to matter what they may be like in other
respects. The kind of feet and legs they have, or how these
are set on, the really essential point to a buyer, is not of the
slightest consequence ; for if good judges refuse to buy, there
are plenty of others eager to take their place.

Thus it comes about that year after year trainers have
sent to them large, heavy-shouldered, slack-loined, little-
legged brutes, that would fall over a straw, with instructions
to prepare them for their engagements. And whilst it may
be taken for granted that if horses cannot walk well they
are nut perfect in any of their other paces, yet if these in-
capables are not metamorpnosed into good-looking animals
by the following year, and do not win many races, the trainer
is reproached. The blame is laid upon his unskilful treat-
ment or total neglect ; whereas the fault is with the purchaser,
in buying great unwieldy brutes, without a single quality to

K

13° THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

recommend them but lumps of fat. It is forgotten that a
man can only work to the best of his ability with such tools
as are supplied to him.

Now a good useful-looking yearling, with plenty of bone
and strength in proportion, may often be bought for a
moderate sum of a breeder who prefers to sell at home, who
does not stall-feed, and whose yearlings have their liberty
in the paddock from the day almost of foaling until the
hour they are sold. A case of this sort I may give that
happened to me some time ago. Whilst looking over Mr.
Harrison's breeding establishment in the North, I saw three
rough-looking colts galloping in his paddock, and in reply
to my inquiry as to their price, was told they would be sold
at York that week ; but as I could not stay for the sale I
made a conditional offer for them of £500, supposing they
were not sold. They were put up, but not sold ; their rough,
hardy appearance, telling against them side by side with
other yearlings got up for sale, as I have described. After
the sale I received a telegram : " Horses not sold ; please
send for them." I did so, and the three were Starter, Judge,
and Steward ; either of the first two being worth double
what I gave for the three, both proving to be the winners of
many races. These colts had no glossy coats and very little
flesh ; but they were perfectly healthy, and their health and
appearance the result of play in the paddock, where they
galloped a great part of each day.

Colts like these, when put in training, improve just as fast
as the fat ones go back. The fat ones become thin, whilst
the thin ones become comparatively fat, and in the follow-
ing year the latter are in much better condition, with muscle
more fully developed than the others which previously looked
so much better. Nor can anything else be expected. The

BREEDING SUCCESSES OF SIR TATTON SYKES. iji

simple fact is, the thin ones have to a certain extent been
training themselves for months before coming into the
trainer's hands; whilst the others, debarred their freedom,
have had their growth prematurely forced by art, at the
expense of nature, and are like hothouse plants, — drawn up,
weak, and slender. This condition, to my mind, is the
predominant cause of sore shins, which have so much in-
creased of late years — not only in extent but severity, —
and can very seldom be got rid of under several months
and sometimes not for years. This tendency is another and
powerful reason for buying yearlings brought up in the
enjoyment of early exercise in extensive paddocks.

A more striking instance can scarcely be adduced to show
the truth of the above remarks than the manner in which the
late Sir Tatton Sykes's yearlings were brought up in the
Sledmere paddocks, as I have described in Chapter IX. His
method is, as I said, the natural way of rearing thoroughbred
stock; and my opinion is that if Sir Tatton had not kept too
closely to his own sires, he would in the race for supremacy
have beaten many of his more fortunate neighbours, who
sent their mares to different stallions. As it is, he was fairly
successful ; for in addition to a host of winners, he bred Grey
Momus (winner of the Two Thousand and Ascot Cup) and
Black Tommy (second for the Derby). I have myself good
cause to remember he was also the breeder of St. Giles,
Elcho, Companion, and Grey ling, which, with many other
winners, I was fortunate enough to buy of him. Moreover,
to the best of my belief not one of the many scores of year-
lings so purchased had a contracted or diseased foot, all
standing well on their legs, and having substance. Not one
that I ever remember broke down or had sore shins. And
whilst this is a most remarkable fact, it is not the only one ;

K 2

i32 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

for I may add that (whilst with me) not one of them was ever
lame from ring-bone, splint, curb, or thorough-pin. In other
respects, too, they were more free than most horses from
diseases of every kind ; I never lost one by death, or had a
roarer amongst the whole.

So satisfactory a result, it will be admitted, is worthy of
attention ; and it may be asked, How was it brought about ?
The answer is, through exercise unrestrained, not forced,
aided by a plentiful diet of good hay and corn and soiling
their natural food.

With these experiences, we may dismiss all fears of the
result of rough appearance in yearlings without a second
thought. The lesson we learn is to look well to the method
of their treatment since foaled, and we shall not go far wrong
in our selections. That which is wanted is muscle, not fat.
The one implies strength, the other physical debility, burden-
ing their tender limbs with an unnatural weight they cannot
sustain, making some crooked and others weak.

Further to account for Sir Tatton's breeding so many
sound horses, it may be said he scrupulously attended to the
shape of the ancestors, and chose only those standing well on
their legs. If by chance a yearling stood a little back in his
knees, or the least upright in his pasterns, the Baronet would
be the first to call your attention to the defect by saying (as
he always did), " He does not stand quite pretty on his legs;"
and if such a one were not sold, he would give him away rather
than breed from him — so great was his aversion to those
that did not stand well. It is open to other people to breed
sound animals if they will only follow his most excellent
example, instead of breeding, as most do, from any crooked-
legged, deformed brutes, if only they have a brother's or sister's
fame to recommend them favourably to the public notice,

PURCHASE OF PALMISTRY. 133

forgetting that " like begets like." A condition worthy of note
in Sir Tatton's sale was the total absence of the fillies. These
were kept to breed from ; and those not good enough for
that purpose were disposed of for hacks. His colts had
always a reserve of 100 guineas placed on them. But if they
returned to Sledmere unsold, no reasonable offer was ever
refused. St. Giles, Greyling, and Companion, were bought of
him in this way at sixty guineas each after returning from the
sale at York. All were winners : the former perhaps one of
the best horses of his day over a distance of ground, and
most certainly the finest of them.

Sir Tatton professed never to sell brood mares ; nor, as
I before said, yearling fillies. But he was always exceed-
ingly kind to me, and sold me three brood mares with
their foals, all the mares being served again by Andover,
for 300 guineas. One of the foals, as a yearling, I sold for
500 guineas. The mares I thus bought were Palmistry, the
dam of St. Giles, and two young mares out of her dam ; and
when Sir Tatton told Snarry, his old stud-groom, of the sale,
the latter said, "Sir Tatton, you have sold one of the best
mares you have." " Never mind, Snarry," Sir Tatton
answered, " Mr. Day is a good customer, and I would rather
sell and repent, than keep and repent."

On this memorable occasion I asked him another favour,
which he also readily granted. It was to sell me a foal. I
was commissioned by the late Lord Ribblesdale to give 300
guineas for Brother to Centurion, if I liked him. I did, and
bought him for twenty-five guineas ; which the generous old
Baronet begged me to give to my uncle Samuel with his
compliments — which was done.

In concluding my remarks on the yearlings bred at
Sledmere, I may say that Sir Tatton was hospitable to a

131 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

degree. A capital lunch and a "pitcher of ale " were always
partaken of before going round the paddocks ; and the very
last time I traversed them in company with Sir Tatton, then
about eighty years of age, he stopped suddenly and turned
round saying, " I hope, Mr. Day, I don't walk too fast for you."
To ease his mind on the point I walked beside him whilst
trudging through the remainder of the paddocks, agreeably
discussing the breed and merits of the several occupants.

I cannot account in any other way for the superiority of
horses bred in private studs over those bred in large breed-
ing establishments, than by the advantage of air and exercise
the former have over the latter. The defunct Rawcliffe and
others may be cited as instances of gigantic failures, whilst
the following private breeding establishments may be pointed
to as so many successes: those of the late Lord Jersey,
the Duke of Grafton, and Mr. Thornhill ; and later we have
that of Mr. Wreford, whose great success was equal to that
of the preceding, carrying everything before him in his day.
Again, if I mistake not, Mr. Bowes has bred no less than
four winners of the Derby, a thing unprecedented in the
annals of racing. And if reference be made in addition to
the late Sir J. Hawley's and Lord Falmouth's studs, it will
be sufficient to show the difference that exists between horses
bred for racing and those that are bred only to sell, and the
superiority of the former.

We see the advantages the companies enjoy in the enor-
mous sums which they give (as occasionally, too, do private
individuals) for stallions and mares (as much as ;£ 12,500 for a
horse, and 3,000 guineas apiece for mares). It cannot, there-
fore, be said they start on a bad foundation ; yet with all
these " appliances and means to boot," they are unsuccessful
in the attempt to breed the best horses. For this there must

AN UNFASHIONABLY BRED WINNER. 135

surely be an assignable cause ; and if it be not wholly attri-
butable to the want of exercise, as I have before suggested,
it may be found in the different quality of the food, or in a
combination of both.

But to return to the more immediate subject, the purchasing
of yearlings — it may be concluded as pretty certain that
large horses fat will sell, when small and poor ones will
not, except at a reduced and inadequate figure. Now as the
latter often turn out the best, common sense leads one to
choose them in preference to the others. People are to be
found that will give ^1,000 or ,£2,000 for anything, however
shaped, that is brother or sister to a Derby winner, who would
not give £100 for one much better shaped, less fashionably
bred — and more likely, so far as experience teaches, to turn
out much better than the high priced one. How many-
could I not point to that have been sold, like The Rover and
Maximilian} for fabulous sums, that have proved utterly
useless, never having won a race? On the other hand, of
unfashionably bred ones, The Hero was sold for £150 and
turned out the best horse in England. Elcho and St. Giles
were as indifferently bred, and sold for 100 guineas and
60 guineas respectively, both really good horses over a dis-
tance of ground. Even as I am writing, we have an extra-
ordinary instance of the superiority of a badly bred horse
over those of good pedigree. I allude to the breeding of
Jester, who is, 'without doubt, the most unfashionably bred
horse in the world : his sire, Merry Maker, could not go
fast enough to beat a hack, and his dam was a mare whose
parentage was not thought worth preserving — in fact he is
not proved to be thoroughbred. I have before mentioned
his victories, which need not be repeated here.

' Since this was written Maximilian has proved a winner.

136 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

Surely enough has been said to convince the most sceptical
that little dependence can be placed on the breed of any
horse, and that as they truly run in all shapes and forms,
so they do in every variety of breed. Bay Middleton was
the largest and longest horse, as well as the best, I ever
saw at a mile, and Joe Miller the smallest and shortest.
Again, Promised Land was just the opposite in shape to
Crucifix — he, short and strong, having the very shortest
neck I think I ever saw ; whilst Crucifix had the longest,
and altogether appeared the weakest mare in the world ;
yet both were equally good.

I will not multiply instances, but bring my remarks on
the purchase of yearlings to a conclusion by saying that, all
things considered, it is best to buy those that are out of young
mares and dams of winners, and by stallions that are the
sires of winners, if only of little races : that is supposing you
cannot afford to give large sums for the most fashionably bred
ones, which may pay for purchasing, if they are properly
shaped as well, and have any pretensions to size.

Only next in importance to the purchase of yearlings is
the engagement of them, a reference to which will here fitly
find a place.

Here again opinions often totally differ. Some engage
the best-looking horses only, whilst others, holding opposite
views, engage only the best bred ones. Some again engage
their horses often ; others, but seldom. Adopting a different
mode altogether, some, irrespective of looks, or breed, engage
all heavily alike.

My idea of engaging horses is summed up in a very
few words. The good-looking, if well bred, I would engage
heavily ; and the worst, as far as looks and breed are con-
cerned, the least, or rather not at all. My reason for acting

THE ENGAGEMENTS OF YEARLINGS. 137

in this way, would be chiefly because I should know that no
one would be able to oppose me with better looking, or, from
their breeding, horses more likely to run ; whilst many would
bring into the field horses which, comparatively speaking,
would be brutes. Were I induced to break the rule, it would
only be to put a well-bred colt or filly of moderate looks in
the Derby or Oaks.

Now, how very seldom do we see horses engaged in this
way. Rather do we not notice continually the reverse
adopted ? We see the breeder of, say half a dozen yearlings,
or the purchaser of a like number at indiscriminate prices, no
matter what their breeding or looks, engage them all alike in
the best stakes against the most fashionably and best bred
horses in England. It is quite true one or other of them
may be good. But he must be a bold and sanguine man to
expect success as the result, who engages horses after this
fashion. Since the introduction of the small entrance fee,
stakes that formerly had but a few subscribers have now
many, and in most races some good horses are generally
to be found entered. What then is your chance of winning
but a very poor one with a " weed " or an unfashionably
bred colt or filly ? Moreover, many of the yearlings that
are thus heavily engaged, have been well tried before the
day of closing the stakes, whilst others are receiving an
allowance that yours may not be entitled to. Under such
a load of disadvantages, who can hope to win with anything
but the best, or nearly the best, of his year ?

But the yearlings being engaged in the hope of winning
something, the temptation to run often follows as a necessary
consequence ; and by doing battle against superior animals
your own become stale, and unable to win other races in
which, having different opponents, there would be chances in

1.38 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS.

your favour. It is found in the result that thousands of
pounds have been paid away in travelling expenses and
stakes to little or no purpose.

Now if these, or indeed any other animals, had been tried,
as yearlings, and not engaged until tried, the worthless would
not have been entered, whilst the good could have engaged
with a fair chance of success against all comers ; and that
which in the one case would have been a losing, would have
been turned into a winning account at Old Burlington Street.

It may be thought that the engagements of yearlings
might more appropriately be noticed under the head of
trials than under that of purchases ; but as there are im-
portant stakes, the entry for which must be made before
the young ones can possibly be fairly tried, the subject
(which however important does not claim a chapter to
itself) is better treated now.

But in this matter of trial before engagement, I should
point out how many opportunities are given for it in the
present day ; there being a greater number of stakes closing
after time for a fair trial has been allowed, than, before, there
were races of all kinds. It should therefore be borne in mind
that before a trial, breeding and good looks are everything ;
but after, these go for nothing — the only animal that is
valuable, then, being the one that has given undeniable proof
that he is so. The veriest brute to look at may, by trial, be
discovered to be a nonpareil ; whilst the best-looking may be
found to be the worst horse in creation. These are both
excellent reasons for early trial ; for you can then fearlessly
engage the horse that has acquitted himself well, to your
heart's content. The late Marquess of Anglesey used to say,
" The next best thing to rinding a good horse is the discovery
of a bad one ; " which I thoroughly believe. And therefore

A TRIAL BEFORE ENGAGEMENT ADVISED. 139

I would try all as soon as fit, that the bad may be discarded,
and the rest properly engaged ; but until tried, be chary of
engaging for the reasons above enumerated.

Some of the anomalies connected with sales with engage-
ments, I shall have occasion to notice later in my suggestions
for certain alterations in current practices on the turf.

uo TRIALS.

CHAPTER XV,

TRIALS.

Immense value of trials — Difficulties of the subject— How short trials and how long
trials should be made — Unsatisfactory trials ; false pace — The best method of
trying — In doubtful cases try again — A good pace essential — Disappointments
in races in which running is made, accounted for ; how the pace should be
made ; instances at Goodwood and Newmarket — Points to be noted in trials
• — Mistakes in trials ; hints thereon ; a second trial advis-ed — Illustrative
trials : General Hesse and an Arab, Crucifix and Iris, Rising Stin and Twilight
— False pace and its results — My success in repeated trials — The pace in trials
and in races.

We have seen how horses should be purchased and brought
to that condition which, in turf phraseology, is called " fit to
run ; " and now must discuss the subject of trials, the only
true method of ascertaining if this desirable condition be
achieved. Nothing can be of greater value than a correct
estimate of the merits of the animals you possess ; for by it
you engage and run them, lose or win fortunes, staking your
reputation on the accuracy of your opinion.

On reaching this stage of our journey in search of knowledge,
it might be thought and hoped that the most difficult obstacles
had been vanquished. But it is hardly so. It has been aptly
said,

" Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls must dive below."

THE METHOD IN SHORT AND IN LONG TRIALS. 141

And so with trials, it will be found that no era of ease and
pleasure has set in ; that which, to the uninitiated seems easy
of accomplishment, the experienced knows to be not only
difficult but often totally impracticable.

We hear of most wonderful trials in private ; but we never
see them repeated in public. The cause of this I will
endeavour to explain.

In a trial certainty should not be looked for. It is a matter,
to a limited extent, of opinion and judgment. Neverthe-
less, a certain approximation to the truth may be arrived at
with a tolerable degree of accuracy.

In short trials, old jockeys are often requested not to bustle
their horses the first fifty yards, but to let them get well
" on their legs " first ; particularly the old ones. The advice
is necessary and often attended with good results ; but, un-
fortunately, it too often happens from over-cautiousness that
not only fifty but 150 yards are got over in this way, and
then only is the pace made good ; a mistake by which the
course is so much shortened. Again, in some cases, it occurs
that the young horse overpowers his rider, and the old one
never fairly gets on his legs. The result is in both cases,
although the causes are different, precisely similar, viz : —
failure. Pretty much the same may be said of long courses.
In a two-mile course it often happens that the first half mile
is traversed at a slow pace to enable the horses to get well
together, and on their legs as it is termed, being steadied
down hill and round turns ; after which they do the
remainder at their best speed.

This is the sort of trial that many rest satisfied with, and
upon which they build their hopes of success ; and when
beaten in public they wonder at the difference between the
running then and the running in the trial. The horse is

'42 TRIALS.

condemned as a rogue, particularly if tried again in the
same way with the same result as before. In this manner,
many horses that subsequently have distinguished themselves
over a different course, have been injudiciously parted with,
as useless, for a mere song.

Running like this very naturally appears to those who
suffer through it, quite unaccountable. But a little reflection
will clear up the seeming mystery, and set things in their
proper light. The simple fact is, that having tried two miles
at a false pace, and then run the same distance in public at a
true one, you have based your calculations for a race of two
miles on a trial that has been only a mile and a half ; for,
under the circumstances, that is all your two-mile trial has in
reality amounted to. The result of the running of most
horses (except when gross error has been committed) will
tell you this ; for over and over again we see horses that
have been well tried by experienced men, look like winning
the race some distance from home, then tire and be beaten.
Now what can this be but the fault of the false pace in
the early part of the trial ? for we often see these supposed
good stayers win races on a shorter course.

Whatever the length of the trial, whether half a mile, two
miles, or any other distance, all without exception that are in
it should be given every chance to win. Should it suit the
old ones to wait, or the heavy weights to make the running,
let them do it ; but in each and every trial have a good pace
from one post to the other, no matter how long the distance.
Trials conducted on any other principle than this are sure
to lead to error and disappointment. Under any circumstances
you cannot be too careful. If there is the least doubt about
the accuracy of a trial, I would, after the lapse of a day, try
over again, and watch the last more intently if possible than

A GOOD PACE ESSENTIAL. 143

the first ; to prove beyond misconception where the error, if
any, existed, and to provide, when found, a remedy in future.
I should always give preference to the last trial, unless, in it,
anything happened likely to upset one's calculation.

It is in the nice discrimination of the pace at first
and during the whole length that your judgment is shown,
and an opinion obtained that is worth having. Horses may
get upset in running a short course by getting off cross-legged,
or in other words, by being bustled at starting. They are in
this way quickly disposed of, and a false trial is the inevitable
result. In such cases, the remedy is to try over again and
abide by the last trial.

Trials should always be run as nearly as possible at the
pace which you may fairly expect to see in public. We know
that short courses are always run at top speed from the start-
ing post to the finish ; and this being so, on what ground can
any one, in the trial, justify waiting until the old horses are on
their legs as before mentioned ? Again, you may always in-
sure a good pace in a long race by making it, or hiring others
to do it for you ; but you can never say it shall be a slow one.
Therefore, it imperatively behoves you in trials to have a good
pace all the way.

I may here mention an interesting fact, which is the cause
undoubtedly of unsatisfactory performances in long-distance
races. It is the waiting too long for, or more strictly speaking
perhaps it should be called, the lying back too far from, the
horse that is detailed to do the work. As a rule the distance
between the two is some eight or ten lengths. It should
never exceed two or three lengths ; for if you concede more
you are virtually making not a fast, but a waiting race of it.
You know that your pioneer is much worse than the one he is
started to assist, and cannot hurt him, go as fast as he will ;

144 TRIALS.

therefore when once the horse that is set to do the work is
fairly exhausted, the other should carry on the running : or
how can his condition and gameness tell ? The two best
paces I think I ever remember seeing, were in the Goodwood
Cup and the Caesarewitch. In the first Schism started to
assist Promised Land, and Woodbnm to do the same office for
his stable companion Prioress. The American horse started
at the top of his speed, but was not fast enough to make the
pace which Schism did, Promised Land lying a length from
the second horse until a mile from home, when he took up
the running, was never headed, and won in a common canter.
In the Caesarewitch, ICilligrew made the running for a mile,
when Dulcibella, who laid second until passing the ditch-gap,
took it up some 100 yards ahead of all the rest and won in a
trot. In another case, for the Emperor's Vase at Ascot, Joe
Miller took the lead and was never headed.

But this is a matter connected rather with the race itself
than with the trial — to return to which I should observe
that there are, in long courses, many fortuitous circum-
stances worthy of note. One horse, for example, may get
an advantage at the start ; this is usually little thought of,
nevertheless the lost ground has to be made up by his
opponents. Others, again, may lose ground at the turns,
or lie out of it, or be ridden to a standstill ; in point of
fact, from any one of these causes, the winner in a trial
may be the worst of the lot, and the trial a farce. The
mistakes made in trials are not only marvellous, but of
everyday occurrence. I cannot see why they should be so.
If you take for your trial horse one that has lately run
in public (which should always be the case), so that his
form at the time may be accurately known, and have
another to gauge his running, I can hardly see what mistakes

HINTS ON MISTAKES IN TRIALS. 145

could occur ; yet, as a matter of fact, as I have said, they do
occur, and far too often and inexplicably. The state of the
ground, for one thing, should be carefully considered in its
effect for or against individual animals. Neglect of this may
upset the rest of your calculations. For myself, I have very
seldom seen horses that have been properly tried, fail to ex-
hibit the same form in public — rogues only excepted. I can
only, therefore, conclude that when mistakes are made, they
are assuredly assignable to some cause, and may be traced
either to the want of foresight on the part of the trainer, or
to an opinionated owner, or to an unskilful jockey. It often
happens that little contretemps take place in trials and races
that the jockeys alone know of, and of which they seldom
speak unless questioned on the subject, which, if known,
would explain seeming contrarieties. It is often seen in a race
of twenty or thirty runners, that two-thirds of the number of
horses that have been highly tried and pronounced by astute
judges to have an excellent chance, are literally "never in
it," being beaten by some veritable outsider. In such cases
there must be something wrong, and a thorough investigation
is necessary. Were the case mine, I would do as I have
already described in the case of an unsatisfactory trial — I
would try over and over again until I had satisfied myself as
to the source of error, and then take precautions against a
repetition of it.

In illustration of the suggestions contained in this chapter,
I will describe two or three trials of which I was an eye-
witness.

The first took place here in the presence of a nobleman,
one of the cleverest and most experienced men on the turf,
between General Hesse, a speedy old horse, and a half-bred
Arab, over the T.Y.C. The latter, with only a boy up, beat

L

146 TRIALS.

the old horse, steered by one of our most accomplished jockeys,
and very easily too. For some reason, probably because of
the ease with which the trial was won, I doubted its correct-
ness, although the noble earl was satisfied, and the jockey had
no excuse to offer for the result. However, for my own satis-
faction, it was arranged that the old horse should be left with
me to try the other with again, neither his lordship nor the
jockey being able to stay or take part in the proceeding. A
few days afterwards, in a second trial in every respect the
same as the first, the General, with a stable-boy on his back,
entirely reversed the earlier result, beating his opponent as
easily as before he himself had been beaten, and confirming
my suspicions that all had not been right when the grey had
won too easily to please me.

Watching this trial very narrowly, as I did, and seeing
nothing in it that I thought I could alter, I felt sure it was
correct, and that the first one, from some unaccountable mis-
take, must have been wrong. I communicated the result to his
lordship on seeing him at Ascot, but he could scarcely believe
it, and still considered that the first trial with a jockey up
must have been the right one. The jockey, when told ot
it, was of the same opinion. The Generals opponent and
quondam victor ran, and was, as I was sure he would be, last.
Had prudential tactics not prevailed, there would have been
no second trial in this case ; the first would have been impli-
citly relied upon as correct. We should have lost our money,
and the blame would have been mine ; a sufficient reason,
on the trainer's part, to make " assurance doubly sure," by
trying a second time when the least doubt exists.

To account for so extraordinary a change as in this case
within so short a time, is, I candidly admit, beyond my power.
The probability, however, is that General Hesse got off cross-

FALSE PACE AND ITS RESULTS. 147

legged in the first trial, whilst the contingency was guarded
against in the second. Such is the glorious uncertainty which
racing can, as well as the law, claim for its own.

A similar case occurred with Crucifix for the Chesterfield
at Newmarket. A false start occurred ; but the race was run,
and the mare was easily beaten by Iris, to whom she could
have given two stone, if not more. It was run over again,
when Crucifix won as easily as her opponent had done in the
first instance.

One other example I will refer to. After Petra had won
the Steward's Cup at Chester, Mr. Copperthwaite asked me if
I would try his horse Rising Sun with her for the Derby,
asserting that his horse could beat his old mare Twilight at
even weights ; to which I replied that " anything that could do
that must be a good one," and suggested that they should be
put in the trial, not at even weights, but at seven pounds, as we
had better err on the right side, and not impose too severe a
task on the young one. This was done, and the young one was
easily beaten. Certainly a stone would not have brought him
near an animal he had just before beaten at another place at
even weights. In fact this was a complete reversal of the
first trial at the same distance, and, like most double trials,
the last one was the more correct. The fact is, the young
horse was beaten from the severity of the pace, as he certainly
went fast for a mile and then tired. Had a false pace been
indulged in he might have won again. Mr. Copperthwaite's
idea of trying would preclude any possibility of having a good
pace (a thing he would think so much against the young one)
whilst under his control or joint management at his training
quarters. In sum, his horse's earlier victory was sufficiently
explained by the system in vogue with its owner.

It will be abundantly seen that, for myself, I believe in

L 2

i43 TRIALS.

second trials in all cases of the slightest doubt, and most
strongly commend their adoption to others. A few days should
intervene if possible ; and all else that is necessary is, that the
animals should keep well, and the ground admit of the per-
formance. I know that second trials are considered by many
to be too severe, and are therefore condemned. But the prac-
tice is one I have the greatest faith in. I tried it with Dulcibclla
and Weatherbound, before their respective races at Newmarket ;
also with St. Giles and One Act, as I have already described,
and in no single instance have I had cause to regret it.

We all know that horses must gallop. There is no dis-
guising this fact, say what we may ; nor can there be any
objection to their doing so without their clothing, or with
boys up whose weight, more or less, you know : the difference
between a good gallop, such as they must have near the time
of their running, and a trial being simply this — in the one
you do not know the weights, in the other you do. But I go
further, and say it is better that they should gallop now and
again free from the incumbrance of a heavy suit of clothing,
and with a boy on their back whose weight you approximately
know. Indeed, it is folly to assume that any one would
neglect the practice who had at heart his own interest, and
that which is not only inseparable from it, but is his first
duty — the interest of his employers.

THE TRIAL OF YEARLINGS. 14'}

CHAPTER XVI.
TRIALS {continued).

I low yearlings should be tried, and instances : Parole and Crucifix — Schism's per-
formance as a yearling — Early trials recommended — The best method c.f
trying the two-year-old, and examples — The trial of older horses — Private
trials and public form ; uncertainty of the latter exemplified in the case of
Promised Land, Europa, and others — Trials proving ultimately more trust-
worthy than public form, and instances : Cossack and Hermit — Defeats
accounted for; instanced in the running of Fisherman, and mistakes of jockeys
— The case of Lady Elizabeth and her detractors discussed ; the mystery
accounted for ; analogous cases : Green Sleeves, Macgrcgor, Gamos, and
others.

It will be seen from what has gone before that I am
an advocate of early trials. I have already observed that
some horses as yearlings stay well three furlongs, but never
get beyond that distance ; and that some horses stay the
half-mile as two-year-olds, but do not later improve upon
this performance — facts that should be an important
guide.

Thus, with yearlings, try half a mile, and you will be
able without additional risk or expense to know more of
their real merits, and be a better judge of what they are
likely to be, than if you tried them only three furlongs.
Parole I tried this distance only, and paid dearly for my
first departure from an old-established and excellent rule.
She won easily, but could never get beyond that distance ;
though she won a little race at Brighton and was claimed,
but I think never won after.

150 TRIALS.

Crucifix, who was never beaten, was tried in September
half a mile with Seth, a four-year-old (a horse of fair
speed and the winner of many races) at two stone and
won easily. In fact, I was up myself, and think if I had
carried another stone I should have won, as the mare did
not show the least symptom of tiring ; and it may be taken
for granted that the pace was good, as my father rode the old
one, and was second, the two others tailing off a very
long way. Crucifix, the next and following year, won
thirteen times, including the Two Thousand, One Thousand,
and the Oaks ; clearly showing, not only that a half-mile
trial did her no harm, but, in the most indubitable way,
that it gave conclusive evidence of her superiority, which
a trial over a shorter course might have left in doubt — the
latter a most unsatisfactory mode of procedure.

Formerly yearlings were not only tried, but run in public ;
and I remember winning the yearling race already men-
tioned as the first on record, in 1856, at Shrewsbury with
a filly by Neasham, out of The Maid of Saragossa, beating
six others. And Schism, as has also been named, the
year following was only beaten a short head for a similar
race, which she ought to have won with consummate
ease, as her jockey lost more ground at starting than he
could ever recover in so short a distance. A remark-
able fact in this instance, and one worthy of record,
is that she was a leggy, overgrown, half- furnished sort of
mare, sixteen hands high at the time, and the least likely
animal to run such a course that can possibly be imagined.
Yet this race, in which she carried 7 st. 4 lbs., did not hurt
her, as she ran successfully for many years afterwards.

Nevertheless, there are many professed judges who object
to any trial at all until the horses are three years old ; before

THE TRIAL OF THE TWO-YEAR-OLD. 151

which age they would not have them run. Others, again,
think that two years is the best age. Yet, I think,
after what has been shown here, that there can be no
valid objection to trial as yearlings, or to the adoption
of my principle ; which is : — Try early, and discard the
animals that are found wanting, keeping only those that
show actual merit, and those that, having breeding, sound-
ness, and size to recommend them, give promise of im-
provement with age.

And so with the trial of the two-year-old : as the half-
mile is recommended for the yearling, I advocate a
longer distance for the older horse. If the two-year-old
that stays the half-mile, as I have said many can do but
no more, had after or before winning in public at that
distance been tried three-quarters of a mile, his non-staying
powers would have been discovered, and much useless
expenditure of money saved, by not engaging him in a
host of races beyond that distance, no one of which he would
have the ghost of a chance of winning.

Furthermore, if I wished to try a good two-year-old
early in the spring, I should ask him to beat a first-class
speedy three-year-old, five furlongs at two stone, and in
the autumn, three-quarters of a mile at sixteen or eighteen
pounds ; and if the young one won, I should expect, and
most likely find, I had a good horse. I know Lady
Elizabeth beat Julius at ten pounds, and I also remember
Vulture gave Grey Momus two stone and beat him in
a canter in the autumn, and the next year he won
the Two Thousand and other races. One Act, the week
before Sultan won the Cambridgeshire, could beat him
a mile at twenty-two pounds, and most likely would have
done so six furlongs at eighteen pounds : and though

•52

TRIALS.

neither was first class, both could and did win good races.
Indeed one of them was about as far from " the top of
the tree " as the other, and so they answer the purpose of
illustration as well as better horses.

I should also expect to see a good three-year-old beat
the best four-year-old in May at sixteen or eighteen pounds,
a mile, and a mile and a half at twenty or twenty-one
pounds, and in the autumn at ten pounds. I think many
horses are never better for courses up to and under two
miles than as three-year-olds in October and November.
Dulcibella and Promised Land were never so good after
that age, though they were both very sound animals, and
ran many times subsequently.

Having discussed the trial of the yearling, and of older
horses, it may be well before entering into our next topic,
to glance at private trials in contrast with public form ;
the latter, the great test of a horse's merit with the majority
of the lovers of the turf.

The staunch attendant at race-meetings will on all occa-
sions look for the winner in public form. He diligently
searches his " Ruff's Guide," or " Racing Calendar," and from
one or the other, it must be allowed, sometimes finds
what he looks for. But the owner or trainer believes
implicitly in private trials ; and these, if properly and ably
managed, are the safer guides. For in racing to obtain
knowledge, you run with too many; whilst in trials, with
only a few : and added to this, which I think is an ad-
vantage, in the latter you have the undoubted benefit of
secrecy. Before running you can by trials, gauge collaterally
the merits of horses that have run, whilst no one else has
any knowledge of the merits of your own horses until
they have appeared in public.

CORRECT TRIALS REVERSED IN PUBLIC. 153

To show how often public running is incorrect, if not
actually monstrous, I will comment upon certain examples ;
but first, however, will state that I have seen very many
instances of horses that have been well and properly tried,
being backed on their first appearance in public, and winning.

Promised Land, at Goodwood, beat a horse that before
had not been beaten, and the latter {North Lincoln) was
most certainly, at the distance, the best horse of his year.
This would seem a contradiction, were it not added that
he was conceding five pounds (for previous victories) to his
conqueror. Lord of the Lsles did a similar thing, at the
same place, by winning the Molecombe Stakes ; as did
also Banditto, who after being beaten at Ascot, in his turn
defeated Europa, who until that time, like North Lincoln,
had been without an equal. I think that on this race there
was more betting than I ever remember on any race of
the kind before or since : the patrons of the Danebury
stables relying on public form, on which Europa was a
long way ahead of her opponents ; whilst we based our
assumptions solely on private trials, which led us to believe
the Ascot running was all wrong, and the form of our horse
better than that publicly shown by Europa. The accuracy
of our conclusion was proved to the very letter by the
result.

Wild Dayrcll may also be quoted in confirmation of the
truth that trials, when carefully carried out, are the safest
guides. For he won the first time he ran at Newmarket, and
the following year he won the Derby.

To these could be added endless instances of the trust-
worthiness of home trials, verified by the performances of
the same horses in their public races : but let those already
given suffice ; and let us turn to the other side of the picture.

154 TRIALS.

and show a few cases in which the best horses have been
beaten in their races after winning their trials.

At many places we have seen horses running with a great
reputation derived from home trials, easily beaten in public ;
yet afterwards reversing the result in the most decisive
manner : proving beyond all doubt that the race, and not
the trial was wrong — though no one detected or could
account for the error.

Cossack was beaten for the July Stakes ; and this was
undoubtedly a mistake, for he won the Derby afterwards.
Hermit was likewise beaten at Newmarket as a two-year-old,
and the following year he also won the Derby. In neither
of these cases could any one see where the error existed ;
the public believed the two-year-old races were right, whilst
the owners believed in the trials and knew the races were
a farce. It was abundantly proved, by their subsequent
running, that the trials were right and the races when the
horses were beaten, were all wrong. So far therefore I think
trials may more safely be trusted than races.

Public form is often so contradictory that little reliance can
be placed on it • for have we not seen horses win one day
and be beaten the next in the same company, without the
semblance of cause for the transposition of places ? I may
add that hundreds of instances might be found, if only the
finding would repay the trouble of the search. But a few
will be given to emphasize the untrustworthy character
of public running.

I have seen the same horses win easily one day that have
been beaten a long distance the next in the same company, at
the same respective weights, over the same course and with
the same jockeys up. Who is to account for these extra-
ordinary performances ? Such races, like others before

DEFEATS ACCOUNTED FOR. 155

mentioned, become the more perplexing the more they arc
studied ; and even to the cognoscenti are little better than
enigmas. It is not, I feel sure, possible that any one should
give a satisfactory solution why the races so opposite in results
ended as they did, or say which of the two results was the
right one, or if neither or both were correct.

There are instances again when defeat of highly-tried
horses may be accounted for ; as, for example, when Nimrod
beat Fisherman and Marionette at Stockbridge in 1859. The
owner of Fisherman gave me £2$ and paid Nimrotfs stake
(£10) to make running for him. This the rider of Marionette
also knew, and Fisherman and Marionette waited together
so far behind that they never could get up and were easily
defeated, both being about two stone better than the horse
that was enabled to beat them through the circumstances
described. A singular case of this sort took place not many
years ago at the same spot, when odds of fifty to one were
actually laid on a horse which waited such a long way behind
his stable companion, a mare, that he could never catch her,
and so was defeated by a head. These are mistakes oc-
casioned by the want of foresight and common prudence on
the part of the jockeys : and who knows how many other
mistakes are made by them in a different way in large fields,
that are not detected ?

I have elsewhere said that horses are not always well
though they may appear to be in the most perfect health ;
and others in their races meet with disappointments which if
known at the time would account for much of their in-and-
out running. But surely there must be at the bottom of all
this extraordinary and inconsistent running, some all-powerful
cause (which, though unknown, is certain in its effect) that
time may help to unravel for us.

IS6 TRIALS.

The instances I have given are so numerous, and I trust
so much to the point, that I think nothing more will be
required to show that public running is not the infallible
guide that many hold it to be ; but rather that owners of
horses and those having the opportunity to watch them
in private trials, have the better groundwork to rely upon.
But I cannot conclude all reference to the topic without
calling to mind the circumstances of the celebrated, or as
some may be inclined to call her, the notorious, Lady Eliza-
beth, and contrasting her running as a two- and as a three-
year-old ; performances in the one case so extremely good
in the other so wonderfully bad. It may be well at the
same time to cite one or two other remarkable cases which
will supplement what I have already 'said in Chapter XII.
on the mysteries of in-and-out running.

As a two-year-old, Lady Elizabeth ran thirteen times
winning twelve races, her only defeat being by Green Sleeves,
when carrying ten pounds extra in the Middle Park Plate.
Undoubtedly her best performance was in a match T.Y.C.
against Julius at ten pounds difference (equal only to an
allowance of seven pounds if sex be considered) when she
won by a length ; her opponent having only just before
won the Caesarewitch, a long course, which, as staying -was
not, in my opinion, his forte, makes the victory the more
remarkable — for she met him at his own distance, which
was the T.Y.C. or at most a mile.

As a three-year-old she could beat nothing. She ran four
times, and was never even placed. Her first appearance in
public in that year was for the Derby, her starting-price in
the betting being seven to four. No sporting man is likely
ever to forget the sensation caused by her ignominious defeat.
Nothing like it had been known for years, or has been known

LADY ELIZABETH AND HER DETRACTORS. 157

since. All kinds of sinister reports were circulated. She
had been poisoned ; she had been pulled ; she had been
trained to death. Nor were these all ; for amongst innumer-
able insinuations then in circulation too base for repetition
here, it was pretty freely said that every man in the stable,
as well as every friend of those in it, had made a muni-
ficent fortune by rascality at the expense of the ever-
confiding and credulous British public ; which had been
unblushingly and grossly victimised, and as usual left to
grumble and bear it.

But when we come to the facts of the case, we find that
nothing was ever put forward to show that the mare was
either improperly treated or neglected in any way. And I
think that we have a right to assume that there was no
ground for the complaints ; but rather that credit should be
given to those in charge of her for assiduity in everything
that skill or experience could suggest for her well-being, and
that the whole mystery may be summed up in these few
words : no robbery took place, nor was one ever contem-
plated ; the mare had simply lost her form — she was not so
good as a three- as she was as a two-year-old.

Nevertheless, although I myself and others whose veracity
cannot be doubted, may assert that she lost her form or her
temper, I am aware it is not easy to make incredulous people
see the matter in the same light. Therefore, for the benefit
of these unbelievers, I will add a word or two more. If any
one actuated by dishonest motives, or the inordinate love of
gain, took advantage of the opportunities to his hand in the
Derby, it is yet impossible for the boldest of these declaimers
of the sins of others to assert that any sordid motives could
influence the mare's running in subsequent races ; and in
these it was equally bad. This fact should be of itself

158 TRIALS.

sufficient, even if other proofs were not forthcoming, to
silence those so ready to impute evil motives to others.

But what after all, it may be asked, was there so very
different in Lady Elizabeth's running to that of hundreds of
others of which nothing is heard afterwards ? The reader
who has done me the honour to follow me so far, will have
read of instances as confounding, which have been adduced
for the purpose of illustrating other points in connection with
the racehorse. But a few more may be given.

Look at Green Sleeves, who as a two-year-old was the only
animal that ever beat Lady Elizabeth. She was, if possible,
worse than her opponent at three years old; and had she
not been beaten for the One Thousand, would have had
as good a right to favouritism for any race as Lady Eliza-
beth herself. The Maid of Orleans was another example of
a mare that, excellent as a two-year-old, could beat nothing
afterwards. Then for an instance of later running upsetting
the earlier in an exactly opposite way, we have Formosa.
At two years old she only won three races out of nine,
being beaten by a mare {Europd) that had been beaten
at Goodwood by Banditto; but as a three-year-old com-
pletely turned the tables on those that had beaten her before
— winning the One Thousand, the Oaks, and the St. Leger,
and running a dead heat for the Two Thousand. After
such victories as a three-year-old, can her earlier perform-
ances be said to be a whit more explicable than the
running of the other mares whose best form was their
earliest form ?

Take another case ; that of Macgrcgor, who after winning
the Two Thousand, started for the Derby at nine to four (as
he had a right to start, if any horse be entitled to such a
price). He was not placed, and so far as I recollect,

ANALOGOUS CASES : GRE EN SLEEVES AND GAMOS. 159

never won afterwards. Hester, again, for whom even coney-
was taken for the Oaks, was like Macgregor unplaced ; and
she was a good mare as a two-year-old, and even at three
won the One Thousand.

Lastly, there is Gamos. In 1869 this mare, then a two-
year-old, wins six races out of the eight she runs for. In
the following spring she is, at Bath, beaten so easily in
indifferent company, that her jockey has to pull her up,
and she does not pass the winning-post. Yet in the next
week, in the hands of the very same jockey, she wins the
Oaks ! Surely this case will be allowed to be the strangest
of all I have mentioned ; yet it was but a day's wonder,
whilst the cases of Lady Elizabeth and some others have
been in the mouths of the racing-public for months. With
such examples, one must think that racing with them, like
kissing with others, must go by favour.

160 JOCKEYS.

CHAPTER XVI T.

JOCKEYS.

Difficulties in obtaining good jockeys — Necessity of reform of the light-weight
scale — Evils of having boys in the saddle in short and in long courses —
Audacity of the boys — Heavy jockeys wanted — Temptations in their path ;
lavish gifts. to children — Results of extravagance — The simple remedy, to pay
a fair wage — Value of an able and experienced jockey — Remuneration in
days gone by ; the Duke of Grafton's gift ; my own experience ; incident at
Welbeck Abbey — The work of a jockey in the past and present contrasted ;
wasting in the old days ; luxury versus deprivations.

The difficulties of the trainer do not end when he has had
the happy fortune to secure a good horse, and to bring him fit
and well to the post ; for then comes the all-important and
difficult-to-be-answered question, " Who is to ride him ? "
In times gone by, in the days of Chifney and Robinson,
there were men of talent in the profession who rode scienti-
fically. To-day, with a few brilliant exceptions, the charge
often heard that our jockeys are " a host of butcher-boys " is
unfortunately not very far from the truth ; for they are for
the most part precocious lads who neither know their own
business, nor will submit to be taught it by those who dp.
If you have weight to spare, you may chance to secure the
services of an experienced jockey; but the chance is a very
slender one, and more often you have to put up a useless
boy, and bear as best you can the inevitable defeat.

RESULTS OF HAVING BOYS IN THE SADDLE. 161

Of all the reforms needed in turf matters, the revision of
the light-weight scale is the most urgent. The necessity
of this is not more keenly felt, or its adoption more earnestly
desired by any, than by the older jockeys and by trainers.
The result of the riding of the pigmies who are now put up,
is but a series of mistakes from first to last, as owners must
have learned to their cost.

At the start, boys (for I allude to them — the light-weights
of the present day) are generally left at the post or get
badly off, and ride their horses to a standstill before half the
distance has been gone over, in the vain hope of regaining
their lost ground. After the race the youngster has the
audacity, with smiling face, to tell you he was first away to a
very good start ; at any rate he will never admit being further
from the first horse than a length or two. It may well be
asked how is the trainer or his employer, who has not himself
witnessed the start, to know the merits of his own horse or of
those of other people, when condemned to accept the state-
ments of these urchins ? What possible chance has your
horse in a race, T.Y.C. or five furlongs, with twenty or thirty
runners, in which the loss of a few lengths would seriously
jeopardise your chance in the hands of an experienced jockey,
if with a mere boy up, treble that distance be lost ? The
horse would in reality be very much better in his stable.
These mishaps not only occur daily, but will never cease to
do so, so long as boys are in the saddle.

It is unfortunately not much better in long distance races.
It is true that in these the start is not so all-important. The
lost ground may be made up, and your hopes momentarily
raised at the prospect of success : yet before the lad's assist-
ance is needed, it is apparent he is too tired to urge his
horse to his utmost speed; he loses a race he ought to

M

i62 JOCKEYS

have won, and you receive the heartfelt condolence of your
friends on your bad luck. If, nettled at the result, you
venture a remonstrance, the youth, with a confident audacity
will lay the blame upon the horse, and will addwith supreme
indifference, " If I had not minded what I was about, I
should have gone the wrong side of a post or two, I was
shut in and run against;" and will wind up by affirming
with the utmost complacency, " I managed to keep him
straight, and made a good effort to win at the proper time."
If this be not the excuse, he will probably look you in the face
and declare that your horse was not fit, and that beat him.

This is the result of trials and months of watchfulness at
home. Your calculations are upset by the woful exhibitions
of these pigmies when your horse, in primest condition, comes
to run in public. And nothing that I can see will alter this
lamentable state of things, until the scale of weights be
raised, when the services of men may be secured in lieu of
those of boys.

It must certainly be said for these unfortunates who ruin
themselves in the destruction they thus deal broadcast on
others, that they are but boys. A portion of the blame is
their own ; but another, and the greater part of it, falls to
others. Lord Byron says : —

" The youth who trains to ride or run a race,
Must bear privations with unruffled face."

It would be well if this couplet were borne in mind by
employers, friends, and backers ; for often the lads, intoxi-
cated with the success that in reality they have done so
little to achieve, will, at the invitation of fortunate backers,
drink champagne and smoke cigars, until the indulgence in
these things becomes a confirmed habit. Then they forget
themselves, and lose their position by leaving, with the joy

EFFECTS OF LAVISH GIFTS TO CHILDREN. 163

almost of a manumitted slave, their masters, who often
are their only real friends.

The system of lavish gifts to jockeys who are no more than
children is one of the gravest errors of the present day.
We remember, as one early instance of this, how Captain
Scott, looked up to and worshipped as a modern Croesus,
used freely to reward boys on the least success, whether that
success resulted from merit or accident ; a misguided bounty
as ruinous to the lads as it was to himself. Even grown
men are not always proof against the fascinations of pros-
perity ; for we see instances, happily few I grant, of jockeys
winning more than one Derby and other great races in almost
unbroken succession, and thus rapidly amassing large for-
tunes, only to fall beneath the weight, consigning themselves
through intemperance and negligence to wretchedness and
to the poverty from which they had so lately emerged.

Gentlemen would do well to think twice before placing
such temptations in the way of boys. If gifts be made to the
deserving, let the money be given in proper keeping until
the lads are old enough to appreciate the value of the
present ; when it would be of service to them, and its donor
remembered with gratitude.

" The world," it is said, " has not yet learned the riches of
frugality." It is to be feared that movement in this respect is
rather retrograde than progressive. I am bound to say, that
in my opinion much of the misbehaviour of our light-weight
jockeys has its rise in the extravagant presents made them by
owners of winning horses — at least tenfold what they merit or
indeed should receive. Latent presumption is thus turned to
impudence, exhibited to any and to all who are not in a posi-
tion, or, as a matter of principle, decline to pay on the same
absurd scale.

M 2

164 JOCKEYS.

" Then you will plainly understand that the next time I
ride for you I shall know what to do." This, or a similar
impertinence, rises at once to the lips of these tiny boys
when addressing men who are not only their masters but
old enough to be their grandfather.

But the remedy is simple, if it is not likely to be adopted.
Pay them fairly but no more, and they would soon learn that
"civility gains esteem." Indeed, for my part, I see no reason
why even an old and valued jockey, much less a mere lad,
should be paid so much in excess of his real deserts : he takes
no trouble, has no anxiety, never probably having seen the
animal he rides until a few minutes before the start, and in a
few minutes afterwards, is presented with ;£i,ooo or even
double that amount for riding, be it ever so badly. Some
may, and I know do say, that such sums are given to en-
courage acts of honesty; and that smaller payments would
have a contrary effect at a subsequent period. Now the
truth is, that whatever power a jockey may possess, or
however brilliantly he may exercise it, so long as he
receives the regulation fee, he is well and fairly paid for
his services ; and I should have little faith in the honesty
of a jockey whose moral rectitude " stood on such slippery
ground " as the expectation of gratuitous and in reality
unearned money.

I think no right-minded or liberal man would for a moment
object to pay for talent, real or supposed. As a matter
of fact, most owners do so, by the salary given for a call
for the services of this or the other jockey, sometimes even
to boys ; but any payment beyond this is an act of gene-
rosity and should be so considered. But when a jockey
rides in your trial and works himself night and day to
reduce himself to the proper weight by wasting, and faith-

FAIR REMUNERATION THE SIMPLE REMEDY. 165

fully keeps your secrets, then a present, and a substantial
one, would be but a well-deserved compliment, which it
would be a meanness to withhold.

But I have already avowed my appreciation of the services
of an able jockey. It is to those who are better described as
unformed riders than as jockeys, that I particularly refer. To
such boys the gift of a small sum might not only be welcome,
but amply sufficient to foster honesty and frugality. If this
were to be the practice, we should see an end of the ruinous
dissipation indulged in by these mites — the result of lavish
gifts accepted without thanks.

If we turn to days gone by, we shall find things very dif-
ferent, and in their results very much more satisfactory. When
boys as jockeys were neither wanted nor known, men used to
look upon a five-pound note for services well and truly per-
formed as an acceptable present. What would the jockeys of
to-day think of a present offered to them like the following,
and for similar services ? After winning the Two Thousand,
the One Thousand, and the Newmarket Stakes for the Duke
of Grafton, the jockey was requested to attend at the lodging
of Lord G. Fitzroy (the duke's brother) who wished to make
him a present. His lordship, after descanting on the jockey's
virtues as a man and his ability as a jockey, finished a
diatribe of about half-an-hour's duration by taking from his
writing-desk a purse, and saying, " In the Duke's name, and
for him, I present you with two new five-pound notes on the
bank at Bury St. Edmunds, and beg you will take care of
them." This was rather a different method of appreciating
or rewarding talent to that customary now, and yet they had
honest jockeys, and good ones too, in those days.

Judging from my own experience, I do not think rich gifts
were often presented to jockeys then or for some years after ;

166 JOCKEYS.

for the first and only present I ever received, was .£5 for
winning on Bracelet -aX. Newmarket, although I rode the winners
of the Ascot Cup, and of very many other weight-for-age
races, and handicaps, on CJiapeau d'Espag?ie, Ratsbane, Airy
and others. But I should add that Mr. C. C. Greville very
generously gave me fifty pounds for riding The Drummer in
the trial with Mango, after the latter had won the St. Leger.

A present once made me for riding a trial deserves to be
mentioned, more for the nice manner in which it was given
than for the value of it. It was at Welbeck Abbey, where
with my father and Mr. Flatman I had gone to ride a trial for
the late Duke of Portland,1 who requested all his servants to
attend in the park to see it, his Grace being judge. When
everything was ready we started, all " sporting colours,"
as if it were for a race, and when over we partook of some
refreshment, during which time his Grace sent a letter and
enclosed each of us a £S note, whilst to me he said " he
was satisfied with the way I had ridden, and he hoped I
should make even a better man than my father."

If we come to compare the work done in old days by jockeys
with what is done to-day, we shall find as great extremes ; and
it may be added, parenthetically, in the work done by stable-
boys as well. It was once no uncommon sight at Newmarket
to see, daily, ten or a dozen wasting jockeys returning from an
eight-mile walk, thoroughly exhausted. Now such a thing is
scarcely known, and never done, except with a few of our
oldest men. Jockeys then were seen riding over Newmarket
Heath, with a light saddle tied round their waist, in their
boots and breeches, and carrying their own saddles to the
scales, and saddling their own horses. Now, most of them ride
in carriages to the course dressed as gentlemen in the very

1 Written in 187S.

A JOCKEY'S WORK AS IT WAS AND IS. 167

height of the fashion, and having their horses saddled for them.
What would such jockeys think of riding from Exeter to
Stockbridge on a small pony with their light saddle tied round
their waist after the races, and arriving at the latter place in
time to ride there, and to start for Southampton races, the
next in order, in ample time to ride ? Mr. Montgomery Dilly
and my father both did this when boys, for two consecutive
years. Old Mr. Forth, as a boy, I am told, used to rise from
his bed and walk wasting during the night, in order to keep
himself light, besides doing his daily work. And when my
father trained, he often wasted by walking on the Downs
during the time the horses were taking their exercise ; which
is much more tiring than walking on the road. And yet
with all his riding and with 100 horses under his charge,
he had no one to wait on him, neither valet, amanuensis,
nor clerk. Similar cases might be given by scores ; but I
think enough has been said to show how great is the change
for the worse, not only as regards their physical capability,
but the inclination to exert themselves, in the jockeys of the
present day.

i68 JOCKEYS.

CHAPTER XVIII.

JOCKEYS {continued).

Examples of the diverse running of horses when ridden by boys and by men :
Fraulein, Valuer, Dulcamara, and Noisy — Disastrous results of putting up
boys — Recalcitrant jockeys — Declarations to win : instances of disobedience ;
at Shrewsbury ; The Cur and Collingwood and Mr. Rolt's retirement ; Mr.
J. B. Starkey's disappointment with Viridis and Land Tax; the Duke of
Hamilton's better fortune with Lollipop and Midlothian ; copy of letter to
Spotting Gazette on the Wrekin Nursery at Shrewsbury, with suggestions.

I WILL now give a few instances of horses running with
boys on their backs, and compare the running of the same
animals with men in the saddle.

Fraulein, running at Goodwood in the Steward's Cup, with
six stone four pounds on her, was not placed ; but running after-
wards for the Doncaster Cup, beat Marie Stuart, and won other
races at other places in the hands of men, showing about
three stone improvement. Again, we see at the same meeting
(Goodwood) that Valuer, running with six stone four pounds
on his back, was not one of the first twenty ; and yet he was
always better than Historian at even weights. He ran no better
at Newmarket with similar weights the same year, which was
some twenty-eight pounds worse than his real form — a fact that
was afterwards publicly proved by the many races he won
when carrying two stone more in much the same company.

Again, I think I make no mistake in attributing the
defeats for the Chester Cup of Dulcamara and Noisy (the two
best horses that, in my opinion, I ever tried) solely to the

RECALCITRANT JOCKEYS. 169

incompetence of the boys that rode them. Noisy was beaten
with five stone four pounds on him, and won the Dee Stakes
with eight stone seven pounds in the hands of a man in the
commonest of canters, and beating such horses as Lord-
Alfred, Lady Tatton, Corcebtcs, and other good ones at even
weights the same week.

I think it is clear that such riders can only enrich the book-
maker, who has the chapter of accidents in his favour ; and
that to their employer, who is obliged to stand or fall by the
solitary object of his choice, these performances mean nothing
but ruin to all but millionaires.

There is another difficulty with jockeys in our day which
has yet to be described. We have seen that the urchins put
up to ride have not always the power to do as they should,
even when they have the desire. But there are other cases in
which riders can and ought to do their duty, but when, by the
wilful disobedience of the legitimate instructions of their em-
ployers, they render racing no longer a science, but a game of
chance on a par with hazard, and make the opinion of the
tyro equal to that of the sage. Happily such cases are few ;
but that they do occur with both boys and men, there is
evidence as ample as there is certainty that, with the latter at
least, such a thing should never be.

I allude to races in which "a declaration to win" has
been made.

If an owner runs two horses in a race, he has a right to
declare with which of the two he will win ; that is, supposing
that the one he selects can beat all the other horses in the
race except his stable companion. On such occasions, we
sometimes see the jockey who is riding the other horse come
and win, when the animal concerning which the declara-
tion has been made is second, in open defiance of positive

170 JOCKEYS.

instructions, and possibly to the ruin of his employer. Such
a case happened at Shrewsbury in 1871, and produced some
spirited letter-writing : Admiral Rous taking one, and in my
opinion, the wrong side ; whilst Mr. Chaplin, with his usual
acumen, ably advocated the right.

I will now name one or two other cases ; not, be it under-
stood, that they are the only ones I could put my hand upon,
but because they will suffice to show that the instances are in
themselves too frequent, and something of the immense injury
that such occurrences may produce. The first I remember
seeing was with Mr. Rolt's two horses, Collingwood and The
Cur, at Goodwood in 1847. He declared to win with Colling-
wood, but George Whitehouse beat him on The Cur by a
length, and nothing else near. The incident caused, as one
might expect, a great deal of excitement and much angry
feeling at the time, and led to an investigation on the subject.
The jockey's explanation, that he mistook the colours of the
rider of Collingwood, was accepted, and so the matter ended.
Mr. Rolt lost large sums by the result, and to this may be
attributed his retirement from the turf, which took place soon
after. Mr. J. B. Starkey had a similar case happen to him with
Viridis and Land Tax. The latter was backed for many and
heavy sums, whilst no one had backed the other for a guinea.
The owner made the usual declaration to win with Land Tax,
who beat all the rest in the field but his stable companion, the
latter winning easily. This fatal action of the jockey's not only
caused Mr. Starkey's secession from the turf, but, it is to be
feared, brought about the ruin of an honourable and estimable
man ; for he went abroad, where he died a few years after.

In contrast to such fatal performances, it must have been
truly gratifying to his Grace the Duke of Hamilton to win as
he did, his orders being obeyed to the very letter in the hands

DECLARATIONS TO WIN DISOBEYED. 171

of a jockey who not only knew his business but did it, when
on Lollipop he allowed Midlothian to win, though the latter
might have been beaten as easily as the selected horse was
beaten in either of the disastrous instances named.

I shall conclude my remarks on this subject by giving in
extenso a letter of my own written in 1871, which I trust may
be thought to deal in some measure with so serious a matter.

To the Editor of the Sporting Gazette.

Sir, — To the many remarks the extraordinary running for
the Wrekin Nursery has called forth, may I be allowed to
add a few, which I trust will be found pertinent ? An owner
of horses has so many difficulties to contend with, that few
men can tell where they commence, and none where they
may end. Suffice it for me to draw attention to a few adverse
circumstances that may happen to any owner. Even with the
start, or rather I should say no start, or at the least a bad
one, your hopes may be frustrated. Your jockey may come
in short of weight, he may carry too much without declaring
it, or be too late in doing so ; he may go the wrong course,
the wrong side of a post, or, in racing phraseology, he may
" come too soon " or " too late," and so lose the race he ought
to have won. These, though casualties none can foresee or
prevent, are, nevertheless, very annoying when they occur,
and enough to deter many from racing that would otherwise
do so. But when jockeys wilfully disregard their legitimate
orders, then no censure can be too severe, and correction
should in every case be administered at once ; for, if not
openly condemned, it would tacitly be offering a premium for
insubordination and dishonesty. There is generally some sin-
ister motive for acts of disobedience on the part of refractory
jockeys — I do not say it is so with all, but with many — which
requires strong repressive measures to prevent its repetition.

Such races as the " Wrekin " happily are not of frequent
occurrence. Still, we hear of them too often. Look at the
race with Mr. Wreford's two, many years ago, at Stockbridge ;

172 JOCKEYS.

then we have The Cur and Collingivood at Goodwood ; and of
later date, Viridis and Land Tax at Stockbridge. But why
multiply instances ? Enough, I think, has been shown of such
disgraceful exhibitions to induce the authorities to take the
matter in hand, and make a rule more stringent ; so that in
future, if any owner runs two horses in a race, and declares to
win with one, should the other come in first (provided they are
first and second), he should be placed as the last horse in the
race, and the stakes and bets be awarded to the second, or
"declared" winner, and so render to the owner that which he
is justly entitled to, and will always expect, at the hands of an
impartial and all-powerful tribunal — his rights. The offending
jockey should in every case be heavily fined and suspended.

This modification, I think, would meet the exigencies of
the case better than by doing away altogether with the
custom as it now stands. It would be a great injustice to
an owner who may have two or more horses in a race if he
is not allowed the privilege of declaring to win as heretofore ;
for the best horse may be hors de combat from a variety of
untoward circumstances, and if fortunate enough to win with
his worst, it would afford him a little consolation for the dis-
appointment with the other. Moreover, it would help the
entries and strengthen the fields, and so in both and other
ways act beneficially on racing in general.

Yours obediently,

An Owner.

With these observations on declarations to win, the consi-
deration of the performances in the saddle of to-day may fitly
terminate in this place ; although when we come to discuss
weights, and, later,' to offer suggestions for remedies of cur-
rent practices, the evils of the prevalence of light-weight
riders will again come before us. These two chapters, it is
trusted, may suffice to show how desirable it is, before sending
your horses to the post, to have secured the services, if it has
been practicable to do so, of an able and upright jockey.

THE DIFFERENT RACE-COURSES. I73

CHAPTER XIX.

THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

The different race-courses ; effect of their shape and slope. Mr. Copperthwaite on
the Derby Course ; incorrectness of his deductions— Fitness of the horse the
sole essential— Examples from the Epsom and Ascot courses, and inferences-
Running in wet and dry weather ; effect of deep ground ; instances : Joe
Miller, Speed the Plough, and Oxonian— Racehorses across country: Emblem
and Emblematic ; Joco a failure — Ownership : Erroneous popular view of the
duty of owners to the public ; Admiral Rous's evidence on scratching, &c.
before the House of Commons ; fallacy of the view exposed— Conflicting
public judgment of horses and its fallibility ; instances: The Hero falls lame
and wins after, Bird on the Wing's illness, Hermit's reported accident — The
real reason why horses are not seen oftener at the post, "forestalling" —
Owners and their friends ; value of secrecy ; how secrets are revealed and
fatal results ; exposure of letters — Eminent racing tacticians and their errors :
Admiral Rous and WeatJurgage ; Mr. C. C. Greville's career ; anecdote of
the latter ; ultra self-confidence the reason of only partial success — Regis-
tered names and their publicity ; current evils of the custom and suggested
remedy — The anonymous letter-writer; instance of his malpractices at
Whitewall.

ALTHOUGH it is not my intention to describe the race itself,
an event which has been graphically delineated by many pens,
there are some points worthy to be noted by owners and trainers,
even when the horse on which all hopes are centred is fit to
run, and the services of a good jockey have been retained.

A thing of great importance, but one which is often over-
looked or too lightly considered, is the state of the ground,

174 THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

wet or dry, and how diversely horses are affected by running
over it in its different states ; and yet another thing not to be
omitted from the calculation, is the superiority of one horse to
another over different race-courses of the same length. With
regard to the latter, the shape ought not to be totally ignored :
whether the course have sharp angles or be straight, whether
the ascent be steep or gradual, or the gradient of decline be
little or much, or whether it be wholly flat. By carefully
considering these things, advantages may be gained that would
not appear to a superficial observer.

When speaking of the external conformation of the horse,
how often do we hear that he has a back that will carry him
up the hill, but that his shoulders will never allow him to come
down it ? Without defining the reason, which I think is very
obscure, we know, as a matter of fact, that some horses do run
better over one course than another even of the same length.
One animal may have pluck and stamina enabling him to run
over a severe course, whilst another may lack both, and yet be
better over an easy one than the former. And this will happen
though both may be trained alike, and there be nothing to
indicate from external appearance why one can stay and the
other cannot, or why the one should show to better advantage
over one course than another.

It would seem to be Mr. Copperthwaite's opinion that train-
ing has something to do with this matter ; although it should
be said that his observations on the point bear as much or
more on the subject of severe training — a subject on which, it
has been already shown, I think he is mistaken. Therefore,
before giving instances of the different running of horses over
different courses, I shall briefly notice his remarks. "No
doubt," he says, " the Derby course is about the most severe
and trying in England." Here I disagree with him, for I think

THE EPSOM AND ASCOT COURSES. . 175

it is one of the easiest, or one which circumstances often render
so. In proof of this I may say, that generally the horses only
canter up the hill, which is a fact shown by their being all
together at the top, and then they run at a good pace the
last three-quarters of a mile down hill. " The consequence
is," he adds, " that more valuable horses are broken down
from this cause when training for this race than from many
of the others put together. Such a horse will never stand a
Derby preparation. Why ? Because he is frequently galloped
to death and broken down." Such reasoning to my mind is
diametrically opposed to common sense. For it appears to
me that to say a horse is fit to run over one course a given
distance, and not over the same distance on another, is little
less than sheer nonsense. It is just as absurd to allege that it
takes more or less work and requires it differently administered
for preparation to run over opposite courses of the same length
as we find them here in England. Horses cannot but be fit,
as I have elsewhere demonstrated, and when fit to run one
course must be fit to run any other, provided only it be the
same length.

But to return to more directly consider how horses are
diversely affected by running on different courses, I may say
that probably the two most dissimilar courses in England are
Ascot and Epsom, over the last three-quarters of a mile. The
one is all up hill, and the other all down. Conspiracy may
fairly be said to run at least sixteen pounds better over Epsom,
than any other course. Of this we have public proof, whilst
other horses do the same at Ascot. Sir Charles won the
Royal Hunt Cup there very easily, owing to his preference for
the course, for he never won before or after, though he often
tried elsewhere ; and by a strange oversight he never ran
there again. He left me shortly after the victory because the

176 THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

owner did not win money enough on him, and I was not
therefore the cause of his subsequent mismanagement.

These instances have a lesson of their own. There is evi-
dently a something in particular race-courses that alters the
running of some horses ; and what that something is, it is
incumbent on the trainer to ascertain, if he can do so, before
engaging them. There are certain methods which readily
suggest themselves. Horses could be tried up hill with
stayers, or down hill with speedy animals ; or might be
galloped across the flat at Newmarket or the reverse way
of it : whilst on other courses, similar opportunities might
be found, which would give some clue to the probable per-
formance of the animal on this or the other race-course.

As for the state of the ground itself, this is not less import-
ant : for it has often more to do with the success or defeat of
racehorses than many suspect or would be inclined to believe.
Some horses cannot run on wet ground ; others, when it is
hard ; some again can go well on either : whilst others are
best when it is neither wet nor dry, but simply what is called
" good going " — though as a rule it should be said the majority
are most at home when it is either one thing or the other.

Joe Miller could run when it was hard or soft, and of this
power he gave two remarkable instances by winning the
Chester Cup with the ground as hard as a brick, and the
Ascot Cup (Emperor's Vase) when the course was partially
submerged, as has been related ; he also ran equally well
when the ground was really good going. Speed the Plough,
a very moderate horse, won the Criterion Stakes, beating the
best horse in the world, when the ground was very heavy
going. It should be noted that wet ground tells most hardly
against the horse least trained. Oxonian, though very sound
was ten pounds better on wet than on dry ground ; which

EFFECTS OF DEEP GROUND. 177

may account for his many defeats on hard ground when
success seemed certain.

It is very likely, indeed, that the truly wonderful improve-
ment some horses make running across country over their
previous performances on the flat, may in a great measure
be assigned to the state of the ground ; the summer racing
being mostly over dry ground, and the winter or steeple-
chasing over wet. Emblem and Emblematic were not good
enough to keep in training over flat courses, and were
certainly non-stayers when thus run ; yet, four miles over
the heaviest ground in the kingdom they were winners of the
Grand National Steeple-chase at Liverpool, though at the
time they ran, respectively, neither looked strong enough to
carry a saddle over such a course, let alone the rider. How-
ever they did, and beat the bulk of the finest, and strongest,
and best horses of the day. Indeed we have direct proof
that many of the speediest horses on the flat, which in racing
could not stay a mile, some of them not half the distance,
have stayed in steeple-chases, getting well over their four
miles across country. It is surprising to see these little
weeds with heavy weights on them, beating all the best
weight-carrying horses that can be found, under circum-
stances seemingly so favourable to the latter — literally
running through mud.

Again, we see thorough-bred horses that stay well on the
fiat, and seem the most likely to make good steeple-chasers,
turn out the very worst. Joco, the slowest and very gamest
horse I think I ever trained, winner of the Metropolitan and
other races over long courses and dry ground, and strong
enough to carry twenty stone to hounds, was the worst across
country. He was sold to Mr. Heathcote for a steeple-chaser;
but was found whilst schooling so inactive and lost so much

N

173 THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

ground at his fences, that he was not fast enough for a hunter,
and was sold again in consequence. This Mr. Heathcote
told me himself. One would have thought of all horses this
would have been the best to have carried a heavy weight
through deep ground a long course ; but it was just the re-
verse— a good hunter could beat him, and I have no doubt
many of Mr. Heathcote's did, or he would not have parted
with him. From all that has been said, I think it is a duty
to look well to the state of the ground and the shape and
features of the race-course ; and before parting with any horses,
to give them a chance over different courses and different
lengths, as well when the ground is wet and sticky, as
when it is dry and hard. To do so, at least, will be to have
done all that is requisite to deserve the success that fickle
Fortune so often denies her votaries.

Another consideration is the relation of owners and trainers
to others besides their stable and immediate friends. " The
duty of owners to the public" is a phrase in every mouth; and
it will be not irrelevant to this portion of our subject to inquire
as to what this duty consists in, and contrast the reality with
the inordinate conception of the responsibility so widely held.

"I will be master of what is my own," is a principle that
the masses, if they had their way, would not permit to be held
by gentlemen who spend large sums of money frequently more
for the pleasure of the multitude than for their own.

For my own part, I believe that the owner of a stud has,
in common fairness, just as much right to do what he likes
with each and every one of his racehorses, as he has to deal
with his hack or his hunter, his flocks or his herds, so long as he
violates no principle of honesty ; and that if he cannot protect
himself in any other way against those who forestall him, he
is justified in defeating their ends by not running. The great

ADMIRAL ROUS ON SCRATCHING. 179

bone of contention between those who keep racehorses and
the public, is and always has been that of a spurious
ownership ; the public erroneously thinking that every horse
brought out to run, nay, from the moment of his appearance
among the list of entries, becomes, and for ever remains, vir-
tually the property of the British public, and that he should
be run to suit their pleasure and for their own peculiar
advantage. I need scarcely remark that I differ with this
presumptive dictum, agreeing with owners in thinking that
as long as they " pay the piper," they have a right to " call
the tune," and if forestalled in one race, may run for another.

Nevertheless such a belief prevails, and hence a perpetual
warfare is waged by the two contending parties, to the injury
and annoyance of both. That the public are wrong in thus
interfering with and appropriating other people's property
is, I think, pretty clearly shown in this matter of forestalling.
It is a usurpation of authority which owners resent, and are
compelled in self-defence to meet, by the exercise of their
undoubted right to scratch their horses.

But let us hear as to ownership what the late Admiral
(when Captain) Rous says in reply to certain questions put to
him on the subject of betting.

These questions epitomized would run somewhat as follows :

" Have the public a right to complain when owners do not
run their horses as they (the public) expect, and they lose
their money ? "

" Should a person have backed a horse that in his opinion
has in some way or other been prevented winning, has the
person a claim, under such circumstances, to recover his
money ? "

Again: "Supposing this horse could have won, had his
backer such a right ? "

N 2

i8o THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

To the second of these questions, the gallant Captain
replies : —

" Not in this instance. In the first place, if you choose to
back another man's horse, you do so at your own risk. I
have hardly ever known an instance of gentlemen losing their
money on the turf, especially those not much on the turf, when
they do not conceive that they have lost their money rather
from roguery of others than from their own stupidity ; they
had always much sooner make out the rest of the world to
be rogues than that they themselves were fools."

To question number three his answer is : —

" He might have reason to complain, yet I would afford
him no redress, for he has no right to bet on that particular
horse ; no man can say that another's horse can win. He may
imagine such a horse can win, but I defy any man to say
certainly, such a horse could win and such a horse could not win.
Some people think that racing is reduced to a great nicety ;
they imagine that horses always run the same, and they can
calculate to a nicety what horse can win ; but I never met a
man yet who was able to judge of the transaction ; and not
only that, but the more persons are conversant with horses,
the more they will know of the uncertainty of racing. I have
tried one horse one week, and he has been beaten a quarter
of a mile ; and then perhaps two weeks after, in consequence
of having a couple of sweats, he has won a second trial on
the same racing terms."

To prove the absurdity of any one being able to say any
horse could win that had not done so, he goes on to say : —

" Yes, even for the jockey. I have often made matches on the
representation of the jockey, that if he had not done so and
so he could have won, and in nineteen out of twenty cases I
have found the jockey wrong ; any man who follows the
advice of his jockey is sure to be ruined."

FALLIBILITY OF PUBLIC OPINION. 1S1

These extracts are taken from a book called " The Histor}/ of
the Horse," and the evidence was given before a Committee of
the House of Commons on gaming, 1844. In the same work
there is the evidence of other gentlemen on the same subject
which is hardly worth repeating here, as I think the Admiral
is sufficient for the purpose; for as it is an expressed opinion
clearly and unmistakably in favour of a man doing as he
likes with his own horses, no argument worth hearing is left
in favour of a contrary idea. Indeed I think I may go so far
as to say, a man could not, in doing what he likes with his own
horse, do an act of injustice to another ; though many non-
owners are continually declaring themselves aggrieved, whilst
in truth no one has a share in their wrong but themselves.

But it is not only the act of scratching that is found so
much fault with; but also the condition of horses that run,
both before and after any race on which there has been much
speculation. One party is found affirming the animal is the
pink of condition, whilst others loudly assert he is not fit to
run for a saddle at a country fair : and after the result, be it
what it may, from one party or another, the poor owner comes
in for a round of abuse, as though he were the veriest rogue
in creation. "If a favourite," they argue, "does not run, he
dies from the effect of ' milk fever,' or succumbs after much
vitality to metallic influence after the last guinea has been
got out of him."

Now there may not only be no word of truth in any of
these statements, but most certainly those who so glibly make
them have not a scintilla of knowledge to guide them. They
judge from appearances, and must of necessity condemn in
error. " After So-and-so " (one of the first horses introduced
into the betting) "had met with an accident he was, to the
owner's praise, honourably struck out," argues one. But another

l82 THE RACE AxND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

says, and with possibly greater propriety: "If he had been
left in, he would have run and won, as his lameness was not of
a serious nature; and why was he struck out and not left in on
the chance of his recovery ? " Thus you may strike out early
with the most honest intention, or leave in to the last moment
actuated by the same laudable principles, and circumstances
over which you may have no control, render each or both
right or wrong, and you are blamed for breaking faith with
the public in either event.

If I take a case or two in point it will more clearly illustrate
the fallibility of public opinion, and the unreasonableness of
expecting horses to run when the public think they should, in
ignorance whether they be lame or otherwise unfit to do so.
The first case I shall allude to will show the impropriety of
deciding too hastily, and how desirable it sometimes is to
hope against hope, and not strike out until the last minute.

The Hero, after being backed for the Goodwood Cup down
to a very short price, one day after galloping pulled up lame.
Off went the touts, running or riding to the telegraph office,
and wired to their employers the startling information,
probably in their own emphatic and terse language : " He's a
dead 'un, get every guinea." The horse did not make his
appearance, either from necessity or stratagem, for a day or
two ; and then was, as they say, "restricted to walking exer-
cise," and was looked on as virtually out of the race. After
being driven to long odds he was reinstated in the market,
" of course only for hedging purposes," argued they. Great
dissatisfaction was expressed on all sides. It was affirmed
that all chances of his winning were hopeless from the very
time of his accident, and that he should then have been struck
out in an honourable and straightforward manner. But the
owner thought otherwise and left him in, and he won.

BIRD-ON-THE-WINGS ILLNESS. 183

Now suppose for a moment the horse had been struck out,
and being engaged in other races at the same meeting, had won
one of them. It would have been said immediately, a more
outrageous and infamous robbery had never been more in-
geniously concocted or carried out with effrontery so unblush-
ing ; that he had been backed by the public for thousands upon
thousands at all sorts of prices, and that the stable, having got
the last guinea out of him, had made him go lame and had
struck him out, knowing he was as well as any horse could be.
His subsequent running would have been pointed to as proof,
with the positive assertion that he could have won the Cup
just as easily, had he been sent for it. It would have been
added that horses often pull up lame from leg-weariness which
soon passes off, and that this had been the real cause of his ap-
parent break-down ; and the whole would have wound up with
the triumphant and significant remark : " That the man in the
street knew that it was so, and that the motive of his having
been so suddenly struck out must ever remain a secret to all
save those engaged in this profitable but dishonest transaction."
And what was it all? Simply a clear case of leaving the
horse in though he had lamed himself; on learning which, the
public, forming their own wise conclusions, clamoured to have
him struck out.

Again, I give an instance of a like nature. Exactly ten days
before Bird-on-the-wing had to run at Doncaster, her owner
came to see her, when at five o'clock in the evening (stable time)
she was taken ill, apparently in excruciating pain; and our
veterinary surgeon, Mr. Snow, passing quite accidentally at
the moment, was called in to see her. He said she was
suffering from acute inflammation of the lungs and was
dangerously ill, and prescribed, besides medicines for internal
administration, blisters for both her sides, and bleeding, as well

iS4 THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

as a sheepskin over her loins, and gave orders that she was not
to leave the box for a fortnight. Now had this been known
" outside the stable " what would have been the result ? Why,
an outburst of indignation because she was not immediately
struck out ; and the affirmation that if anything could have
induced an owner to strike out early, this was the case in which
to have done so. But "whilst there is life there is hope," and
here hope was realised beyond expectation. I had my suspi-
cions that the mare was suffering from colic, and not from in-
flammation ; so the bleeding and blistering were delayed and
only the sheepskin used, and a little turpentine given intern-
ally, which had the desired effect, the recovery being as sudden
as the attack — as is often the case in spasmodic affections.
The day after, the sheepskin was taken off, and she took gentle
exercise, and afterwards resumed work, notwithstanding the
injunction that she was not to leave the stable for a fortnight.
She ran at Don caster, beating Sally and others in the Park
Hill Stakes, making the whole of the running; and the same
day, divided the Doncaster Stakes, without running for it, with
Lord Derby's Longboiv.

Now had the mare had a relapse near the time, and so could
not have run, the whole thing would have been denounced as
a swindle. The charge would have been strengthened by the
opinion of the veterinary surgeon, that of an able man, and
one that doubtless the circumstances within his knowledge
justified him in forming ; and once more it would have been
placidly concluded that she had been left in for the purpose of
obtaining money from the public.

There is no more remarkable case than that of Hermit, in
1867, and one which will be in the recollection of most of my
readers. On this occasion it was implicitly and almost uni-
versally believed that a catastrophe had befallen him. A few

HERMITS REPORTED ACCIDENT.

1»5

days before Bath races (the week fatal to many a Derby
favourite), the canards so industriously circulated as to the
real cause of the deadly opposition he had met with, were to
the effect : that he had broken down, had broken a blood-vessel
in his head, and I know not what; but that, to a certainty, he
was Jwrs de combat, and on the eventful Derby day would be
an absentee, as his forlorn price of ioo to one clearly fore-
shadowed. The astute believers in this state of things wanted
to know what was the good of keeping the horse puppet-like
dangling before the eyes of an enlightened public after the
last guinea had been got, and there was no chance of resus-
citating him, and added that now, if only for appearance sake,
he should be struck out. But Mr. Chaplin (the owner), that
straightforward gentleman and fearless sportsman, ever as
anxious to please and serve his friends as himself, thought
and did otherwise, and decided to run the horse that all might
see how false the rumours were. He ran and won.

Instances like these could be multiplied ad infinitum. But
they are enough. They show clearly the incisiveness of the
gallant Admiral's remark already quoted : " Losers would
always much sooner make out the rest of the world to be
rogues than themselves fools." Racing men are as anxious to
run their horses as ever the public are to see them run; and for
the best of all possible reasons, namely — it does not pay to
keep entering them without doing so. The cause of so many
absentees is, not dislike on the part of the owners to bring
their horses out, but the action of the public who prevent the
owner obtaining a reasonable price ; for he, under such circum-
stances, prefers scratching to running his horse to his own
injury. The public complain, but the remedy is in their
hands and in their hands only. Let them follow and not take
precedence of owners, and we should then see larger fields at

iS6 THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

the post, and the pleasure and profit of all enriched by this
forbearance.

These, then, are the relations between the owners and the
public as they are, and as they should be. Let us now turn
to see how the former stand towards the many who claim,
often, with little reason so far as action or motive is concerned,
the title of friends — friends who are so ready to dictate
what should be done with the horses, without reference to
the trainer's judgment or expressed opinion.

" Secrecy is the soul of all great affairs," so says the adage ;
and there is no business, trade, or profession of any sort, that
so strictly requires reticence as racing does. But unfortunately
the gentlemen that commence racing are generally young and
inexperienced ; whilst those of riper years are acquainted with
the habits of their old and business-like friends, and assume
that the same caution characterises their young and thought-
less acquaintances. Secrets ooze out in many ways, and often
by means least suspected. Thus it happens that all connected
with the horse may be wrongly and ungenerously blamed,
when the owner of the animal has himself inadvertently sup-
plied the information. He has in strict confidence revealed
the matter to a friend, and no sooner is this done, than it is
repeated to another — in the same strict confidence it may be,
yet equally to the annoyance and injury of all concerned.

The late Lord George Bentinck used to say, " If you really
want anything thoroughly well known, write it to a friend in
strictest confidence and its proclamation will be complete."
So it is with racing. Plans are laid with the greatest care and
secrecy, only to be upset. They are disclosed as a great
secret and retold in the same manner, and so become the
property of hundreds, although through the process the con-
fidants have been restricted to sincere and trusted friends.

OWNERS AND THEIR FRIENDS. 187

The same thing often occurs through the thoughtless
exposure of letters. They are left lying about, and the best
arranged schemes are defeated through the advantage the
unscrupulous will take of the habit. To prevent such a thing
letters should be carefully locked in some place of safety,
if not destroyed as soon as read ; or better still, whenever
possible, really important business between owner and trainer
should be transacted verbally — a plan I certainly recommend
to all who would not have their schemes nipped in the bud, as
unfortunately too many are nowadays. Sufficient attention is
not, as a rule, paid to little matters, the neglect of which not
only causes disaster, but brings censure on innocent persons.

But if this source of disappointment be mostly attributable
to the action of the novice on the turf, to the older and ex-
perienced sportsman some share of blame attaches in other
things. Polonius tells us :

" It seems it is as proper to our age

To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions,
As it is common for the younger sort
To lack discretion."

If it be true that his wisdom is the wisdom of old age, what
he would teach us here finds confirmation in racing matters.
For we see, from some cause or other, that the most eminent
men on the turf, full of experience and practical knowledge
in all matters relating to turf lore, are patently not the most
successful.

In excelling wisdom, among turfites, I should think stood
foremost the late Admiral Rous and Mr. C. C. Greville,
gentlemen of unbounded experience, honour, and ability.
Yet we find these astute judges not reaping the advantages
of their talent and position so fully as one would expect.

Though the Admiral never kept a large string of his own,

iSS THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

yet he managed for the Duke of Bedford who had a fair-sized
one. Also, as is well known, he made all the principal
handicaps, or the most of them, for a number of years, without
winning any of note that I remember. Yet he did not lack
the materials for achieving success, having, besides many
others, two such good horses as Asteroid and Weather-
gage. The latter, after leaving the hands of this consummate
master of weights, in spite of him, won the Goodwood and
Coesarewitch Stakes, besides other good races ; although but a
few months before, under the guiding hand of the Admiral, he
could not win a Selling Plate at Northampton and was, on his
return to Newmarket, disposed of privately for £\o.

Mr. Greville may be said to have been, considering all
things, equally unfortunate ; for he not only kept a large string
himself, but was confederate with the then Duke of Portland,
and was also consulted on the management, if he had not the
absolute control, of one of the largest establishments in
England. Yet withal, he failed to carry off many of our best
trophies. It is true he won the St. Leger with Mango, and
among other of his victories may be mentioned the Goodwood
Stakes, over which I believe he did little or no good, and the
Caesarewitch Stakes, which may be said to have been, at one
and the same time, his greatest coup and the most gigantic
mistake.

On this memorable occasion he unwisely entrusted his com-
mission to one Perkins, a man of straw (as many commis-
sioners are) who, after receiving the money, as might have
been suspected decamped with the whole of it without paying
a shilling of the losses, which had to be paid afterwards. This
affair Mr. Greville took so much to heart that nothing coald
drive it from his memory ; and one day, whilst looking over the
Admiral's stud in reply to a question thrice repeated, " What

EMINENT TURF TACTICIANS. 1S9

do you think of the colt ? " gazing intensely on him, he sud-
denly exclaimed, "Who! what, Perkins?" — an incident that
caused much laughter among the assembled guests, in which
the chief actor did not join. Indeed, I do not ever remember
his taking part in any hilarities.

Nevertheless, Mr. Greville was deservedly much liked by all
classes of racing men, as also was the Admiral. But I think
that he, like the latter, placed too much reliance on his own
unaided efforts, and thought about as lightly of the trainer's
opinion as the Admiral did of that of his jockey — of whom
he used to say if he had followed his advice,' he would have
been ruined over and over again. It is quite certain from the
Admiral's own account, that he ignored the advice of his
jockey, and as he generally made his matches impromptu, his
ill-success could not fairly be attributed to the fault of either
the jockey or the trainer. I may add, that, so far as I may be
permitted to judge, I am of opinion that this self-confidence is
prevalent with far too many gentlemen in the present day ;
and with the same probably unlooked-for and yet inevitable
result — the loss of money and the severance of friends.

In respect to the question of secrecy, some as we know
prefer to race in assumed names ; but I think that very few
who do so can thus hide their identity. The late Mr. Graham,
who changed his registered name perhaps oftener than any
other person, was as well known by the last as the first, a few
days after registration. But my impression is that the object
of registering a name was not so much to hide the identity of'
an individual. I believe the practice originated chiefly from
a desire to prevent the recurrence of such a thing as that one
man should run the whole of the five horses that started in a
race in five different names. It was thought that registration
would cause the ownership of each horse to be defined when

I go THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

necessary. The attempt was a praiseworthy one ; but 1 fear
it is powerless to grapple with the evil it would crush, and that
a plurality of names is as easily used to-day as it ever was It
may be done in either one of two ways : A gentleman intro-
duces five different persons to as many different trainers with
a request that they will in each case take a horse or two to
train and to be run in the trainer's name. I think the request
would be acceded to, and then it would not be possible to tell
either when the particular horses did run, or anything about
their real ownership. In the second case, a man registers for
five different persons five different names, or they do it indi-
vidually at his request, and yet the horses running under these
names may all belong to the one man, with little or no fear of
detection.

Now that which should be done by people unwilling to run
a horse in their own name, is to find a friend in whose name
they can do so without the fact gaining publicity. Or, if they
have no such friend, they should, rather than register an
assumed name, which so many of necessity are cognizant of,
let him run in the name of the trainer, who has an interest at
stake to keep the secret. I do not say that this is done, but
it seems to me the best, if not the only way, for those to race
who do not wish others to know they do so ; whilst it is prudent
in addition to train in a quiet spot unmolested by touts.

There is but one thing more that occurs to me as necessary
to advert to concerning the responsibilities of owners in
regard to the race itself. It is a subject I would willingly
leave untouched, were it not an evil, to my knowledge, of un-
suspected gravity. I refer to the anonymous letter- writer, the
cowardly assassin who stabs in the dark, fearing to face an
open foe.

It is true these men only work mischief when they play

THE ANONYMOUS LETTER-WRITER. 191

upon the credulous or timid; but unfortunately there are those
amongst honourable gentlemen who are imposed upon by false-
hoods, concocted for the benefit of the writer, under the guise
of friendship for the receiver. Personally, I have known, as
the result of an anonymous letter, a whole stud of horses re-
moved from Whitewall to Danebury in the time of the late
Mr. Scott ; and it is impossible to say how many others have
been thus removed, or jockeys injured,1 by the same cowardly
and shameless means.

If no contempt is too great, as no punishment would be too
severe for these cowards, yet blame for the subsequent action
cannot be entirely removed from the shoulders of the one who
heeds these communications. For if the receiver be of a
credulous or suspicious nature, he communicates his doubts
and fears to a friend, who in like manner tells his particular
friends, and so amongst them it reaches the ears of those who
have originated the scandal (for these men seldom work with-
out accomplices), whose object is thus accomplished, for the
rumour is easily and irresponsibly set afloat. In the case I
have mentioned at foot, there is no doubt that the writer and
his lordship's confidential servant were confederates ; and that

1 The incident in point was the following : — An anonymous writer informed a
certain noble marquess, "that if his jockey rode a certain horse for him at Ascot,
he would not win ; of which fact he had indubitable proofs." It is needless to
say that had he been called upon to produce them, they, as well as the writer,
would have been non est. What did the nobleman do on receiving this startling
piece of information? Did he, as he ought to have done, injustice to his jockey,
and in vindication of his own action, see his jockey, and telling him of it, ask
for an explanation, and then consult his trainer as to the expediency of changing
or retaining his jockey ? He did nothing of the sort ; but he consulted his con-
fidential friend in racing matters, his house-steward, who recommended a change.
It was done, and the horse won ; and shortly after, and from the same cause, the
horses were all removed to Danebury. And all this was done at the instance of
two intriguing and unscrupulous cowards, taking advantage of the credulity of
oid age.

19?. THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.

the result of their connivance was the removal of the horses,
the cause of which was probably unknown to Mr. Scott to
the day of his death. It was not until some time after, that
I learned from undoubted authority what had taken place,
and the object sought in bringing about the change.

But the subject is a distasteful one, and enough has already
been said to show that there is but one proper method in
which to treat such communications, and that is, to put them,
unread, behind the fire.

EVILS OF THE LIGHT-WEIGHT SCALE. 193

CHAPTER XX.

WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

Evils of the light-weight scale— Weight-carrying hunters and their performances ;
instances— Successes of racehorses with heavy weights: Rataplan, Fisherman,
Chandos, Vespasian— Admiral Rous's opinion and its contrariety— The
trainer's view of it— Table of light- and heavy-weight handicaps and the
lesson it teaches— The late Lord Derby on Lord Redesdale's bill : his objections
examined ; their fallacy shown ; Mr. John Scott's advocacy of it— Advantages
of a higher standard— Opinions of the press— Children as jockeys : rarity
of their success ; evils of the system— Reforms instituted by the Jockey Club
—Long and short courses : advantages of the former, and evils of the latter
—Handicaps at Goodwood and Newmarket tabulated to show the prepon-
derance of boyish riders ; injustice of the system to experienced jockeys-
Examination of boys suggested— Reason for general predilection for welter
races— Petition to Jockey Club recommended— The Duke of Portland and
short races— Good example set by the Prince of Wales— Official table of
weights for Queen's Plates, and suggested table for shorter races.

I PROPOSE in this chapter to discuss the subject of weights
and distances, under the impression that I shall be able to
show that the racehorse of to-day is as equally able to
carry a man and go a distance as was his predecessor ;
and that a higher standard of weight than that now current,
would be better for owner and jockey, and more humane
for the horse.

In the first place, as I have previously demonstrated by
examples, children cannot manage the horses they ride, and
they are driven all over the course, and often out of it,
and galloped twice the necessary distance before the race.

O

194 WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

Indeed, I fearlessly assert that if there is one mistake greater
than another, it is the adherence to the present ridiculous
system of assigning such low weights to horses of all ages in
handicaps. Nothing craves a more speedy remedy, and that
remedy, to be effectual, should be the addition, not of a few,
but of many pounds. To this I have before cursorily alluded ;
but now it will be my endeavour to deal with it fully
and fairly.

It must be apparent to every observer, that if a horse can
carry list, and 12 st., and run heats two or three miles;
or if he can hunt through a long day, with over 20 st.
on his back without hurting himself, of which we have so
many instances : it is sheer nonsense to say he is over-
burdened with 7 st., and cannot carry it without endanger-
ing the safety of his legs over a two-mile course. We are
told Mr. Edges of Nottingham, an excellent sportsman,
is 19 st, and that he rides nothing but thoroughbred horses
and that no one rides harder. Now I daresay some of the
animals scarcely look strong enough to carry their master's
saddle to the end of a long day; yet they have not only car-
ried it, but 19 st. in addition, and I have never heard that
Mr. Edges had an exceptionally large proportion of lame
horses in his stud. Mr. T. Assheton Smith, again, used to ride
thoroughbreds ; as also did Mr. J. J. Farquharson (better
known as the Dorsetshire Squire), and he, like Mr. Smith,
could not be called a light man, riding, I should think, 15 st.
Yet no one ever went better than these two masters on their
thoroughbreds, nor was oftener found with the hounds at
the end of a long day.

A notable example of racehorses carrying heavy weights
for a long course was seen in Mr. Osbaldestone's match against
time, in 183 1, when he undertook to ride 200 miles in ten

PERFORMANCES OF HEAVY-WEIGHT RACEHORSES. 195

hours. " The squire " rode 1 1 st. and his saddle may be
put down as another 14 lbs. Thus we see twenty-eight
horses carrying twelve stone four miles ; and of the
number, six were only three-year-olds, one of which did the
distance in eight minutes fifty seconds, whilst some of the
older horses took ten minutes fifteen seconds — though the
fastest time — eight minutes — was that of the five-year-old
Tranby. We could scarcely require a stronger proof than
this is, of the capability of thoroughbred horses to do long
distances under heavy weights. But again, take a case in
training, and we find it the same. "Druid," in his "Scott
and Seabright," tells us that " Voltigeur could sweat week
after week with 12 st. laid across his back, and quite deserves
his (the trainer's) most glowing eulogy, 'his legs and feet, my
lord, are like hiron? "

But let us examine the running of some of our old horses,
commencing with their two-year-old-races, and see what
weight they carried then and after, and with what sort of
success. Rataplan, Fisherman, Chandos and Vespasian all
carried, as two-year-olds, 8 st. 7 lbs., and neither then nor
after did the weight hurt them : for we find Chandos ran
no less than thirty times, carrying list, and up to 14 st.
5 lbs., and winning with the latter weight, besides many
other races with a little less. Rataplan, over long and severe
courses carrying different weights up to lost. 4 lb., ran
no less than seventy-one races, winning thirty of them.
To this list hundreds may be added, but I shall merely say
that Vespasian (with legs anything but likely to stand
a preparation) carried 10 st. 4 lb., and won the Chesterfield
Cup, besides many other races. Fisherman's subsequent per-
formances were astonishing, showing that heavy weights did
him no harm. He ran 136 races and won ninety-six, over

O 2

196 WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

long distances, most of the races being run at heavy weights,
up to and over lost. : and he suffered no more than the
others from doing so much work and carrying weights so
heavy. After this I think no one will say 7 st. is too much
for a horse to carry. In my opinion no horse should be
permitted to carry less. To raise the standard 21 lbs.
would, I think, be a judicious movement, and make it far
preferable to the present low scale.

Admiral Rous's dictum on the subject may now be appro-
priately quoted ; it is perhaps specially remarkable for its
advocacy of a higher standard, and its paradoxical reasoning
against the change.

" A high-weight standard," he says, " is never popular.
Owners of horses object to 9st, although they have no
objection to run in a Queen's Plate, carrying lost. I have
always," he continues, " been an advocate of a high scale ;
in 1852 I recommended that the spring handicaps should
commence at lost. 7 lbs. Experience teaches me that,
owing to the prejudice of trainers, a high standard is a
certain failure with the best calculation of weight ; and the
clerks of the course well know that a light-weight handicap,
like a fat horse, covers its own defects."

Here the Admiral frankly avers, in unmistakable language,
that he is in favour of a high standard, and that the weights
should be raised to lost. 7 lbs. He even advocates it. But
the light-weight handicap, he says, pleases the clerks of the
course and covers its own defects ; as if the clerks of the
course are the only people whose interest is to be studied.
With due respect to the memory of the gallant and lamented
gentleman, I submit that two weaker reasons were never put
forth as a pretext for the pertinacious adherence to a system
admittedly wrong.

LIGHT- AND HEAVY-WEIGHT HANDICAPS TABULATED. 197

The Admiral, it will be seen, alleges that the trainers were
against the improvement. But if this were so, how came it
about that twenty-five of their number petitioned Lord Redes-
dale to have the standard raised ? a petition in which I am
confident more would have joined had they not been, like
myself, uninformed concerning its intended presentation.
But I will ask a question in support of my assertion.
" What races are more popular than heavy-weight handi-
caps ? " The answer is, " None." To demonstrate this a
comparison between the light and heavy-weight handicaps
is appended in a tabulated form.1

1 Handicaps for all ages, run for at Newmarket in the Houghton Meeting

Light Weights.

Hfavy Weights.

Number of Runners
in each race.

Year.

Total.

Average.

Number of Runners
in each race.

Year.

Total.

Average.

11 9 9

1873

29

9
10
8

9 7 9

1873

25

8

11 11 8

1877

3°

52

27

9

15 10 10 7 7 3

1878

14 6 9 13 1878

42

10

Nursery Handicaps run for at Newmarket in the Houghton Meeting : —

Number of Runners in
each Race in 1877.

17

IS

12

15

17

9

Idem in ii

23

17

17

9

20

9

Top Weight
in 1S77.

8 12
8 12
8 12
8 6
8 12

8 12
8 13
8 12

8 11

9 2

Bottom

Weight in

1877.

St. lb.

6 7

6 10

6 10

7 2

6 8

7 8

6 5
6 o

5 12

6 9.
6 3
8 6

Average.

198 WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

By this table, taken promiscuously from the Newmarket
Houghton Meetings, it will be seen that the welter-weight
handicaps are liked and patronised, and are still increasing
in popularity. For in 1873 the average number of runners of
all ages (fractions not included) was eight in the welter-
weight against nine in the light-weight handicaps, similar in
value and distance. And though in 1877 the latter were still
one in advance of the heavy weights, last year * we find the
runners in the welter races have surpassed those in the light-
weight handicaps by two : numerically standing at ten and
eight respectively.

To this table I have added the handicaps for two-year-olds
run at the same place and meetings, to show that owners
do not object to run their horses even at that age with between
9 and lost, on them; for we see the top and bottom
weight of one of these, set at Qst. 2 lbs. and 8 st. 6 lbs. Out
of the twelve races, the top weight carried 8 st. 11 lbs., or
above it, no less than ten times ; whilst in the other two,
the weights were 8 st. 2 lbs. and 8 st. 6 lbs., respectively. The
lowest weight among these 180 horses running in eight races
out of the twelve was 6 st. 7 lbs ; whilst, in the others, only
one went below 6 st., carrying 5 st. 12 lbs. Can any races be
so popular as these ? for we see the twelve stakes bringing
180 horses to the post, averaging fifteen runners for each
race. Truly what can this be called but the heavy-weight
system ? and not, be it remembered, for three-year-olds and
upwards, but for two-year-olds. It is also remarkable that
not one of the above twelve races was won by a lighter
weight than 7 st. ; although forty horses that ran carried
less. But this is a result attributable, to my mind, as might
be inferred from what I have previously said on the

1 This was written in 1879.

LORD REDESDALE'S BILL CONSIDERED. 199

subject, more to the incapacity of the boys put up to ride
than to the demerit of the horses.

In a book entitled "Horse Racing," published in 1863,
I find it is said,

" In i860 Lord Redesdale introduced the light-weight racing
bill into the House of Lords : by which it was proposed that
after January 1st, 1861, no horses should start for any racing
prize, carrying less that 7 st. weight, under a penalty of
forfeiture of the horse so running and ,£200."

The bill, though it gave unqualified satisfaction to many,
was disliked by some ; the then Lord Derby amongst others
not approving it. He said,

" If the minimum were placed at 7 st. the consequence
would be in all handicaps the superior old horses would have
to carry 11 and 12 st. There was a reason, however," said
his lordship, " why it was rather desirable that the weights
should be slightly raised ; viz., the great difficulty of procuring
jockeys to ride old horses in the present competition with the
light-weight system."

This does not seem to me to be a slender reason ; for if we
raise the standard, we get what his lordship desired — men in
the saddle in place of boys. It cannot be said, after what
has been shown, that a weight of eleven or twelve stone is
likely to hurt the horses. Mr. Osbaldestone's match must
have escaped Lord Derby's memory when he implied that
horses could not carry this weight ; although it must be
allowed that the opinion on his part can only be inferred — he
did not actually assert it. He goes on to say that it was the
intention of the Jockey Club to raise the weights for the
Derby, and some other races, from 8 st. 7 lbs. to 8 st 10 lbs.,
thus leaving untouched the whole gist of the matter, which
is the raising of the lowest standard from 5 st. 7 lbs. to 7 st.

2oo WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

The late Mr. John Scott, the celebrated trainer of White-
wall, Malton (his lordship's trainer), strongly advocated that
the weights should be raised ; and no one was likely to know
better than a person with his vast experience, or to give a
more candid opinion. If the recognised standard for two-
year-olds is 8 st. io lbs., and if early in the spring they can
and do carry this weight (which in handicaps is sometimes
increased to 9 st. 12 lbs.), why cannot all of them carry it in
the following year ? A 7 st. minimum would put the good
three-year-olds over two miles and a quarter in the autumn
at 9 st. 10 lbs., and the old horses at list. — a difference of
2 st. 10 lb., between the best and worst of the three-year-olds,
and of four stone between the highest and lowest of all ages
— a difference much the same as that now existing. I think
that few will disagree with me in the conclusion that a horse
that cannot win with such weights, is not good enough to keep
in training. Indeed, it has become an absolute necessity, and
notoriously so, that in fairness to owners, and in the best
interests of the turf, the scale of weights should be raised and
the courses lengthened.

This fact is not only an almost universal topic, it is
markedly noticed by the sporting writers of the day. In the
" Morning Post " of April 10, 1876, " Pavo " in an excellent
article discussing the subject, says : —

" The success of welter-handicaps of late years shows the
popularity of those races ; whilst the difficulty of finding
competent boys to ride the present range of light-handicap
weights is becoming more apparent every year."

The chance of winning any race over a short course with a
child up, is so remote, that the best horse may not win one of
ten or even twenty races he may run for ; though by com-
petent judges each of them may have been looked upon as

EVILS OF CHILDREN AS JOCKEYS. 201

little lsss than an absolute certainty for him. We find one
horse running no less than thirty-six times (one year), winning
but four races with a boy up, and over short courses (not one
exceeding six furlongs) ; whilst Fisherman ran with a man on
him, over long courses, 133 races, winning ninety-six — within
a fraction of three out of four, against, in the other case,
one in nine.

This one contrast should suffice, even if other conclusive
arguments had not already been adduced, to show the neces-
sity of having a man and not a boy to ride. As it is, in the
fields of to-day, amongst the ten or a dozen boy-riders, or
often double as many, not a man is to be seen ; and the lads,
left to themselves, ride harum-scarum, with the result, if dis-
aster be escaped, of a bad start, a cannon, and a complaint
against one or more of the jockeys for foul riding : the owner
blaming the starter, the starter the boys, and the public every
one concerned in it; and whilst no one is pleased, except the
winning owner, he, too, often suffers severely by his victory, be-
ing misled by it in respect to future and more important events.
The Jockey Club, it must be said, have applied a partial
remedy; and could their all-powerful aid be invoked, the im-
portant task would be finished. They have wisely proscribed
yearling races, and the running of any but two-year-olds half
a mile, and they have at head-quarters also taken the initia-
tive, and added to other improvements the introduction of
welter-weights ; so that it only requires a little alteration —
more long races with heavy weights, and fewer short courses
with light weights — to complete the reform, so happily begun
and so much needed. This change would create a demand for
staying horses, which breeders would soon supply. It would,
too, enable us to find the best of our non-stayers ; and be
the means of showing many a supposed coward in a very

202 WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

different light over a distance of ground, who otherwise might
die unknown to fame. It was by the accidental running in
this way that the latent merits of two supposed veritable
cowards were discovered.

It may be argued by lovers of short courses that the
shorter the course the oftener the horses can run ; and the
lighter the weight, the less danger of breaking them down.
But those that have seen a fractious horse with a boy in the
saddle, will form a different opinion ; and will think that the
chances of injury in such hands, more than outweigh the ad-
vantages previously rated so highly. I have already named
that Noisy was beaten in the Chester Cup through the in-
competence of a lad of 5 st. 4 lbs. on his back, and may
add that, for the same reason, he lost the City and Sub-
urban. There was in this race a false start, when he, in
company with another horse, ran the whole distance as if for
the actual race. He was taken again to the post, and the real
start took place immediately on his reaching it ; and not
having had time to recover from the effects of his former race
■ — for race it was virtually — he only ran third, when he should
have won.

I have no doubt if the races for three-quarters of a mile
were proscribed for all but two-year-olds, and mile races sub-
stituted, we should find as many entries and as many runners
at the post as now run the shorter course. Admiral Rous
himself, admitted that short races spoiled jockeys and ruined
the starter ; both evils most assuredly requiring a remedy :
the one for the sake of the jockey, who otherwise can only
remain so in name ; and the other on the broad principle,
that every man has a right to the fair start which these urchins
now prevent. But let us have the admiral's own words on
this important question.

PREPONDERANCE OF BOY JCCKEYS. 203

He says, " Short races are destructive to young riders ; the
custom encourages them to fight for the start, and to ride like
chimney-sweeps on donkeys. I have never seen worse riding
than amongst the young crack jockeys this autumn." Again :
"The bete noir of racing is the unsatisfactory system of start-
ing, and the helplessness of the official starter to control the
audacity of the young jockeys, who frequently set him at
defiance."

The existence, then, of these two evils — the helplessness
ol the official and the insolence of the light-weight jockeys —
is admitted, whilst the authorities have the power to remove
them by the simple process of raising the scale of weights.
Indeed the dearth of bond fide riders, or men, and the super-
abundance of so-called jockeys, or boys, are so markedly con-
trasted that I have been led to compile a little table from the
three great handicaps run last year (1878) at Goodwood, and
from the three run at head-quarters. From this, which I
append, it will be seen that at the former place, out of forty-six
runners only six carried 8 st. 7 lb. or above, whilst forty,
carried lesser weights, down to 5 st. 7 lbs.1

But disheartening as such a discovery is, it is positively

1 A Table of the three great handicaps run for at Goodwood ; also of the three
big handicaps run for at Newmarket in the October and Houghton Meetings, 1878;
showing the number of horses that ran in each, and how many respectively carried
8 st. 7 lbs. and above it, and a lesser weight down to 5 st. 7 lbs. inclusive : —

Horses carrying
Horses carrying 8 st. 7 lbs., or above it. less than 8 st. 7 lbs.

The Steward's Cup 3 17

The Goodwood Stakes 2 14

Chesterfield Cup I 9

6 40

Newmarket, Great Eastern Handicap., o 16

Csesarewitch Stakes o 20

Cambridgeshire Stakes I 38

1 74

204 WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

pleasurable, when contrasted with results found in examina-
tion of the doings at Newmarket. There, as will be seen, in
the three handicaps, out of 75 runners only one solitary horse
carried above 8 st. 7 lbs., whilst the 74 carried a less weight
down to the minimum ; or a proportion of 1 man to 74 boys,
of whom it may be said that three-fourths at least were better
out of the saddle than in it. In two of the great handicaps
at head-quarters, the result is entirely in the hands of these
pigmies ; for, as we see, no jockey can take a part in them, and
amongst 38 riders in the other, only 1 jockey is to be found.

It must be remembered that this result springs simply from
the adherence to a scale of weights that precludes skilled
horsemen from riding, and not from any scarcity of such able
riders ; for it will be found that no fewer than 166 jockeys
advertise their weight in " Ruff's Guide," besides the scores that
do not. And of the former, 1 10 can ride 7 stone and above
it ; whilst the services of the others, or at all events of most of
them, could be well dispensed with. That this is so may be
readily deduced from a few facts. It is a rare thing nowa-
days to see more than thirty horses running in one race, or
more than one race meeting of any note in the same week.
Allowing that of the no adult jockeys, 20 should be absent
at little race meetings or from sickness, there would be 90
available at all our best race meetings, or about three riders
for each horse in the largest races. As it is, under the present
system, horses are frequently sent from the course unable to
fulfil their engagements for lack of a light-weight boy to ride.

There is another point. How, under existing circum-
stances, as shown in these statistics, are the old jockeys to
have the requisite practice ? or how, indeed, are they to gain
a livelihood ? or, it may be added, how are we to obtain
jockeys at all ? For it is not to be forgotten that the feather-

INJUSTICE OF THE SYSTEM TO OLDER JOCKEYS. 205

weights can only ride for two or three years, when they have
to give place to others as incompetent as themselves.

But if the continuance of this baneful system is inevitable,
may not something be done to lessen its evils ? As it is, little
fellows are put in the saddle more fit to mount a rocking-
horse, and if they can only ride a short gallop or two with the
assistance of an old jockey, or a trial without falling off, are
pronounced efficient. I should require something more. Let
the lad, before he goes forth to ride, be made to pass a com-
petitive examination, and show proof of his ability, and so
prevent the endangering of his own life and the lives of others.
The riding of a trial or two with old jockeys, and in the
presence of other persons capable of judging appointed for
the purpose, would be enough to decide the point ; and with-
out a certificate of competency, signed by such autho-
rities, I would not allow any one to ride in public. For, it may
be asked, why should a so-called jockey alone have full power
to maim for life, or cause the death of any, by his reckless
assumption in undertaking to do what he is unfitted to
accomplish ; and on the race-course hurt either himself or
others ? It would not be allowed in other trades or profes-
sions, and should not be in this. Under such restraints, we
should have better jockeys, and a smaller number of them,
both desirable objects of attainment ; whilst the men would be
more fitting recipients of the lavish presents now bestowed on
children, so frequently, as has been shown, to their detriment.

As it is, most sensible people would prefer, in place of our
present races, to go back to longer courses, even though we
had fewer of them. For it is not the number, it is the quality
of the competitions that gives the sterling interest to our great
national contests. I may fearlessly say that three good horses
with men on them, running a long course at Ascot, Goodwood,

206 WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

or Doncaster, would attract a larger concourse, and crea'e
more interest, than the sight of twenty or thirty useless brutes
running all over the course with children on their backs for a
£100 scramble.

When the riders are men and accomplished jockeys, if the
horses be beaten the owners are satisfied and the public are
content ; for it is known that the best horse has won, and that
the defeat is not due to the ignorance of the rider. And if
this be so, is it not a reason why all true lovers of the race-
horse should take some steps to see jockeys more often in the
saddle ? Probably the best method of procedure would be
to petition the Jockey Club to take the revision of the light-
weight scale into consideration, with a view to bring about so
desirable a revolution.

I have named in Chapter XVII. the incident of a trial at
Welbeck Abbey ; and I may here mention that the Duke of
Portland's idea of racing was much at variance with the prac-
tice in vogue now. He disliked a short race, and was never
known to give orders to wait. But when he had a horse that
was a jade, he used to say facetiously to my father, " John
Day, I suppose you had better make play ' behind.' " In
contrast to this, we see, in the present day, two noblemen
making a match, the shortest of allowable courses for three-
year-olds, with some 6 st. on them ; in fact, shortly after-
wards, one of these tiny jockeys is seen riding 8 st. 10 lbs.,
absolutely being preferred before the old jockey who usually
rode for the stable. It is impossible to tell what risk owners
run in putting up liliputians on saddles insecurely fixed on
mountains of saddle cloth, unsafe for the boy, and dangerous
for the horse. Moreover, to prevent the heavy saddle from
slipping round, or getting back on the horse's flank, or
the saddle-cloths from falling off, the girths and surcingale

OFFICIAL AND SUGGESTED TABLES OF WEIGHTS. 207

must be drawn so uncomfortably tight as possibly to prevent
many horses so treated from winning.

After such scenes, it was refreshing to witness the example
set by the Prince of Wales and Lord Strathnairn in their
match, both as to weight and distance. Here was no five
furlong scramble, with boys up riding helter-skelter from one
post to the other ; but a four-mile race, with men as jockeys,
which tested the merits of the horse, the skill of the rider,
and the ability of the trainer. This worthy example set by
England's future king, himself a member of the Jockey Club,
should bear good fruit.

The Master of the Horse has given us the different weights
each horse has to carry for a Queen's Plate in a tabu-
lated form which I append as useful for reference.1 And I

1 The following is the official table referred to, the weights being fixed by the
Master of the Horse, and sanctioned by the Jockey Club : —

QUEEN'S PLATE WEIGHTS.

Age.

j and April. May-

June.

July.

August.

September! October.

Three years..
F.,ur years...
Five years ...
S.x and aged

Three years..
Four years...
Five years ...
Six and aged

Three years..
F ur year.-;...
Five years ...
Six and acred

Three years..
Fmr years...
Five years ...
Six and acred

TWO MILES AND LESS THAN TWO Mil ES AND A QUARTER.

St. lb.

St. lb.

St. lb.

1 St.

ib.

St. lb.

St. lb.

st. lb.

7 9

7 11

8 0

8

3

8 5

8 7

8 8

9 7

y 7

9 7

9

7

9 7

9 7

9 7

10 0

10 0

9 13

9

12

9 12

9 12

9 «

10 2

10 2

10 0

9

13

9 12

9 12

9 11

TWO MILES ANJ3 A QUARTER AND LESS THAN THREE MILES.

7

8

7

9

7

10

7

13

8

1

8

3

8

5

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

10

1

10

1

10

0

10

0

9

13

9

13

9

12

10

4

10

3

10

2

10

1

10

0

10

0

9

13

THKEK MILES „ND LESS THAN THREE MILES AND A HALF.

7

7

7

8

7

11

3

0

8

2

8

4

8

6

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

10

2

10

2

10

1

10

1

10

0

10

0

9

13

10

5

10

4

10

3

10

2

10

1

10

1

10

0

THREE MILES AND A HALF AND UPWARDS.

7

3

7

4

7

6

7

9

7

11

7

13

8

! |

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

9

7

10

4

10

4

10

3

10

2

10

2

10

1

10

0

10

8

10

7

10

6

10

5

10

4

10

3

10

2

St. Ib.

8 9

9 7
9 11
9 11

8 5

9 7
9 12
9 12

9 13
9 13

This table, though complete in itself, and for its special purpose, requires, as I
have observed, enlargement for general use. It assigns no weights for distances

2o3 WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES.

think if we had another for shorter races it would be a
welcome and serviceable addition. But as such a thing is
nowhere to be found (so far as I know) I shall try and supply
the omission by giving it. Though these figures do not
exactly correspond with the scale adopted at any particular
race-meeting, I think they are about the same as are generally
in use. I have not thought it necessary to go beyond a mile
and a half, as it would be but a repetition of the weights
adopted in the Queen's Plates for two miles and upwards.

less than two miles, or for horses under three years old ; as those under that age are
proscribed from taking part in Her Majesty's Plates. As it is, two-year-old races
are one of the great features of modern racing, and it is very necessary to have a
just scale for them ; nor should one be omitted for the relative weights to be
carried by three- and four-year-olds over a shorter course than any given in the
above official list, as the most important races of the year are run at a mile-and-a-
half. A scale of weights for all ages over all courses, if issued in a tabulated
form by the Jockey Club, would be an acceptable boon to the racing community ;
as under the present system, clerks of the course often fix widely different weights
for races run on the same course, and on the same day.

Until such be forthcoming, I venture to give the relative weights that should be
carried by horses of different ages over the various courses I have named, which,
if in an abridged form, may in some sort serve as a guide : —

Table of Relative Weights.

A two-year-old should give a yearling : —
Over half-a-mile, in October 2 st. 7 lb,

A three-year-old should give a two-year-old : —

Over five furlongs, in the Spring 2 st. o lb

,, six ,, ,, June 2 st. o lb.

,, ,, ,, Autumn A few lbs. less.

A four-year-old should give a three-year old :

Over one mile, in the Spring 23 lbs.

Over a mile-and-a-half, in June 20 lbs.

Older horses, over both these courses should carry 5 lbs. to 7 lbs. more than the
four-year-olds.

HOW THE TRAINER COMES TO BE BLAMED. 20c,

CHAPTER XXI.

PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

Assumed incapability of trainers : how originated ; public slanders ; officious inter-
ference of friends— The result, removal of horses ; instances from my own
experience— The advice of the friend and of the trainer contrasted— Eccentric
owners and their doings— Influence of servants instanced in the case of Lord
Palmerston's stud — Payment of training accounts : hardships of deferred pay-
ments shown in diverse instances ; the credit system and the bill discounter ;
examples of liberality, and in my own experience— Unexplained removal of
horses : its prejudice to the trainer ; instance of Lord George Bentinck at
Danebury ; other instances at Woodyates ; arguments in support of the
trainer's right to an explanation — Groundless complaints against trainers and
jockeys ; illustrated in two instances — Why trainers and jockeys are poor-
Mr. Chifney and Mr. Ridsdale — The discussion of the subject justified.

In the account that has been given of the process of
training the racehorse, it will be seen that the life of
the trainer has its full share of responsibility, cares, and
difficulties. But there are other anxieties which, in truth,
may not unfairly be termed hardships, that deserve some
notice. I am naturally diffident in introducing the topic,
because it is of a somewhat personal nature. But as the
existence of evils harmful to every one connected with a
racing-stable (whether as owner, trainer, or jockey) is due
I cannot doubt in most instances to ignorance of the facts
or to thoughtlessness, a few words on the subject will be
received, I must hope, in the spirit in which they are
offered.

2io PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

One of the greatest of these hardships is changeability
on the part of owners, some of the effects of which have
been glanced at in the course of our examination.

In some respects there is no more thankless office than
that of a trainer. Few men get more roundly abused as a
body, or censured as individuals, by public opinion. Why
this should be I cannot undertake to say ; but that it is
so there is proof enough, and possibly it has its rise in
the disappointed hopes of foolish men.

Nor does the evil end here. Public opinion reacts on
the wavering minds of owners ; and as a result of the
ignorance of the one and the caprice of the other, the
fidelity of the trainer is suspected, for no other cause than
because he has been unable to realise expectations baseless
as the fabric of a dream. The public are too impatient of
defeat. The exalted notion of their knowledge of the
horse they back, must make him win. If he do not, then
the trainer, and the trainer only, is to blame for incom-
petency ; or worse, for aiming to secure his own base ends.

It is fortunately not so with all. There are many excellent
men, owners of horses and others who back them, that
are far above reproach. But others, and many, like rational-
ists, only believe what they see, whilst unhappily, their
vision is distorted by self-interest. Most men enjoy im-
munity from slander ; but the trainer only so long as suc-
cess attends his often thankless efforts. Should a change
come, his life is destroyed it may be said, for his means of
livelihood is taken from him.

As to the origin of this changeability on the part of
employers, there are other causes than the idle talk of the
public ; for this, did it stand alone, might be treated with
indifference. But when friends will seek to make owners

INFLUENCE OF PUBLIC SCANDAL. 211

dissatisfied with anything short of continuous successes, the
difficulty is greatly increased ; and unless impossibilities be
performed, estrangement follows.

This is not in any sense a theoretic proposition. I can
give instances innumerable, and not a few which have borne
veiy hardly upon myself. In one case I lost one of my
best employers through the interference of an officer of
rank, who, once that he got the ball in his own hands, was
careless even that his agency and aims should be concealed.
I have lost the support of good employers in other cases,
simply because they listened to unfounded charges made
by pseudo-friends, which in some instances would not be
too severely stigmatised as machinations. An instance or
two must suffice to illustrate an ungrateful revelation.

Some few years ago a gentleman sent me two fine yearlings
to train, which, like many good-looking yearlings do, turned
out to be useless. The owner when told of this could
scarcely believe it. He had them tried over and over
again, but with one and the same result. After hazarding
all kinds of conjectures as to the prospects of their future
careers, he . inquired, "What can be done?" to which I
replied unhesitatingly, " Sell them." We tried to dispose
of one, and succeeded beyond our expectations by the
following stratagem. The black horse was sent to New-
market and run in a Selling Race (for ^300), my own boy
riding him. My instructions to the lad were, that when
beat, he was to sit steady on his horse and not abuse him
wherever he might be in the race. He was beat a hundred
yards, a result thought to be too bad to be true, and he
was snapped up at the price by the owner of the second
horse ; and as the jockey had neither whip nor spurs,
the wiseacres putting this fact to the other, had their

P 2

212 PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

suspicions aroused — indeed many of them would have given
a good premium for the choice of the claim. The horse
was heavily engaged in all the following spring handicaps,
his impost being 5 st. 7 lbs. ; but he never went to the post
for one. I was never thanked for my share in the matter,
nor the boy rewarded for his successful and artistic services' ;
but, stranger than all, the other equally bad horse was
kept on until three years old, and entered for the Chester
Cup, for which he became a good favourite. I expressed
to the owner a hope that he was not backing him, because
the animal could beat nothing. But he would not be con-
vinced, and took the horse away from me, and after running
him on several occasions without the least chance of success,
ultimately sold him as useless. This, it may be allowed,
was ill-treatment of the trainer ; but the sting of it was,
that previously to removing the horse he said to me, " I
know that you think him a good horse, and have backed
him for the Chester Cup." I may often have been accused
of backing good horses, or of laying against bad ones, in
either of which acts there is some sense ; but this was the
first time I had ever been accused of backing a horse that I
knew could not beat a hack.

Another instance, I think the most impudent of many
audacious experiences, was when an Irish gentleman, some
seven feet high, came to see his friend's horses ; having,
I must allow, permission to do so. Nothing pleased this
son of the Emerald Isle. He took back with him a pitiful
tale ; in which the matters that met his approval may be
briefly summed as nothing, against a list yards in length
of grievances. There was nothing, to his mind, as it should
be in a racing-stable ; at any rate he had never seen things
done in the same fashion in Ireland. He had much to

ECCENTRICITY OF OWNERS. 213

say, although he did not back his charges with argument,
except in one instance, when as might be expected, his
reasoning was weak. The oats were inferior he said ; and
when asked the cause of the inferiority declared that they
were new. Now oats in the month of April I consider not
only good but preferable to those kept, as he said his always
were, until they have seen two Christmas days. Indeed,
if they have not been eaten before that period, very few
will be after ; for they would most surely smell disagreeably
and be refused by the horses. His presumption was con-
siderable when he stated that he could tell old oats from
new by seeing a few in the manger ; but it did not equal
his lack of veracity in his report of his visit, which was
literally beneath contempt.

I have no wish to overstate the case, or to add a word
incapable of proof, in demonstrating the harm done by the
tattle (if it be not worse) of friendly busybodies. But that
the evil exists the following will prove : —

So long as certain gentlemen ran their horses in my name
and their own was a well-kept secret, matters went smoothly ;
but so surely as they substituted their own names, things went
wrong. If they won, they ought, it was said, to have won
more. Absurd as it may appear, this was actually said to
me by a nobleman after winning a large stake ; as though
I were the keeper of his purse-strings ! If, on the other
hand, they were beat, it was the most extraordinary thing
in the world. Beat and beat again ! there was no end to
it ! The trial must have been wrong ; the race must have
been wrong : in fact, the whole business was wrong, and
there must be an explanation of it. All that before was
so correct and pleasant, is suddenly transformed to the
very opposite. Yet there had been no change of management.

214 PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

What then was the solution ? Simply this : The owner
unfortunately had listened to his friends, instead of, as
previously, hearing what his trainer has had to say. It
cannot be doubted for an instant, that the trainer studies
his own interest in studying the interest and pleasure of
his employer ; and that to think or to wish to do otherwise
would be madness. There is a greater desire to serve an
old client, and more pleasure in doing so, than to serve half-
a-dozen new ones, whose good qualities are taken on sup-
position, for they may be impostors. But amongst old clients
many are known to the trainer as valuable patrons and good
men. This one may be peevish, but he is genuine ; the
other has his crotchets, but he is liberality itself.

Sometimes the origin of the change is amusing. The late
Mr. Hilton, an eccentric gentleman, told me that he removed
his horses from the late Mr. Harlock, because one of them
was choked with a carrot in the night, and found dead in
the morning ; adding " his trainer should have prevented it. "

Mr. took his horses away from Danebury because he

backed Lady Elizabeth to win the Derby and she did not.
A very worthy old friend and most estimable man, a client
of mine, without the least wish to create unpleasantness or
be thought officious, thinks no horse's feet can be properly
attended to that he has not seen cut out and the shoes put
on : otherwise his heels are too high, his toes too long, soles
too bare, his feet want paring down ; or it is the reverse of
all this ; his shoes are always too thick or too thin, too
long or too short, and have too few or too many nails,
and the largest number generally placed on the wrong
side, or drawn on too tight or insecurely fixed. And yet
I think I have had as few lame horses as any one elsewhere,
notwithstanding all this terrible catalogue of existing wrongs.

INFLUENCE OF SERVANTS. 215

We understood each other, and as the expression of his
opinion was always in private it did no harm, and we still
remain the best of good friends.

The removal of horses from one trainer to another perhaps
has the most ludicrous basis in the following instance. An
Irish gentleman sent me a horse to train, a two-year-old with
a tail dragging the ground. I cut it, as is usual with race-
horses ; and in due course the owner arrived, and seeing it
squared, was so annoyed at my presumption in cutting a hair
of his horse's tail without his express permission, that he
never forgave me. However, as it was near the time the
horse had to run, he allowed him to remain till after the race.
He ran and won (as was expected). But the owner imme-
diately removed him, and has never trained with, or indeed
spoken to, me since.

Other dread enemies to trainers and to the peace of mind
of their employers are old servants ; for these add to ignor-
ance, officiousness in telling their masters how horses should
be trained, and refer them to the looks of their own carriage-
horses as a test of their masterly ability in the treatment
of their stud. The intention is probably good and the zeal
undoubted. But as the experience of these worthies, often
invaluable in their own sphere, is limited to that gained
from the box-seat of a carriage, they are not exactly the
authorities I should like to quote on the condition of a race-
horse. Yet not unfrequently masters not only listen to,
but implicitly believe in, their doctrines. The late Lord
Palmerston, who all his lifetime had trained with my father
and with my grandfather before him, removed his horses
from their old quarters at Danebury at the instigation of
an old and petted pad-groom. This self-confident person
wanted his lordship's horses to be tried when they were

2i6 PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

unfit ; and when told that they were so, would not believe
it. When he found his commands were not obeyed, he left
for Broadlands in high dudgeon, and quickly returned with
a mandate for the delivery of the horses, and immediately
bore them off in triumph to Littleton.

But after all, changes are not so often brought about by
the neglect, seeming or real, of his duties on the part of the
trainer, as by inability on the part of the owner to meet his
engagements. The removal is, in these cases, made with the

intention of getting fresh credit elsewhere. Lord left

me because after his account was two years standing, I was
presumptuous enough to ask for payment. He paid it, and
ordered his horses to be given up to a trainer at Epsom,
whom he left very shortly after, and probably from the same
cause, being about Christmas time, and retired from the turf.
Trainers, it is commonly thought, have opportunities to be-
come rich men ; but here we have one reason why so many of
them die poor — the method in which training accounts are
paid. Employers having the reputation of great wealth are
often short of money, or at least make that excuse to the
trainer. Theoretically, training accounts are paid every three
months ; practically, it is very different. Some pay yearly,
some in a number of years, some not at all. To these must
be added those who pay by bills of exchange — as a rule the
worst kind of payment, and unfortunately only too custom-
ary. As the bills represent racing transactions, your banker
declines to discount them ; thus, in order to provide money for
current expenses, you must apply to a West-end money-
lender, who kindly obliges you at fifty per cent., and if not
paid at maturity or punctually renewed with interest at the
same rate paid in cash, a writ is issued and judgment with all
its attendant expenses follows. You apply to the acceptor,

ARBITRARY PAYMENT OF TRAINING ACCOUNTS. 217

for whose accommodation the bill has been taken, and im-
plore him to take it up ; but he either cannot or will not, and
it is renewed with about as much probability of being met as
in the first instance. In sum, when ultimately paid at the
end of some two years, you find you have been training other
people's horses for nothing. I do not say that this unsatis-
factory practice is general, but I do not hesitate to affirm
that it is too frequent.

Nor is it only the impecunious who settle their long-
standing accounts in this ruinous fashion — with them it
is in a measure inevitable and therefore excusable. I have
trained for a gentleman whose reported income is over
£30,000 a year, who has paid me in this way, renewing
from time to time, without paying or adding the interest. I
remember training for a nobleman (to whose acts of kindness
I am much indebted) for several years, who once sent me a
cheque for £100, saying, "half a loaf is better than no bread,"
though a large amount at the time was owing, and before
another remittance was made the total had increased to
£7,500, which was settled by bills at long and different dates,
only ultimately paid after the delay and unpleasantness usual
in these cases. These deferred payments are manifestly one
cause of the comparative poverty of the trainer. I could
better afford and would much prefer to train horses for 30s-.
per week ready money (monthly payment), than for 5 or. on
the credit system such as I have described. I have been told,
and on the very best authority, that the late Mr. John Scott
had at one time over £20,000 on his books owing to him, over
and above his yearly bills, which temporarily so inconvenienced
him, that he had to request time for the settlement of his own
affairs. He recovered, however, and died comparatively a
wealthy man, notwithstanding his enormous losses. It must

2i8 PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

be apparent enough, that with such heavy drawbacks, train-
ing is not the lucrative business many would or may imagine
it to be. Of course with a large string of horses, and good
employers it does very well ; but few of us have such
opportunities.

Yet it would ill become me, in dealing with this part of my
subject, to withhold the meed of praise from those munificent
and liberal patrons of the turf who so richly deserve it. I
understand it is the practice of many noblemen and rich
commoners to pay monthly, whilst others pay large sums in
advance, in order that funds may be forthcoming to meet
current expenses, as need requires. I believe the late Mr.
Graham paid everything monthly, and made exceedingly large
presents to his trainer on many occasions ; besides in other
ways showing acts of the greatest kindness and liberality. It
is said the elder Mr. Boyce (now deceased), father of the
present Mr. Boyce, was, at the death of his employer, not
only left his string of racehorses, but the house, stables, and
the whole of the household furniture, even to the linen, plate,
and pictures — together, a most valuable bequest. The late Mr.
Joseph Rogers, father of Sam (the once celebrated jockey),
was also left a similar present, on the death of the late Mr.
Christopher Wilson. As to the accuracy of these statements
I cannot say, as they pertain to years gone by ; but I should
think they are substantially correct. But I can vouch for
the truth of the following instances in the present day. A
wealthy and generous foreigner not only always paid his
trainer's account monthly, but sent him on account on one
occasion a cheque for ;£8,ooo, not at the time owing him a
single farthing, and in every respect was equally as liberal to
his jockey as to his trainer. A certain nobleman but lately
elevated to the peerage, once said to his trainer, in reply to a

EVIL OF UNEXPLAINED REMOVAL OF HORSES. 219

request for a little cash, " I would not give a fig for a man
that could not let his trainer have a couple of thousand when
he wanted it," and immediately wrote him a cheque for that
sum. These and other munificent acts, show that there are
those who pay not only well, but at the proper time ; which is
doubly serviceable, for deferred payment is often not worth
acceptance, and is little short of ruin to the trainer.

That the subject is one warranting the space given to it,
is patent from the fact that at the end of every racing season
we hear of so many studs being removed from this trainer to
the other, and without a reason for the change. It is fair
to assume that no valid reasons exist because none are
ever offered in justification ; yet the fact of the removal
leaves the inference that the motive is either caprice, or the
tyranny of the strong over the weak.

This, it must be admitted, is not as it should be. No man
has a right to fix a stigma on the character of another which
he cannot remove, if subsequently he may be desirous to
do so. If a servant be discharged, he has a right to demand
the cause of his dismissal, and if his employer refuses to
give a character (which seldom occurs) the conclusion is that
the man is quite worthless ; whilst for an unfair one, he is
liable at law. But in racing no such respect is paid to the
trainer. His summary discharge exposes him to all kinds
of suspicion without redress of any kind. I will give a
few cases to the point that have come under my own
observation.

The late Lord George Bentinck removed his horses from
Danebury to Goodwood because my father happened to
differ with his lordship in the matter of changing the cloth-
ing of a mare {Crucifix) ; he thinking it a dangerous practice
in a cold March wind, whilst his lordship was of the opposite

22o PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

opinion. The intention of the proposed change, it should be
added, had been to deceive one of the most harmless of old
men, Mr. Isaac Sadler, who was incapable, I am sure, of doing
an ungentlemanly thing, although his lordship could not be
persuaded to think so. In the result, all kinds of rumours got
afloat, which though quite unsubstantiated were nevertheless
detrimental to the reputations of honest men. I remember
a Glasgow merchant who, in twelve or fourteen years, em-
ployed as many trainers and dismissed them all through
caprice ; but it stands to reason that all of them could not be
justly accused of neglect or excess of duty. And his treat-
ment of jockeys was the same ; rarely one rode for him again
after the first defeat, even though the Derby itself had been
the latest victory. In no single case was a reason given for
this unfair treatment.

It may be thought that the ruin of many persons which
followed as a necessary consequence in this instance was ex-
ceptional ; yet if we were to search for them, analogous cases
might, I suspect, be found, although sufficient has been
put forward to show the changeability of owners. I may,
however, mention a few of my own experiences during the
last thirty years as a public trainer of racehorses.

As a matter of fact, I have never been told why many of
my numerous employers removed their horses, except on one
occasion ; and that was for recommending a gentleman to
take a mare out of training — he having seen with his own eyes
over and over again, both in public and private, that she was
good for nothing as a racehorse. He would not be convinced
and removed her with the rest of his horses. But he never
won a race with her afterwards, although large sums of
money were staked on her when lightly weighted and in bad
company ; but even so she failed to obtain a place. He

THE TRAINER'S RIGHT TO AN EXPLANATION. 221

raced for several years afterwards ; but I do not remember
his being possessed of a single winner throughout the time.
This case was the more remarkable, because he did not find
a fault with the mare's condition, or with anything I had
done. The only fault was a difference of opinion ; too small
a one, it must be allowed, to separate old friends, for I had
trained for him for many years, and with great success. Had
I exonerated her, saying she would probably improve with
age ; or after every defeat had I excused it, throwing the
blame on the jockey, the starter, on anything, in fact, but
the horse, we should have remained friends.

If a gentleman has, or thinks he has, a grievance, it is his
prerogative to complain ; and it is better to do so, so that if
it exist it may be redressed. But frankness should be mutual.
If owners prefer their horses fat, there is no reason why they
should be made otherwise ; just as they are entitled to give
what instructions they like to their jockeys, so long as they
are honest. But there are duties even here. No man has a
right, from a sinister motive, to instruct his trainer to run his
horse fat, or his jockey to make play over a long course with
a horse known to be unfit, in order to deceive the public, and
then to remove the horse. For the result is to raise the value
of his horse at the expense of the trainer and the jockey, who
are thus ruined to secure his end another day. It is fair and
legitimate enough to instruct your jockey to wait with a horse
that you know to be slow, or to make good running with one
that cannot stay ; or indeed to run them in any state of fit-
ness for an ulterior purpose that may benefit the employer,
so long as the services of both trainer and jockey are appre-
ciated. It is only the truth to say that jockeys are not
always to blame for staying at the post, or coming too late,
or even for going the wrong course ; nor are trainers, for

222 PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

running horses palpably unfit— for they but receive and do
not give instructions ; and whilst they, alone are censured,
others receive the benefit.

The above argument will find illustration and corroboration
in the following incident.

A gentleman, who shall be nameless, asked me to buy him
a yearling. I did, and gave 300 guineas for one, the only one
I bought for him. As a two-year-old he was tried in the pre-
sence of his owner and won very easily — in fact, was found to
be a good horse. He ran a few days after with a stable boy
in the saddle and was not placed. I was not present. With-
out saying one single word, or even hinting at such a thing,
the owner did not allow the horse to return to my stable, but
sent him to his own. Shortly afterwards the rest of his
horses were taken away, his retirement from the turf, which
I knew was a fabrication, being the colourable pretext for
such action. The horse next year won the Derby, trained
by a stable boy cajoled from my establishment at the time
of the removal of the horses. What could this act imply
but dishonesty on the part of the jockey or myself, or both ?
The horse, it should be said, when he ran as a two-year-old
amongst "hacks," was not backed for a shilling and was well
and undoubtedly ridden to the orders of the owner, who, after
reaping the reward of such conduct in this one horse at the
ruinous expense of the jockey and trainer, never won a race
after that I remember, and retired in reality from the turf.

In another case, after Dulcibella had won the Caesarewitch,
I claimed her half brother, Romulus, for 300 guineas, and sold
him at the same price to a very wealthy young gentleman,
" who," it was said, " was desirous of training his horses with
me." In due course, Romu/us was tried and found to be a
good horse over a distance of ground, and entered for the

INSTANCES OF GROUNDLESS COMPLAINTS. 223

Csesarewitch and the Cambridgeshire, in both of which he was
bound to be in at a light weight from his previous running in
other hands. He never ran in public whilst with me. He
was, however, unfortunately entered in the Leamington
Stakes at Warwick, at 5 st. 7 lbs., and was ordered to
be sent there. When he arrived, the owner informed me
that some one had forestalled him in the market, to which
I replied, " At your own request the horse has not been
trained. W7hy, therefore, do you want to back him, or
even run him ? Why not keep him for his two races in the
autumn at Newmarket, as previously arranged ? " The horse,
after being kept wavering in the market to the very last
minute, was struck out, and then his owner said to me, " I
have backed Petra for .£2,000, or rather I stand it in the
stable commission ;" and forthwith, without a word of ex-
planation, then or since, ordered me to give Romulus up to
the trainer of Petra. I may, perhaps, add that Petra was the
first animal beaten, or was so to all appearance, pulling up
long before the winning-post was reached, and that Romulus
died a maiden. He was a very sound horse, although I heard
he afterwards broke down in his new trainer's hands ; but be
that as it may, he never won a race whilst in them, and his
owner soon afterwards retired from the turf.

It is such conduct as here has been illustrated that brings
obloquy upon trainers and jockeys. Yet there appears to be
some fatality attending the fortunes of those who stray from
the path of strict honour ; for in no one case can I call to
mind any one who derived permanent benefit from such
graceless acts.

As to the effects upon innocent trainers and jockeys, two
cases may be cited in illustration from bygone days. Mr.
Chifney — certainly the most accomplished, and probably the

224 PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS.

wealthiest jockey of his day — after winning the Derby and
making a large fortune, ended his days in abject poverty,
dying of a broken heart, caused by the duplicity of friends
and scorn of foes. Mr. Ridsdale, who enjoyed the reputa-
tion of being one of the best trainers of his time, died, we
are told, in a hayloft for the want of a bed to lie upon, with
only three halfpence in his pocket. These cases are not
without parallels in our day. It may not be easy to deter-
mine the cause of great wealth and poverty thus existing
almost simultaneously; but in part it may be thus accounted
for. Few trainers or jockeys begin life with a fortune,
but some quickly make one. They are then noticed and
praised, befooled and idolized, by those who live on them —
so long as they are successful. The lucky jockey is, after a
few successes, proclaimed " a living wonder ; " but reverses
come, and he is as roundly abused and deserted. The
trainer shares a similar experience.

But the chief hardships that befall the trainer have been
pointed out in this chapter : the actions which, on the part
of owners, their pseudo-friends and the public at large, are
the unworthy cause of much unpleasantness between employer
and employed. If I have dwelt upon the topic, it is because
I believe if the errors be shown they will be avoided in the
future. If owners of racehorses had but less confidence in
their friends and more faith in their own judgment and in
the honesty and ability of their trainers, they would not only
have no cause to regret it, but would make life pleasanter to
those they employ.

HAS THE THOROUGHBRED IMPROVED? 225

CHAPTER XXII.

THE RACEHORSE AS HE WAS AND IS.

Has the thoroughbred improved ? — Reasons for affirmative answer; Admiral Rous's
opinion — Flyers and stayers of our day enumerated — Horses past and present
contrasted : Bay Middlelon v. Vespasian, and Blue Gown — The work of
the present day more continuous — Tables of number of horses and distances
run — Increase in numbers and foreign competition — The prei; on Alep's
defeat by Avowal — Satisfactory result of this examination — Increased size
of the racehorse demonstrated — Fallacy of the time-test — Improvement in
hunters and steeplechasers.

ONE vexed question often debated, and which it appears is
as fiercely contested as ever on any and every favourable
opportunity, relates to the condition of the English racehorse.
Has he deteriorated in speed, size, or stamina ? Is he no
longer the superior animal he was in the last, or in the earlier
part of the present, century ? On this subject I shall add to
my own ideas, the views of those, in my opinion, the most
trustworthy authorities to follow ; a plan that may help to
clear up doubts which must of necessity exist in connection
with things that happened so many years ago. For in the
comparison of the merits of the horse in the last century,
when but very brief and imperfect accounts were kept of
his doings, with those of the horse in the present day,
much must be conjectural ; yet these accounts if carefully
studied afford a mass of interesting information, and properly
collated, give us, if not a just estimate of the merits of both,
yet an approximation to it, little short of the truth itself
and sufficient for our purpose.

Q

226 THE RACEHORSE AS HE WAS AND IS.

The result of such an examination on my own part has
been a definite conclusion. I believe our horses are superior
in speed and endurance to the horses of past times, and, if
it be an additional advantage, are increased in size.

The late Admiral Rous, the first great authority that I
shall quote, says : —

" There is an ignorant notion abroad that the thoroughbreds
have degenerated because so many are broken down before
they are four years old. It is no wonder if we reflect
that in these railroad times the young horses are destroyed
by galloping and racing for ten months in the year — two-
year-olds running three and four times in a week. It is the
old story, killing the goose for the golden eggs — otherwise
there is no deterioration ; on the contrary, the racehorse
never was so good."

Every sentiment of the gallant admiral, as above expressed,
I fully endorse. I think the reputation for speed will be
safe in the keeping of such horses as the following : —
Trappist, Thunder, Galopin, Prince Charlie, Springfield,
Ecossais, and Lollipop ; and for endurance with such as : New
Holland, Hampton, Petrarch, and Pageant — some of the
latter, and many others I could mention, being equally good
at any distance up to and under four miles, though some few
may have been sent to the stud, where we shall find many
more good horses of both sexes. The names of a few of
the latter may be given as follows : — Sterling, Rosicmcian,
Speculum, The Earl, Hermit, Doncaster, Blue Gown, Sec-Saw,
Julius, and Palmer as sires, and Apology, Brigantine, Europa,
Hannah, Formosa, Green Sleeves, Marie Stuart, and Friiulcin
as mares ; besides a host of others too numerous to mention.

It will be well now to contrast the performances of a few
of these modern horses with those of one of the best of
former years ; for which purpose I select the running of Bay
Middleton in 1836, a performance that I think had never up

BA Y MIDDLETON & BLUE GOWN CONTRASTED. 227

to that time been equalled. Bay Middleton never ran as a
two-year-old, and only seven times as a three-year old, and
was never beaten. His best race was the Derby, when behind
him were Gladiator, Venison, and several other very good
horses. He was seven or ten pounds better than Ells, the
winner of that year's St. Leger, and twenty-one pounds
better than Venison at a mile and a half ; and he could give
others of the same year twenty-eight pounds and beat them.
It is, therefore, undoubted that Bay Middleton was three
stone and a half better than some horses of his own age.
Now let us take the running of one or two of later date :
Blue Gown, for instance (though Sir Joseph Hawley always
said Roslcruclan was the better horse). We find that in
running for the Cambridgeshire he gave one of his own age, a
three-year-old, 3 st. 7 lbs. and a beating, and probably would
have given him seven or ten pounds more, or a difference of
four stone. Next, we see Vespasian, a six-year-old, giving
Judge, a three-year-old, 4 st. 10 lbs., and eleven pounds beating,
making him five stone and a half better than the winner of
the Queen's Plate, for Judge won this afterwards on the same
day. Many like instances could, if needed, be found ; but I
think those furnished will be sufficient to show that horses
now are better than they were in 1836, in which year they
were better than in any preceding year. As a natural conse-
quence, therefore, our horses must be better at the present
time than they ever were before. Moreover, in 1836 and the
preceding years, horses did not run so often, and could be
better prepared and made more of than nowadays, when
they are continually being raced, galloped, or tried. Old
Mr. Forth used to say, " Horses were like peach-trees that
blossomed but once a year ; " and the late Mr. S. Chifney
said, " They cannot be made to keep their form from one
day to another." Yet we are obliged, as trainers, to have

Q 2

228

THE RACEHORSE AS HE WAS AND IS.

the horses under our charge running not only once or twice
but twenty or thirty times a year, and we are also expected
to have them fit each and every time, and looking like satin.
Again, formerly, there were in the year only about 400
horses to contend against, and very few, if any, foreign
horses. Now, how vastly increased do we find the numbers.
According to Messrs. Weatherby's " Racing Calendar " for
races past (1878) we see no less than 2,097 horses running
in 1,699 races, exclusive of horses that run only for hurdle
races and hunter races on the flat. The whole is given in
an interesting form in the two tables at foot.1 It should be

1 Table No. i.
Table showing the number of horses of different ages that have run in the
undermentioned years : —

Two Year

ThreeYear

Four Year

Five and

Total.

lears.

Vearlings.

olds.

olds.

olds.

upwards.

1797

48

161

122

262

593

1802

—

3l

117

108

280

536

1807

—

33

230

148

280

691

1812

—

55

3-4

188

254

S21

1814

—

78

3°9

174

239

800

1822

—

112

285

194

387

988

1827

—

I+2

361

210

453

1,166

1832

—

20O

395

237

407

1,239

1827

215

326

210

462

1,213

1843

—

213

384

236

456

1,289

1849

—

264

419

254

378

1,315

1859
i860

9

576
608

496
521

240
302

324

286

1,642
1,717

1861

—

66l

55°

214

342

1.767

1862

—

626

528

291

381

1 826

1863

—

643

5io

291

393

1.837

1864

—

664

548

298

438

1,948

1865

—

659

572

364

447

2,042

1866

—

72)

572

359

449

2,109

1867

—

752

661

40^

657

2.458

1868

—

844

631

418

617

2,510

1869

—

842

673

402

617

2.534

1870

—

807

709

442

611

2,569

1871

—

732

740

450

561

2,483

1872

—

699

627

382

39°

2.098

1873

—

604

602

356

427

2,079

1874

—

710

572

320

363

1,965

1875

—

784

55°

354

396

2,084

1876

—

769

592

3° 3

39°

2.054

1877

—

805

604

318

33°

2.057

1878

873

612

321

291

2.097

The Irish horses are not included before 1S49. In 1843, 113 horses ran in the
Irish races reported in the English Racing Calendar. Since the autumn of 1 867,

INCREASE IN NUMBERS.

229

remembered that we have to contend against the best horses
of other nations, of which there were running in that year
(1878), according to the same authority, no less than 600
— more than one quarter of the number we possess at the
present time, and actually more than the aggregate of
horses we had running in 1802.

In 1836, in the United Kingdom we had 1,489 brood
mares, and in 1876 we had 2,858 accounted for according to
Messrs. Weatherby's pages ; but there are many others not
included in this stud-book — probably scores, Jester's dam
being one, whose pedigree is unknown. Of the above mares
thirty-seven were sent abroad before foaling.

Foreigners, who previously bought our yearlings but
sparingly if at all, have of late years purchased great numbers
at high prices; against which, as well as the produce of our
best mares, which also they have freely bought, we have now
to contend. In the same way our very best stallions go from
us regardless of price. Buccaneer, one of the very best stallions
we ever possessed, went, I think, to Austria. By his aid, Mr.
Baltazzi, an Austrian gentleman, won the Derby with a colt
hurdle races have not been included in the foregoing Tables, and since the end of
July, 1871, Hunters' Races on the flat have not been included.

Table No. 2.

Table showing the number of races of different distances in Great Britain in the
undermentioned years, including the principal races in Ireland as reported in the
English Racing Calendar : —

Distances.

1873-

1874.

1875-

1876.

1877.

1878.

246

1,049

208

307

91

18

2

233
1,044

234

268

78

14

2

261

1.035

256

26l

79
11
6

269

1,053

258

239

77

9

2

251
837
245
220

73
11
2

256
900
244
223

64
10
2

Over half a mile and under one mile...

Total

i>9Si

1.873

1,909

1,907

1,639

1,699

230 THE RACEHORSE AS HE WAS AND IS.

(named Kisber after the place he was foaled at) out of an
English-bred mare. The Austrians thus possess the sire and
dam of a winner of the Derby, besides many other mares and
stallions, once our own, equally well and fashionably bred.
Some idea of the number may be had from the fact that
from the year 1873 to 1876 inclusive, foreign purchasers were
found, from eighteen different countries, for 490 horses, chiefly
brood mares and stallions, yearlings and unnamed young
horses being reckoned in a different list, which would pro-
bably sum to as many more, or, together, something like
250 a year ; and of the former no less than 146 went to
France and forty-seven to Austria.

I think, from the facts related that nothing more is wanted
to show that our horses are better now than at any other
period in our history ; but I cannot refrain from relating an
incident in support of my argument, because of its special
interest. I have already adverted to the match made between
the Prince of Wales and Lord Strathnairn ; and I may now
add that the race itself created considerable excitement on
account of the breed of Alep and his unbeaten career, and
is the more worthy of record because this one of the com-
petitors was the first racehorse kept by royalty for many
years. Its chief professional interest lay, of course, in the
fact that, in the result, it determined the superiority of a
moderately half-bred Arab crossed with English blood over a
pure Arab, and one of the very best of his race ; and this will
be readily admitted, I should hope, as another proof of the
superiority of our thoroughbred horses over all others, how-
ever bred. I am corroborated in this opinion by a leading
article in the Standard oi July 7th, 1877, which runs thus :—

" Again we find that when it comes to a match between a
pure-bred Arab and a horse with English blood in his veins,

INCREASED SIZE OF THE RACEHORSE. 231

the latter carries the day. Alep, the Prince of Wales's horse,
has gained a tremendous reputation in Egypt, never having
been beaten in any of the eighteen races he ran in that
country ; and Lord Strathnairn's Avowal, a half-bred animal
with some Arab blood, is not a particularly brilliant speci-
men of a racehorse, but was nevertheless easily able to account
for the hitherto unconquered Alep."

After giving the time in which Arabs have run two miles,
the writer says in conclusion : —

" The four-mile race of yesterday was calculated to dis-
play the speed and endurance of the Arab, but even against
so moderate an animal as Avowal, Ale/s efforts were use-
less, and the value of English thoroughbred blood is again
conclusively demonstrated."

When we come to consider the size of the thoroughbred
we see the same (it may be, questionable) superiority. In the
Book Calendar of 1749-50 is a list of stallions and their
prices for serving mares, together with laudatory remarks,
a few only of which I will notice. One advertisement
(abridged) runs thus : " The fine Arabian horse brought over
by Mr. Moscow from Constantinople, at three guineas, and
half-a-crown the groom. He is near fifteen hands high."
Again, Disman, at the same price, is strongly recommended
on account of his great strength and size, being 15 hands
high, which appears to have been the extreme height of nine
out of ten, whilst the others are described as being very
little taller. Nov/ if we contrast with these our horses,
many of which are 16 hands and a half and 17 hands
high, we shall easily perceive how superior is their size to
that of those I have been describing ; whilst the low fee for
serving the mares formerly charged, contrasts strongly with

232 THE RACEHORSE AS HE WAS AND IS.

that for stallions at the present date, viz. ioo and even 200
guineas, each mare.

I should perhaps remark, in conclusion, upon the fallibility
of the time-test to gauge the merits of different horses even
with all the accuracy with which it is now kept. The objec-
tions to it are obvious. One race may be run fast a part of
the way only, whilst another is run the whole distance at the
best speed of the animals contending. Thus in a slow run
race over a long course, a fast horse may win and beat one
that, if the pace were good all the way, would be able to dis-
tance his conqueror ; and in the two instances the time occu-
pied by the same animals in doing the same distance would
vary considerably. The state of the ground, too, would
tell materially for or against the making of good time. As
no mention is made of all these differently operating circum-
stances, nor any calculation of the probable effect on either
of two animals thus tested by time, I prefer to see horses
tried side by side ; or if that cannot be attained, then I would
rather they were tried collaterally horse by horse, than rely
on information derived from the uncertainty of the time test.

If more were required to be said on the subject, I think it
would be allowed that the superior stamina of the racehorse
is even more conspicuous if we observe him under heavy
weights, over deep ground — across country a long distance —
as a steeplechaser, where he now takes a foremost place.
Some twenty or thirty years ago, the half-bred hunters could
beat our thoroughbred horses over such courses ; and to start
one of the latter would have been deemed an act of insane
cruelty on the part of the owner. Though some may argue
that the transposition is more owing to the degeneracy of the
one than the improvement of the other, yet I think this will
not appear to be the case if we consider the high standard of

IMPROVEMENT IN CRCSS-CCUNTRY HORSES. 233

prices given for hunters and steeplechase horses, which must
tend to improve their breed and consequently their qualities
in the same ratio as a similarly enhanced value has improved
our thoroughbred horses. I may therefore fairly assume that
our horses have made progressive improvement, and are now
better than at any other period of their history ; and that
we may congratulate ourselves on the happy and complete
success that has followed the indomitable pluck, skill, and
energy of breeders of the thoroughbred.

234 RACING, PAST AND PRESENT.

CHAPTER XXIII.

RACING, PAST AND PRESENT.

Rarity of races in old days; extracts from records — Racing in 1 750 — Value of
stakes in present day ; table — Ancient estimation of the horse ; King Athel-
stan's running horses — The earliest race on record — Racing as it was ; dis-
tances travelled and hardships ; the Duke of Queensberry and " Hellfire
Dick ;" a six-mile race ; heats ; cruel feats of endurance — Racing as it is :
horses run oftener now ; Fisherman s performances, and others ; Isoline,
Crucifix, Galopin — Racing for pleasure, and modern increase of betting —
Cosmopolitan state of the turf — Evils of usury — Career of the Marquess of
Hastings ; its assumed disastrous result refuted — Career of the late Earl of
Derby — The two contrasted, and satisfactory deductions therefrom — Betting
a chief cause of loss, greatly increased by usury — Example of the latter ;
.£2,000 for a box of cigars.

If we come to compare racing as it is and as it used to
be, we shall find how vastly it has improved as a science
and increased as a national pastime.

In 1750, or thirty years before the first Derby was run, we
find the races so numerically small that in order to make a
volume, recording the races, of a respectable size, it was found
necessary to add Cocking and a list of battles fought.
The first account of a race given in this curious and interest-
ing little volume I give verbatim. " Upon the 15th day of
March (1749) the annual Sixteen Guineas Prize was run for

RACING IN 1750. 235

at Kippling Coats (Yorkshire), as usual, for any weight 10
stone one heat, which prize was won by

Mr. Holles's black g., Chimney Sweeper beating
Mr. Osbaldestone's bay h.,
Mr. Watson's bay h., and
Mr. Read's bay h."

It was then the usual custom, it appears, to race from
March till October and, as in the present day, there was a
close time ; at all events, there was no racing in the other
months, possibly because such a proceeding would have been
against the prevailing taste or fashion. One race a day must
surely have been scarcely worth the trouble of witnessing ;
yet they seldom had more. Beverley had four days racing
made up of one race each day ; and Bury (Suffolk) held a
three days' meeting with the like number, viz., one race daily,
and Newmarket was content with about the same meagre
sport — these races being mostly run in heats from one to
four miles.

This sort of sport, if it can be dignified by the name, must
have been of a very dull and unappreciable character; for
though the distance may have had to be traversed four or
more times, and each heat been well contested before the race
was finally won, it may sometimes have been decided by the
first, followed by a walk over the course for the second. In
the year 1750 I find it recorded, in the same work, that 450
horses ran, having 240 owners ; a little less than two horses
apiece, Lord Poltimore having the largest stud, consisting of
12, which secured him eight victories of the collective value of
£588 10s., none of his horses having run more than twice, and
only two so often. The 150 races run in that year ranged in
value from 10 to 135 guineas, or an average of about £80

cs6 RACING, PAST AND PRESENT.

each, bringing the sum total to about ;£i 2,000 for the whole
racing season — not double the value of one stake run for
lowadays. The whole amount run for in one recent year
(187S) reached the enormous sum of ,£391,049 4s. od. exclu-
sive of matches, as given below in a tabulated form taken
from the " Ra&ing Calendar." x In this respect racing seems
to have made greater strides than in almost anything else ; for
on comparing this sum with the £ 12,000 that was run for in
1750, we shall find it to be more than thirty times as much
as the total of that year.

It is perhaps needless to say that the rapid and gigantic
strides which the national sport has made in recent years,
would teach us falsely should they lead us to suppose that

1 Table showing the amount of money added to races of different distances

in Great Britain and Ireland, in 1S78, and the amount won in stakes, including

added money : —

Added Money.
£ s. d. £ s. d.

Half a mile and under 19.799 ° °

Ditto, selling races 12,540 o o

32,339 o o

Five furlongs, and under six 42,613 o o

Ditto, selling races 25,877 o o

■ 68,490 o o

Six furlongs, and under a mile 26,766 o o

Ditto, selling races 8,483 o o

35,249 o o

A mile, and under a mile and a half . 47,735 IO °
Ditto, selling races 5,355 ° °

53>°90 10 o

A mile and a half, and under two ... 20,125 o o
Ditto, selling races 150 o o

20,275 o o

Two miles and upwards 15,950 o o

Ditto, selling races 100 o o

16,050 o o

Total £225,493 10 o

Of this sum £63,246 was given to two-year-old races, £14,371 of which was
for selling races, and £115,879 ior. was given to handicaps.

Ireland contributed £9, 01 5 of the total amount, and Scotland £7, 192.

The total value of stakes won, calculated according to Rule XI. (hi.) exclusive
of matches, was £391,049 4*.

CHANGES IN THIS CENTURY. 237

man's interest in his noble servant and friend, the horse, is
any new thing. The horse has from time immemorial been
thought much of, and, it may be, has been in ages long past
more truly appreciated than he is in our day. We read that
as far back as A.D. 930, the German Emperor, Hugh the
Great, sent a present to King Athelstan of " running horses ; "
from which we may conclude that they were highly prized
and probably scarce and costly. At a little later date, we
find the Saxon King giving orders that no horses should
be sent abroad for any purposes, except as royal pre-
sents. So the date of the Germans keeping horses may be
coeval with that of the Saxons, if not earlier. In D'Israeli's
" Curiosities of Literature," I find racing alluded to, when Mr.
Fitz Stephen, in his account of London, describes Smithfield
as " a field where every Friday there, is a celebrated rendez-
vous of fine horses brought hither to be sold." The writer
continues by giving an account of a horse race there, remark-
able as being one of the earliest on record in this country ;
from which it would appear that racing was engaged in by
the inhabitants of London before, as far as it is known, it
exirted at Newmarket.

But however interesting these ancient records may be, the
comparison of the turf as it is and as it was, is most to the
purpose when made between the practice of a generation or
two since and that of our own.

In the days of yore, the Royal Plates were, after the Derby,
Oaks and St. Legcr, the most attractive and coveted prizes ;
and so great was the rejoicing on winning one of them that
the entire stake gained was often spent in commemorating the
event in true Bacchanalian style. The start for a Race Meet-
ing some 100 miles distant was commenced eight or ten days
before, and the business usually took about three weeks in

23S RACING, PAST AND PRESENT.

performance, including the return journey. To-day, double
the distance may be done in as many days, thus economizing
money and time. The late Mr. Scott used to send his horses
to Leatherhead where they were located for several weeks for
Epsom races. Probably after travelling so far on foot, this
halt could scarcely have been well dispensed with. His horses,
too, were usually sent from Whitevvall to Pigburn before
the Doncaster Meeting. This change probably was dictated
from the superior nature of the one ground to the other. At
both Leatherhead and Pigburn they used to take one sweat, as
well as several gallops, before running their respective races
at Epsom and Doncaster : now, through the instrumentality
of the railroad, they are brought within a couple of days
of one, and the other may easily be reached the same day ;
and yet for aught I see,, horses were as well trained in those
days as now, and the worst horses made as much of.

Mr. John Lawrence, in his work from which I have already
had occasion to quote, gives some particulars of racing as it
was in his time.

" The Duke of Queensberry," he says, " raced for over half
a century and with unparalleled success in his matchmaking
and betting accounts. His carriage match at Newmarket,
the fame of which spread all over Europe, and his success-
ful half and quarter mile matches with the Rocket gelding,
gave him the reputation of an original in the projects of the
turf. The success of his short races was supposed to
depend materially on the presence of mind, keenness of
eye and activity of Hell-fire Dick."

This I have heard my father say was the sobriquet of Mr.
R. Goodson, the celebrated jockey of that day. Mr. Lawrence
next sets out to describe extremely short races not exceeding a
quarter of a mile, and then gives an account of one, in 1772, just

PERFORMANCES OF MODERN HORSES 239

the opposite ; Flying Childers beating Chanter, 10 stone each,
6 miles. I have seen matches run at Newmarket over the
yearling course, 2 furlongs and 52 yards. Now we seldom
run over two miles, or less than five furlongs, with horses
older than two years old ; anything under the latter distance
being proscribed by the rules of the Jockey Club.

Races in those days were run for in heats, a custom long
since abandoned ; and nowadays, as has been said, shorter
courses are substituted for those of four miles, except in a
very few instances. Fortunately a morbid desire no longer
exists to witness such cruel feats of endurance as the one
which took place over the old course at Stockbridge between
Camerton, Shoe String, Office Dyke, and Scorpion, when the
last named died on the course, Shoe String ran herself blind,
and the other two were never afterwards good for anything.

There is a great contrast, too, in the number of times that
a horse will run in the present day, as compared with the
past. To-day a horse is raced ten times as often as in
the old times ; for we find that in 1750, only one horse in ten
was raced a second time. What would Lord Portman and
his contemporaries of that year, who were content to run
each horse but once, or at the utmost twice a year, think of
the performances of FisJierman and other horses of recent
times ! Fisherman ran in one year, thirty-five times, and
secured twenty-one victories, amongst them the Ascot Cup,
two miles and a half, and immediately afterwards on the
same day, the Queen's Plate about three miles ; and it does
not appear that these or his other numerous races did him the
slightest harm. This feat, it should be remembered, was
much more trying than to run heats in which the same horses
only are met again and again. Isoline accomplished a similar
task at Goodwood. These were good horses, if not like

240 RACING, PAST AND PRESENT.

Eclipse or Highflyer, who were never beaten. Yet we must
bear in mind that our system has shown us Crucifix and Bay
Middleton who in their day knew no superior : and in our own
times, Galopin and many others, who after years of racing
retired from the turf without equals — names as much entitled
to be enrolled in the "blazing scroll of fame" as those of the
never-to-be forgotten worthies of old.

Formerly gentlemen raced mostly for the pleasure of the
sport, and not so much for gain ; as the total value in
stakes to the most fortunate could barely be enough to repay
their expenses. There are now thousands of men who con-
stitute themselves racing authorities, that probably never
owned a horse except a hack. Yet these men will bet their
hundreds and hundreds on other people's horses : and if not
right in their Utopian idea, soundly abuse everyone connected
with the animals, to the great detriment of the turf. They
forget that if two bet, one must lose : and no one can expect
to hold all trump cards in every honest hand. If a betting
man, from over speculation, bad luck, or dishonesty, fails to
meet his engagements, he is, as he deserves to be, tabooed as
a poltroon, and no more heard of. But let a gentleman
do the same ; the turf is blamed for his accounts, and
the matter is never forgotten nor forgiven by the enemies
of racing.

The turf is at present composed of all grades, from royalty
to the humblest subject. There are rich commoners and poor
noblemen ; the first racing for position, the others for wealth,
which either or both may miss or attain, and be eulogised or
condemned for the manner in which they do it. The safe
keeping of the best interests of the turf is wisely entrusted
to the rich and noble ; for the poor, though equally
honest in all their dealings with it, are often the cause of

CAREER OF THE MARQUESS OF HASTINGS. 24 1

much scandal from the misapprehension of facts connected
with the deeds of others.

Racing requires capital, and if this be supplied by usurers
it is not difficult to foretell the destiny of those who engage
in it. Yet it is not racing which, though it has to bear the
blame, deserves it ; rather should the obloquy cast by the
ruin of needy clients fall on the extortioner.

One case amongst a few in which the patrons of the turf
have escaped this destructive snare may be cited. I allude
to that of the Marquess of Hastings. His difficulties com-
menced, it can hardly be doubted, at that period so fatal to
many of our aristocracy — whilst at college. With youth and
inexperience as their only guides, young men are at that
time, often fleeced by more insatiable sharks than they will
ever meet on the turf; and from the clutches of these foes
some never escape, subsisting on borrowed money, and as a
last resource taking to racing. I do not wish to be under-
stood to say that the nobleman in question was driven to
these extremities ; but that he had suffered in this way to
some extent, there can be no doubt, for he was never
considered rich.

His lordship commenced racing early in life, his horses
being originally trained and run in the name of a friend.
Subsequently he removed them to Danebury, and raced in
his own name, quickly becoming the " lion " of the turf. At
this period no one hesitated to pronounce him a lost man.
" He was in the hands of usurers and beset with harpies of
every description," it was said ; either the one or the other
being enough to effect his speedy ruin, it will be allowed.
But the most that could fairly be said against him was, that
he may have borrowed money at extravagant rates of interest,
and as truthfully it should be added, that he repaid it. His

R

242 RACING, PAST AND PRESENT.

horses were always run on strictly honest principles, and those
in his name were all his own, until his health gave way and
put an end to his short and extraordinary career. It may fear-
lessly be averred that during this brief time, he revelled in his
favourite amusement, spending enormous sums yearly, only to
have them repaid with a good amount over, by way of in-
terest. His gigantic expenses were all met and discharged,
with most praiseworthy and business-like promptitude ; and
his liberality was unbounded. And yet all this was done
without the aid of a princely fortune ; for as I have before
said, his means were limited and he started with a borrowed
purse. And I am told by one of his lordship's most intimate
friends (in whose arms he died) that he was richer when
retiring from the turf than when he commenced racing.

I shall now, by way of comparison, say a few words on the
racing career of the late Earl of Derby ; a fearless and upright
sportsman, as well as a justly celebrated statesman and orator.
Two noblemen so thoroughly dissimilar as were these
in all that concerns racing, except in their unflinching in-
tegrity, can scarcely be found. The Marquess hardly ever
bred a horse, but bought his yearlings and old horses, of which
he had not a few. The Earl bred, and never bought any
young or old, keeping only a small stud. Moreover, he seldom
ran them except at Goodwood, Doncaster, Epsom, and a few
other places, and backed only his own, and then only for
small sums. The Marquess did just the opposite. He backed
his own often, and other people's, for very large stakes; and
no place was too distant, nor race too small, for him to run
a horse in it. Again, whilst the Earl was a millionaire, and
the Marquess comparatively speaking poor, both raced with
success. I can vouch for the fact, on the authority of a noble-
man well known to the late Earl, that his stud never cost him

EVILS OF USURY. 243

a guinea, but each and every year paid its own expenses,
leaving a balance in his lordship's favour. And I suspect if
other people kept as strict an account, we should hear of more
winners and fewer losers on the turf, and discover that, after
all, racing, like other amusements, may be indulged in in
a less expensive form than is generally supposed — possibly
at half the cost of hunting. Large and small studs I have
shown can be made self-subsisting ; and what has before been
done, may be done again. But it is not so with other
amusements. They are all more or less costly, and do not
offer the remotest chance of returning to those who participate
in them a guinea either of capital or expenditure. But racing,
if regulated and kept within prescribed limits, has the advan-
tage over all other field sports, that besides the pleasure
derived from it, it is possible with a limited income to gain
a fortune by it, if not in the first, then in subsequent years.

The gist of the matter is, that betting rather than racing
ruins the majority of gentlemen on the turf. This is the real
cause of all great disasters ; and yet without it, it must be
admitted racing could not be carried on. You wage an
unequal war with the bookmakers who subsist by betting.
They back all, you back but one ; and, besides other advan-
tages, they never lay too long odds, whilst you never obtain
fair odds. Yet on occasion a good bet may, and should be
made, when you have a good horse of your own. On the other
hand, it should be a rigid principle never to back other
people's horses ; for of their merits you can know but little,
and of their condition less.

But, bad as is the result of indiscriminate betting, that of
borrowing money from usurers is worse. Against such a
revelation as that given at foot, who can stand ? Or what
practices on the turf can compare with such extortion and

R 2

244 RACING, PAST AND PRESENT.

robbery ? * But the subject of betting generally will occupy
our attention in the next chapter.

1 The following appeared in the Evening Standard, of Friday, March the 30th,
1877 : — " In the list of bankrupts figured a nobleman, heir to large estates, who
had given bills for large amounts ; amongst other items stood conspicuously one

of ,£2,000, given to Mr. S D , who of course owed his friend, a

Mr. K , money, and handed him the acceptance. The valuable con-
sideration that was to be given for the bill was to consist of cigars ; but on exam-
ination it turned out that only a box of the value of /5 was supplied to his
lordship.

SERVICES OF THE GENUINE BOOKMAKER. 245

CHAPTER XXIV

BETTING AS IT IS.

Hints on betting — Value of the genuine bookmaker — His counterfeit and the
amateur backer — Worthlessness of " tips " — The only safe grounds for backing
a horse — Proneness to wagering ; the De Goncourt fraud — Making a backing-
book — A race-course incident : fidelity of Inspector R ; changed career

of two boon companions — The commissioner : evils of employing him ; how
commissions are worked ; his dishonesty, plausibility, and easy gains ; authentic
personal experiences in illustration ; Pharsalus and the Metropolitan, Promised
Land and the Two Thousand, disappointment in the Goodwood Stakes ; the
result examined.

I HAVE shown, I think conclusively, that racing properly
carried out, is very far from the ruinous business it is
popularly supposed to be. I have also pointed out that
Lo bet in reason, and on the proper occasions, is a legitimate
and, as a rule, advantageous course on the part of the
owner of racehorses. In this chapter I propose to give a
few hints on betting to amateur backers generally, which
may prove of service ; if not to teach them how to find the
best horses to back, at least to know with whom they
may safely bet.

Bookmakers pursue a legitimate and lucrative trade by
laying against all horses as they appear in the market at a
certain price, and are indeed an important part of the turf,
second only to owners of horses, and could as ill be spared.
And of these, there are many men of standing and good

246 BETTING AS IT IS.

repute with whom the amateur may bet and be sure of
receiving his money if he be fortunate enough to back
the winner. But with the men who take the money before
the race, and with others outside the recognised ring, he
should have no dealings under any pretence. These men
only receive the money with the intention of decamping
with it, should they lose.

Another great point is never to rely for information on
a tipster or a tout. These gentry know more of men than
horses, and are always in search of flats and generally find
them. They never make the fortune for themselves that they
are always professing to have made and to be still making for
others. As Butler has it in Hudibras, they,

" Make fools believe in their far-seeing,
Of things before they are in being ;
To swallow gudgeon ere they're catch'd,
And count their chickens ere they're hatch'd."

Rather rely on your own knowledge and judge from what
you see than from what others may say, unless you take the
advice of a friend that may happen to know or be the owner
of any horse about to run. By this means you may win,
though you will have to take a shorter price than the owner,
after the commission is executed ; but you have the satis-
faction of knowing that you have backed a horse that may
have a fair chance of winning and will be content whatever
be the result in the assurance that you have been honestly
dealt by and have had in turf phraseology " a run for your
money." Says Lord Byron —

" Most men, till by losing rendered sager,
Will back their own opinion by a wager.''

This is so, it may be concluded ; for it is the dictum of a
great student of mankind, and will probably be found true

THE DE GONCOURT FRAUD. 247

of all ages : therefore although betting, as I have before said,
has ruined ten times the number of men that ever the keep-
ing of racehorses has done, it is perhaps useless to advise
people not to bet as a rule, but rather to recommend them to
keep a few horses and back them, and them only, on fitting
occasions. Gentlemen would thus combine pleasure with
genuine sport, in witnessing the running of their own horses,
and would be in the end richer men.

No better example could be given of the methods in
which the tipster and his unscrupulous colleagues gull their
friends (?) the public than the notorious case of Madame
de Goncourt,1 and it may be added that thousands of
similar scandalous robberies, most of them on a smaller
scale no doubt, take place. This instance is one lesson
salutary enough to cause on the part of all sensible men,
avoidance of the tipsters ; for it is very clear that men
who for years had done their duty as officers of the police,
fell when brought into contact with their contaminating
influence.

I should not omit to mention certain bettors who, as a

1 In this case William Kurr, F. Kurr, and Benson, contrived to defraud a
French lady (then living in France) of ^10,000 in an incredibly short space of time.
The extent to which they may have robbed other people does not appear, but
£100,000 is possibly not too high an estimate of the total. Madame de Goncourt
was lucky enough to have the greater portion of her money restored, as it
was traced to the men and given up to the authorities ; for the swindlers'
avariciousness defeated their own ends. The ^"10,000 might have been secured,
had they not endeavoured to obtain a further sum of no less than ,£"30,000, which
it was shown the confiding lady was willing to send them, but, fortunately for
herself, she had to apply to her bankers or solicitors before doing so, and thus in-
quiry was made and suspicion aroused. The trial exposed the wide ramifications
of the evil ; for Mr. Froggatt, a solicitor, and others high in authority in the police
force were found to be implicated as accessories, and were subsequently, on the
evidence of the thieves themselves fully corroborated in the chief points, convicted,
and sent to hard labour.

248 BETTING AS IT IS.

class, arc more harmful in their operations to owners of horses
than all the rest of the forestalled put together — those who
make backing-books. They back, with few exceptions, all
the horses at the first appearance of the weights or shortly
afterwards. In most cases they commence by backing ten
or twelve horses, from 1,000 to io, 20, or 30 as the case may
be, and then wait the result of the acceptance. The horses
are then quoted as backed. The public see and follow,
believing that the money is put on for the owners. The
horse becomes a favourite and the backing-book-maker
hedges and stands to win a certain sum, the best he can
make of it, to nothing ; whilst some time later the owner,
obliged to look on with intense disgust, strikes his horse out.
Of course the backer has in this case to run the chance of
acceptance ; for should the owner not accept, he can have
no chance to hedge. After the acceptance he again backs
a few of those that appear to have the best chance and then
waits till the day of running and again backs the most danger-
ous-looking ones. In this way the winnings of such men are
seldom much, and at times their losses are heavy. The
same thing is done for the weight for age races. Long odds
are taken about well-bred horses, and those recommended
directly or indirectly by the tipster and tout. Indeed but
for these men, few would be bold enough to attempt to make
a backing-book ; a process which almost surely ends in ruin.

I may fitly, here, mention a circumstance rather amusing in
its result if alarming in the outset, which befell me as a boy,
as showing an extraordinary combination of fidelity and hard

living in one and the same person, Mr. R an inspector

of police.

I went to Abingdon Races to ride for Mr. Sadler, and
whilst doing so, asked Mr. Montgomery Dilly to take care of

FIDELITY OF INSPECTCR R . r.49

my pocket-book and purse ; which he kindly did. On my
return he informed me that he had been robbed, and with
mine had also lost his own purse, containing £150 besides

vouchers and other things still more valuable. Mr. R ,

a great friend of Mr. William Sadler's, was applied to in
hopes of recovering the lost property, and he promised to
do all he could to get it restored ; but said he was afraid
that everything except the notes would be destroyed before
coming into his hands. He appointed the same evening at ten
o'clock to meet us at the Lamb Hotel to give the result of
his inquiries. At the time named he appeared and told us
" that it was not in the possession of any of his men." We
then suggested that he might know others who might have
it, and expressed a hope that he would use his influence for
its recovery. He promised to do so, and carried out his
promise ; for on the next night he came again bringing the
missing books with the treasure absolutely intact. WThen
asked how much we were indebted to him for its restoration
he replied, " Nothing ; " and only when pressed would accept
two sovereigns to give to the men to drink our health. But
neither for himself nor his associates through whose instru-
mentality the money had been obtained, would he accept a

farthing. R 's end was unfortunately one his many

friends in the sporting world had to deplore.1

1 Many people living will doubtless remember Mr. R , or, as he was

commonly called, " Jack," as one of the genial spirits " wont to keep the table in

a roar." He and his boon companion, the eccentric Mr. F C — (the

owner of Deception and other horses) who would never admit of a prefix to his
name, used nightly to meet and indulge in singing, comic and otherwise. But " a

change came o'er the scene." I only once met poor R afterwards. He had

then left the force, and had turned teetotaller and Methodist preacher. Strangely,

about the same time, Mr. F- C — — — ■ left the turf and took to a strictly

religious life. A strange coincidence in the career of two roysterers, possibly
illustrating the adage, " our indiscretion sometimes serves us well."

250 BETTING AS IT IS.

The commission agent, or commissioner, is an important
factor in the present system of betting, and now deserves a
word, for with him most racing men have unfortunately too
much to do for their own benefit.

As a rule, few owners of racehorses keep them purely for
the pleasure of seeing them run. Some are content to rest
their hopes of profit on winning the stakes alone, but the
majority prefer to back their horses. It is to the latter, and
to the latter only, that the following remarks chiefly apply.
Gentlemen of princely fortune can afford to keep studs, and
large ones too, without the uncertain aid of success. These
require no agents. They consult only their own pleasure
when and where and how often they shall run their own
horses. But it is a very different matter with those whose
means are limited and who race for gain as well as for love
of the sport. Such gentlemen hope, and very properly so,
to turn to profitable account the knowledge they possess of
the merits of their own horses ; and a well-digested plan
often brings the coveted success without the aid of the
commissioner.

But the purchase and keep of racehorses and the atten-
dant expenses are so very heavy, that racing for stakes alone
is not a sufficient inducement to attract the many ; it is only a
very few that can indulge in the sport with this object. Hence
it is that betting is so popular with owners, and that the com-
missioner is unfortunately so often called in to do what the
owner could do so much better for himself. The first thing a
gentleman does after finding a good horse, is indirectly to
impart the fact to his commission agent, with a request that
he will back the animal for him for ;£i,ooo or £2, 000 as the
case may be. This is generally done badly, and the trainer
or jockey (who may have ridden in the trial) blamed for

THE COMMISSIONER AND HIS DOINGS. 2$i

insincerity, whilst the commissioner or his satellites are alone
culpable for the mismanagement or imposition.

A commission given in this way often defeats its own ends.
Long before it is half executed, the horse is injudiciously
rushed in the market and becomes first favourite, and the
shortest possible price has afterwards to be taken, or much of
the commission left undone. Thus the average price becomes
a bad one, a result which many have too much reason to regret
from bitter experience. It is only natural that fault is found
all round, the commissioner, who is in fact the delinquent,
alone escaping. The trainer, the jockey, nay, even the poor
stable-boy, are mercilessly condemned. The commissioner
expatiates on his own merits and those of his colleagues.

" Had it not been for strategic movements," he cries, " and
for well-timed diplomacy on my part, the result would have
been a total failure, instead of obtaining, as I have done, a very
fair average price for nearly the whole of the money. I saw,
as who did not ? that the field was a weak one. The book-
makers would not bet, for our horse's excellent chance was
patent to every one. If I had not smartly taken the price,
others would have snapped it up and things would have been
very much worse."

This charming language, this unbounded candour and
persuasive argument, carry the day. The owner concurs in
censure of the one, and eulogy of the other section of those
he employs. And so the farce is repeated again and again,
unfortunately with the same disastrous result. I willingly
admit that there are commissioners who do not serve their
employers thus dishonestly, enriching themselves at their
patron's expense ; but I have no hesitation in saying that
there are too many who thus " arrive at fortune on their first
lord's neck."

252 BETTING AS IT IS.

It is my last wish to make sweeping assertions without
advancing facts in their support. I will therefore give a
few instances to show the modus operandi of those who
thus modestly feather their nests.

In 1855, when the Metropolitan was a race on which there
was much betting, long odds being as a rule freely obtain-
able, I asked a very noted commissioner of the day to back
Pliarsalus for the race for .£500 in my behalf immediately
after the weights came out, the horse figuring in the
betting at all sorts of prices from 50 to I to 7 to I. He
returned me 8 to 1 — ^4,000 to £500. Now without his
aid, I could have obtained this ,£4,000 to £ 100, or at the
utmost £150, showing a clear loss of ,£350, simply through
putting the commission in his hands. In this case there
was no hedging for any one but the takers of long odds, in
which category the owner and his friends did not figure ;
although it is perhaps needless to say the trusty commis-
sioner did, having them in fact pretty well to himself. It is
in this fashion that owners are made " to stand to be shot at."
The faithful commissioner has all the long odds, and lays
his patron the short ones ; and thus, as he proceeds, hedges
all his own money, and on all occasions stands, without a
chance of loss, to win a large stake on the success of the
horse he has backed for the owner and himself.

In another instance in 1859, some time before the Two
Thousand, I asked my commissioner to back Promised Land
for me. But he declared this could not be done. " No one
will lay," he averred, "except at a very short and unfair
price." "Very well," I replied, " I shall not run him." It is
almost absurd to add that this had the desired effect. " How
much do you want to back him for, and what price will you
take? "came the rejoinder in the shape of a question. I

OUR COMMISSION ON THE GOODWOOD STAKES. 253

named the amount and my price, and in the course of the
same day was informed by my worthy commissioner, " Rather
than you shall not be on, Mr. Day, I will lay you the money
myself." A similar thing occurred with the same horse and
the same person for the Goodwood Cup. The horse was first
favourite before a shilling of my commission was executed.
But I changed the face of things by informing this worthy on
the night before the race : " I shall not run the horse here in
this case ; I shall keep him for the St. Leger." And again it
was found my money could be speedily put on for me at my
own price.

Now, in both these cases, it cannot be for a moment doubted
that the money had been actually put on the horse, but the
particulars had not been handed in to the principal ; and so
long as the horse kept well, it was never intended that they
should be. On the other hand, had the animal been taken ill and
died, the account, circumstantially stating how every shilling
had been laid out, would as assuredly have been sent in to
me. In sum, had it not been for my firmness, I should have
seen the horse win both races without a guinea on him in
either of them. Nor would the pecuniary loss have been all ;
my friends would have blamed me for selfishly keeping all the
money to myself, and no statement to the contrary, though
true in every particular, would have been accepted. As it
turned out, people thought that in both cases I had received
double the odds I had given them.

One other more recent instance in respect to the Goodwood
Stakes must suffice. Our commissioner at the time was re-
quested to back a horse for that race for ^1,000 immediately
after the publication of the weights. Between this period
and the declaration of minor forfeits there was a great deal
of betting, our horse standing at 50 to 1. On the latter

^34 BETTING AS IT IS.

declaration, he rose to 33. to 1, at which price he stood some
time, and then advanced to 20 to I, when the commissioner
said that most of the money was on. But when asked for
his account, he replied that the returns from the country had
not yet been received, and that he would send it in so soon as
these came to hand. But the so-called returns were, as might
have been expected, delayed, and before their arrival the
horse had reached the short price of 7 to I. Then he en-
closed the account, saying : " With great regret I have to
inform you that my country agent has spoiled the whole
thing. He has missed the long shots and has been compelled
to take the shortest price, which only has since been obtain-
able ; and the unfortunate result is a considerable reduction
of the average which now stands at 12 to I." This is not
an unfair example of how commissions are worked ; and it
might be added that the excuses are often less plausible
than the one given in this instance.

But let us sift this matter a little and see who won and
who lost money by this transaction. Basing my opinion on
the amount of betting on this race, I have little doubt that
30 to 1 would have been nearer a fair price than the one
returned ; indeed, I may say that 25 to I was the very least
that the account should have averaged. The horse won,
and what was the result ? Instead of receiving the £25,000
which we were fairly entitled to, we received only £12,000,
or a little less than half.

Startling as is this statement, it is approximately correct
if it be not true to the letter. An act of suspicion could
not pass unchallenged ; but the agent had his reply cut
and dried. "The commission as worked," he said, "was a
failure deeply to be deplored. I have myself been deceived ;
but it has been an error of judgment on the part of the

RESULT OF BETTING BY COMMISSION. 255

country agent I trusted. In fact, it has been an unfortunate
combination of untoward events over which I have had no
control." He finished up the whole with the following per-
oration : — " I hope the explanation given will be accepted,
and that things will work better in the future."

It may, at this point, be urged that whilst it is easy to
declaim against the evil, is it not possible to point out some
safeguard for the future ? Such a comment would be very
appropriate ; and as we have now reached that stage in our
examination of turf matters, at which I have proposed to
offer a few suggestions on practicable reforms, it will be
convenient in the next chapter to venture to point out
remedies, that, with a fair prospect of success, might be
adopted in regard to current evils in betting.

25& BETTING AS IT MIGHT BE.

CHAPTER XXV.

BETTING AS IT MIGHT BE.

Suggested remedies : to legalize betting — Restrictions on commissioners — Gentle-
men recommended three courses : to do their own commissions : to employ
their equals ; or to name and adhere to a price — Suggested alteration in
system of nomination and entry : a different time of entry ; a new mode of
acceptance ; the proposed method sketched, and the result, betting on the
nomination — Benefits of the proposal illustrated from the Waterloo Cup ; the
tipster and tout done away with— Bookmakers and their procedure ; a rever-
sion to the old tactics recommended — Betting on the Waterloo "draw"
examined ; the one disappointment, Coomassie forestalled, and its warning —
The criticism of able writers commended and desired.

ONE of the most effective remedies applied to betting would
be to legalize it. This would not only influence commis-
sions, but would extend to cases calling for the law's restraint
— to welshers, and to those who, after winning thousands,
decamp on the first reverse of fortune. If transactions on
the Stock Exchange are legal, why should it be otherwise
with those on the turf? Honest men of every grade desire
they should be ; only dishonest men require provision of such
a nature as to permit non-fulfilment of their engagements
to the great injury of those that complete them.

Now, just as the solicitor who wilfully neglects a case that
he undertakes to conduct, or from incapacity destroys rather
than assists it, is amenable for such shortcomings ; so it should
be with a commission agent, who, from any cause save a just

BACKERS SHOULD DO THEIR OWN COMMISSIONS. 257

one, takes less than the fair market odds, or refuses to give
his employer what he, or others for him, may have taken —
he should, in like manner, be held responsible for such acts.
Moreover, he should be held accountable for bets, taken of
those he has had reason to suspect might not meet their en-
gagements, should they fail to pay up. Again, it should be
made a sine qua 11011 that all bets be given in daily as they are
made until the commission is executed. Were betting
legalised, we should strike a deadly blow at the root of this
evil. But till this is done, the commission agent, who acts in
a suspicious way, should be called before the committee at
Tattersall's, when the charge preferred should be rigorously
investigated ; and if substantial proof of dishonesty be ad-
duced, let restitution be made to the last farthing, or proclaim
such a one a defaulter, and no longer allow him to associate
with his honest confreres.

The fortunes that these men make without a guinea in the
world, or the nous to make one except as racing commis-
sioners, may well make one wonder. But I think an explana-
tion will be found in what has been said. This gentry,
starting with a book and pencil as their whole stock-in-trade,
suddenly emerge from obscurity as the possessors of thou-
sands— and how ? Simply by betraying the confidence
reposed in them by their patrons, whom they soon outvie
in everything, save manners, honesty, and honour.

There is an easy remedy. Gentlemen should make their
own bets, or find some one of their own class to do so for
them. But if they do neither of these, then let them, as a
saving clause, declare at the outset the price they will take,
and be satisfied with nothing less. By this simple method,
the owner of a horse may get what he is entitled to and
may reasonably expect. It is but the application of

s

25S BETTING AS IT MIGHT BE.

an old and simple rule — show that you know what is right
and that you intend to accept nothing short of it, and you
have gone a long way towards its accomplishment. Were
this the custom, commissioners would perforce have to act
honestly. They would see that such conduct is a necessity
in a matter of trust, and that by serving their employers well
they would be best serving themselves. They should not
be permitted to make a bet for themselves until the com-
mission entrusted to them was fully executed ; not an un-
reasonable condition, for they can, and as a matter of fact
always do, stand in for any reasonable sum in it. Some such
plan must necessarily be adopted by owners who wish to
remain long on the turf/ and who do not choose to work
their own commissions and totally ignore the agent ; for
then they would, if nothing else, have the satisfaction of
knowing they have taken the market-price from a
responsible man.

Another effective blow might be dealt to the evils of the
current practice of betting, by an alteration in the system of
nominations and entries for the big handicaps, which, if tried
and found successful, might easily be applied to other races.

In cases when the stakes close some time before the day
of the race, I should suggest that instead of the entries being
made as now, the following plan should be adopted — taking
the Caesarewitch Stakes as an example. I would have it run
pretty much as follows : —

" The Cczsarewitch Stakes, a free handicap of 2$ sovs.
each, 10 forfeit, 3 sovs. entrance. The names of
the owners and horses to be pnt down at Messrs.
Weathcrbys on the 1st of August, the weights to be
declared on the 1st of September, and acceptance tc be
signified three weeks before the day of the race."

SUGGESTED REFORM IN NOMINATIONS. 259

The names of the owners and the names and ages of the
horses would be arranged as follows : —

Name of Owner. Name of Horse.

Duke of Redhill John Barleycorn, 4 yrs.

Lord Southdown Bay Windham, 3 yrs.

Mr. Jones Iron Master, aged.

In due course the weights would be allotted thus :—

st. lbs.

John Barleycorn, 4 yrs. old 10 7

Iron Master, aged 10 o

Bay Windham, 3 yrs. old 7 °

Three weeks before the race the acceptance would be
signified and the nomination be made, thus, let us say : —

yrs. st. lbs.
Lord Southdown nominates John Barleycorn . 4 10 7
Mr. Jones nominates Bay Windham ... 3 70

The Duke oj Redhill did not accept, and Iron Master is struck

out.

In all races for horses of the same age, the entries could
be made by subscribers' names only, and a week or two
before the race the names of their horses (and their ages
if a weight-for-age race) should be sent in by the nominators.
The betting in all cases would be on the nominations and
not on the individual horses. Of course every nominator
would be at liberty to name and run his own horse, or
any other that was duly qualified, provided the owner or
nominator were not a defaulter, or otherwise incapacitated
from doing so by the rules of racing.

I must guard myself from being understood to propose that
nominators should run their horses in each other's names as

S 2

260 BETTING AS IT MIGHT BE.

a rule ; what I propose is that it should be thoroughly
known that they have the power to do so should they
choose. The plan if adopted would give owners a fair
chance of being able to back their nominations, because
it would check forestallers who would probably wait until
the day of nomination rather than invest their cash in
the dark. It would admirably meet the spirit of one
pertinent remark of the late Admiral Rous, who said,
" He would be insane to sacrifice the interest of the horse-
owner for the benefit of men with a monomania for gam-
bling." And it would do away with the heartburning and
the grumbling of the fraternity who insinuate favouritism
in the adjustment of the weights ; for the handicapper would
not know which horse would represent Lord Southdown's
nomination or indeed any other ; and knowledge of owner-
ship would be profitless to him.

By this method, too, every one that made an entry would
be sure to get his horse fairly weighted, as no possible mo-
tive could be assigned for his being otherwise treated :
and this may help the entries and increase the number of
starters. I do not mean to imply for a moment that the
weights now are improperly or unfairly adjusted ; in most
cases handicaps are most admirably done, although, as is
inevitable, discrepancies will now and then appear. But the
plan would deprive the grumblers who find fault where none
exists, of the last peg on which to hang a complaint.

I shall be told, I daresay, that the system if adopted will
restrict betting and so spoil sport. In answer, I can point
to the large sums betted months and months before the
"draw" for the Waterloo Cup takes place ; and ask: If the
principle is found to answer so well with greyhounds, what
is to prevent its being carried out on a more extensive

BETTING ON THE WATERLOO CUP. 261

scale in racing ? A glance at the list given below taken
from the sporting intelligence of the " Evening Standard " of
February nth, 1879,1 will suffice to dispel any apprehension
of a dearth of speculation on the introduction of such a
system of wagering, seeing how the betting on the Altcar-
blue riband has superseded that on the Derby itself, as
well as on all the spring handicaps — one only of the latter
being mentioned, and that one patronised very mildly.

This list is, I think, conclusive of one thing. There is
more betting in the month of February on a few grey-

1 THIS DAY'S SPORTING.

LONDON BETTING. — THREE P.M.
WATERLOO CUP.

100 to 9 agst. Lord Fermoy's nomination (taken and offered).

16 to I — Mr. Salter's nomination (taken).

20 to I — Mr. Douglas's nomination (taken and offered).

25 to I — Mr. Harrie's nomination (taken and offered).

33 to I — Mr. Stone's nomination (taken freely).

33 to I — Duke of Hamilton's nomination (offered ; 40 to I wanted).

33 to I — Mr. Deighton's nomination (offered ; 40 to I wanted).

33 to I — Mr. Codling's nomination (offered ; 40 to I taken and wanted).

40 to I — Mr. Evans's nomination (taken and wanted).

40 to 1 — Mr. Jardine's nomination (taken and wanted).

40 to 1 — Mr. Allison's nomination (taken).

40 to I — Mr. Trevor's nomination (offered).

50 to 1 — Mr. Nicholson's nomination (taken).

50 to 1 — Mr. Haywood's nomination (taken and offered).

50 to I — Lord St. Vincent's nomination (offered ; 66 to 1 wanted).

50 to I — Earl of Stair's nomination (offered ; 66 to 1 wanted).

100 to I — Mr. Abbot's nomination (taken and offered),

iooo to 8 — Mr. Briscoe's nomination (taken and wanted).
300 to 250 agst. Mr. Salter's nomination v. Mr. Douglas's nomination (taken
and wanted).

LINCOLN HANDICAP.

33 to I agst. Morier (taken).

33 to 1 — Ridotto (taken and wanted).

262 BETTING AS IT MIGHT BE.

hounds through this system of nominations when no outsider
knows which individual animal he maybe backing, than there
is on all the horses put together that may be engaged in
hundreds of races at the same time. There must be a
cause for this, and I think without much seeking a reason-
able one may be assigned. It is this : there is no sufficient
inducement to tempt the public to precede owners in the
market to any extent, and the latter are thus enabled to
back their nominations at a fair price, and the public follow.
It will be noticed that more than half the quotations in
this list are at or above forty to one, whilst in two instances
the odds are ioo and 125 to 1 respectively. But were the
greyhounds backed by name, and the tipster and tout on
the qui vive to send their patrons the results of trials that
never took place, and reports of greyhounds that are ill
as being well, and of others that are as fit as fiddles as being
broken down (as is the current practice of those who do
this kind office for the patrons of the turf v), it may safely
be affirmed that not a moiety of these odds would be
obtainable.

The system as pursued with coursing puts the public on
a fair footing. For it (the public) has discrimination enough
to see that no one besides those immediately connected with
the greyhounds, can know which dog would represent a certain
nomination ; and therefore will not be cajoled and induced
to act on the doubtful reports of paid agents : who must
say something or they will fail to impress a sense of their
importance on their employers. After the draw, any and
all may legitimately bet to their heart's content ; whilst

1 We see in print horses represented as being well and worth backing that
actually have been dead sorne time. This may be sheer ignorance in most cases,
but the result is the same : to enrich the bookmakers at the expense of the public.

ADVANTAGES OF BACKING NOMINATIONS. 263

throughout, no secret need be kept as to the merits of the
greyhounds. You may have the best in the world, and
all the world may know it, and also that he is well : but it
availeth the public nothing ; they can't back him. They may
back the owner's nomination, and he, from prudential
motives, may run his dog in another nomination and a worse
animal in his own. And if in racing, in the same way
the betting should be on the nomination instead of on the
horse, then and there would be an end to the career of
the tipster and the tout, and the horses at Newmarket,
Epsom, and elsewhere, might gallop, walk, or be kept
in the stable without reports of trials that never took place,
or of horses doing wonderfully well that are perhaps dead,
or if not de facto defunct, are so to all intents and purposes
so far as their chances of winning are concerned.

As for owners, they would scarcely be able to realise
at first the immense advantages accruing to them from
the change. They would be able to see their horses with-
out any one knowing that they even took an interest in
such an animal as a thoroughbred. And there would be
one other great change. Stable-boys would no longer have
inducements to betray their employer's secrets, or in other
ways be tempted from their allegiance ; for no information
would be needed, and promises would no longer be made
before the race of rich rewards afterwards, that were never
meant to be or never are kept.

But I should observe that of recent years betting has
undergone a complete revolution. At present, the bookmakers
may in a restricted sense be styled backers ; for few now-
adays make a genuine book, but rather keep some particular
horses to represent their interest as well as " the field." The
limited state of the money-market, and the precedence

264 BETTING AS IT MIGHT BE.

taken of owners by the public, together leave little for the
stable commission, which generally has to go unexecuted,
and the horse be struck out : to the injury of the owner,
who thus loses the chance of winning the stake (which
may be a large one) ; to the detriment of the backer, who
loses his money ; and to that of those of the bookmakers
that have not laid against him. I think if bookmakers
would fall back on the old system and make a genuine
book and bet to it, and it alone, they would oftener
get " round " than they do now ; and though perhaps their
profits might not at times be so large, they would be less
problematical, and the result better for themselves and for
backers of their own horses. But whilst they continue as
now to employ questionable characters in every direction to
tell them what this, that, or the other horse is doing, so
long will they act on erroneous information. They will
refuse to bet against many bad horses that are thought to
be good ; and they will back others which are said to be
good that are hopeless as though they were already struck
out : whilst they will refrain from betting against other horses
because they learn from the same doubtful authorities that
" they are sure to reach a short price " — which they never
do. Thus what might have been a good book is now
turned into a losing account, and it is no wonder that we
hear complaints of the badness of the profession.

These suggestions however are only offered for what they
may be worth. I do not profess to teach bookmakers their
business, being myself but a novice at it. But the system
seems feasible, and for the reasons given, it would be better for
those that backed horses of their own and for the bookmakers
themselves.

Recurring to the proposed system of nominations, I append

BETTING ON THE WATERLOO "DRAW."

205

a list1 of quotations taken from the "Evening Standard"
of February 19, 1879, to exhibit the state of the odds "after
the draw," for the Waterloo Cup, for comparison with their
state before it, as given in the previous extract.

From this list it will be seen that on the substitution of
names for nominations, no fewer than thirty-four dogs were
backed, whilst the extreme odds of 200 to 1 were obtainable,

1 icoo to 4 agst. Banner Blue (t.)
1000 to 15 — Star of Oaken (o.)
1000 to 10 — Vivari (o.)

45 to 1 — Blackbeard (o. )
1000 to 6 — Ariosto (t.)
1000 to 15 — Plunger (t.)
1000 to 10 — Shepherdess (t.)
1000 to 70 — Doon (t.)
1000 to 40 — Market Day (t.)
1000 to 9 — Skipworth (t.)
1000 to 8 — Silver Hill (t.)
1000 to 20 — Iphigenia (t.)
1000 to 5 — Nellie Miller (o.)
1000 to 20 — Waterwitch (o.)
No betting agst. Marquis of Lome.
1000 to 8d agst. Dear Erin (t. f.)
No betting agst. Hark Forward.
11 to I agst. Lady Lizzie (t. & w.)
1000 to 8 — Barabbas (t. & o. )
1 c 00 to 6 — Misterton (t. & o.)
No betting agst. Witzenia.
33 to 1 agst. Sutler (o.)
1000 to 8 — Blackheath (o.)
1000 to 7 — Boy o' Boys (t. & o.)
1000 to 30 — Whoa Emma.
1000 to 15 — Spinet (t. & w.)
1000 to 9 — Musical Box (t.)
1000 to 15 — Wood Nymph (o).
IOOO to 40 — Whistling Dick (t.)
1000 to 8 — Pretty Polly (o.)
1000 to 12 — Civility (t. & o. )
iocoto 18 — Shasta (t.)

1000 to 25 — Hilda (t. & w.)
40 to 1 — High Seal (o.)
1000 to 10 — Hamlet (o.)

No betting against The Runner.
1000 to 14 agst. Commerce (t.)
1000 to 20 — Sir James (o. )
1000 to 15 — Patella (t. & o.)
1000 to 10 — Hake (t.)
1000 to 8 — Comus (t.)
1000 to 7 — Boyne (o.)

No betting agst. Rinald.
1000 to 4 agst. Fancy Dress (t. & o.)
1000 to 20 — Honey Bee (o.)
1000 to 8 — Alice Conroy (o.)
1000 to 12 — Dolly Mayflower (t.)
1000 to 10 — Queen Sybil (t. f.)
1000 to 10 — Standard (o.)
1000 to 10 — Athlete (t. & o.)
1000 to 15 — Lady Stanley (t. )
1000 to 5 — Debdon Belle (o.)
No betting agst. Master Owen.
1000 to 3 agst. Ben Cruachan (o.)
1000 to 10 — Barquest (o.)
1000 to 10 — Potentilla (0.)
1000 to 15 — Wood Reeve (t.)
1000 to 20 — Self Taught (o.)
No betting agst. Hark Back.
1000 to 5 agst. Regal Court (t.)
1000 to 8 — Barefoot (t.)
1000 to 20 — Hagar (o.)
900 to 100 — Zazel (t. f.)

40 to 1 — Don't be Headstrong (t )

266 BETTING AS IT MIGHT BE.

and in the case of the winner as much as 166 to I was taken
and offered. Where is any such list of quotations to be seen in
which half the number of the horses entered in any large handi-
cap is backed at one time ? Here are sixty-four dogs, against
sixty of which liberal odds are offered ; the bookmakers only
refusing to lay against four out of the whole (this I take
to be the meaning of the term " no betting," placed against
certain names) whilst in most of the other instances the offers
are very liberal, and many of the animals heavily backed.
I have ventured to give the list in extenso to confirm my
theory that as much speculation as, if not more than, now
exists might be expected if the system were adopted in
racing.

The extraordinarily long odds laid against so many nomi-
nations for months before " the draw," must be a boon to all
owners ; the prices laid subsequently cannot be otherwise
than agreeable to the public ; and in both cases the result
must be satisfactory to the bookmakers, or they would not
be so unusually liberal in their offers. Owners of racehorses
do not, as a body, object to other people backing their horses.
What they do dislike and resent, is being forestalled in the
market, which is, and always has been, a never-failing source
of unpleasantness and worse.

Though a lover of the " leash," I am but a novice at the
sport, scarcely initiated in what appears to me a difficult
science ; but from information derived through the press, it
would seem all the betting is on the nomination up to and
before the " draw : " this being the case with the Waterloo
Cup also, so far as I can see, with but one exception. This
one exception was Coomassie, the winner in the previous year,
and one is almost tempted to add " of course she was an
absentee." I know nothing of those concerned with the

COOMASSIE FORESTALLED, A WARNING. 267

animal and offer no opinion on the matter. But it is an ad-
mirable instance to bring forward to show how coursing
would degenerate, if the wagering on it were brought down to
the practice in racing : and inversely, as evidence how
racing might be improved, were its custom of betting assimi-
lated to that of the other. Look what insinuations the ab-
sence of such a dog gives rise to ? If the public will throw
their hundreds and their thousands before owners, they must
expect that some will condescendingly stoop to pick them up.
It is the system of betting on races introduced into cours-
ing and with the same fearful consequences. Owners are
subjected to severe animadversion, and all concerned must
hear remarks couched in no flattering terms from the unbiased
chroniclers of sport. Coomassie, it was stated in some
papers, was lame before ; in others, behind ; and again, had
broken a leg ; whilst others averred she had received an
injury in her stifle. Now these contradictions cannot be
spread abroad without fruit, and that fruit is often suspicion.
For myself, I think with Falstaff that though " reasons were
as plentiful as blackberries none should be given ; no, not
even on compulsion ; " but if a reason were volunteered, it
should at least have been the right one. I have referred at
length to this case for the point it gives to my argument. A
man's conduct concerning his own, demands no vindication ;
he does with it, as he has a right to do, just what he wills.
But we see that when, in coursing, the system of nominations
is abandoned, the old "bone of contention" in the racing
world immediately crops up. Coomassie, when backed by
name,- was, like the racehorse is, thought to have become
public property, and was by the public backed. She did not
run, and the vials of the public wrath were opened upon
those who had the management of her.

268 BETTING AS IT MIGHT BE.

In all that I have said in this long chapter on the subject
of racing tipsters, I must strictly guard myself from the
imputation of desiring to restrict fair criticism in any shape
or way. Many of our sporting writers are known to be
gentlemen unbiased and far above suspicion of any kind.
No class would more heartily rejoice than they would to
see the sport shorn of its evils ; whilst their influence
for good upon the turf can hardly be overrated. They not
only graphically describe turf doings to a daily increasing
circle of readers amongst the race-loving public, but they
point out and help to rectify abuses ; and certainly supply
the information that may most confidently be followed by
those of their admirers who will back horses, but have not
the special sources of information which, as I have shown,
are peculiar to the owner and trainer.

THE STABLE-BOY AND HIS TEMPTER. 269

CHAPTER XXVI.

PRACTICABLE REFORMS.

The stable-boy and his tempter, the tout — A method to frustrate espionage ; its
working and advantages explained — The light-weight jockeys and their
riding ; numerous accidents through incapacity of boys ; necessity and
advantage of having men in the saddle — A protest by able jockeys suggested
— Doubtful result of Education Act — A growing evil, " galloping for a start,"
and its remedy — Sales with engagements considered in reference to reform of
present hardships — Four days a week racing commended and advantages
•jhown — Judicious enactments of the Jockey Club.

Of all remedies in turf matters, not any would be more
desirable than one that should defeat the wretched system
of espionage ; and I therefore venture to suggest a simple
method by which the tout may be in a great measure rendered
harmless, if he be not totally checkmated.

Contrary to the generally received notion, it is not on
the downs, but in the stable, that the tout works so much
harm. On the former, he is seldom in the right place at
the proper time ; but from boys in the stable, he derives
information as to all that is going on inside — for as matters
are now conducted, nothing escapes detection. The boys,
be they big or little, good or bad, know every horse, and
whether he be ill or well, lame or sound ; and more — whether
the lameness be of a trivial or fatal character, or the illness,
likely to be of short or long duration. Once in possession
of these facts, they communicate them nightly, as far as

270 PRACTICABLE REFORMS

they know to the touts ; these immediately transmit the
information to their employers, who, more inexcusable
than themselves, use this dishonest means for their own
emolument.

This is a practice that all who care for the turf must
wish should be stopped. For, I emphatically repeat that
it is in the stables that the mischief is done. The boys,
who can hardly be said to know right from wrong, become
the tools of designing knaves. By these men they are
entrapped to act dishonestly towards their employers by the
bait of a trifling money reward, or luxuries and pleasure —
the latter frequently of an immoral kind. The result is,
ruin to the lads, and to yourself (unless you can counteract
the machinations of their tempters) the subversion of all
your plans. To put an end to such a state of things is
obviously no easy matter; but yet I think something may
be done towards inserting the thin end of the wedge, which
time may be trusted to drive home, to the benefit of the
boys and the extinction of the tout.

My plan is : in the first place, to have all stalls and boxes
numbered, and to call their inmates by the number of the
stall or box each occupies. As a matter of fact, it is easier
to say "No. I," or "No. 10," than "colt out of Camera
Obscura," or " Old Gipsy Boy." This simple plan properly
worked is thoroughly effective. For if the boys are ignorant
of the age and pedigree of the horses, they cannot know for
what races they are entered, or whether this or the other
horse is doing well or ill ; and of course they cannot transmit
to others information they do not themselves possess.

When your employers with their friends pay a visit to
see the horses, you hand to each of the party a card with
the following printed on it : — You are desired to ask no

THE WORKING AND BENEFIT OF MY PLAN 27,

questions as to the age, name, or pedigree of the horses, as
this information will be found in detail set forth en this
card against the number corresponding with the number of
the stall or box in which the animal referred to stands.

Questions, of course, may be inadvertently asked, but
may safely and simply be answered by referring the inquirer
to the number on the card, where he will find all he wants to
know. Before the company separates, the cards are given up,
and kept in a place of safety until again needed. Of course,
from time to time the cards require to be replaced by fresh
ones, or alterations made in them by omissions or additions.

By this method your visitors can with as equal facility com-
ment upon or ask questions concerning the horses by number,
as they could by name. " I like No. I ; " " No. 10 is too
big : " or " No. 20 is too light," are remarks as easily made
as " I like Tom Thumb;" " The Giant is too big ; " or " The
Dwarf is too little." And whilst conversation would be just
as pleasant as it is under the present system, the boys would
learn nothing, or at least nothing worth transmission. They
might tell the touts that No. 1 was in physic, No. 10 was lame,
or No. 20 was well ; but as neither they nor their tempters
would have the slightest idea as to whether No. 1 was The
Giant, The Dwarf or Tom Thumb, their lips might as well
be sealed ; there would be no cash forthcoming for information
so useless, and the tout's occupation would be gone.

Of course I admit that this plan would not be practicable
with old horses (though it would be an undoubted success with
yearlings and two-year-olds, or indeed with horses of any age
that had not run) for they of course would be known, and
secrecy would not be possible. But look at the immense
advantage of having the first call of the market to your-
self, if enly for a single race— the Middle Park Plate, Derby,

272 PRACTICABLE REFORMS.

or St. Leger, it may be — until the eve of running. For by
means of a closely kept arcanum you may win one of these
and secure a well deserved fortune.

I have myself used the cards and found them to answer the
end intended admirably. This, and this only to my mind,
is the way secrets can be kept. In large stables, where
thirty or forty yearlings are annually added to the "string" —
what an inestimable boon it would be to owners and trainers
to have the knowledge of the merits of their horses to them-
selves ; defying the touts at exercise, and the boys in the
stable !

So much then for stable secrets. It may now be well
to turn our attention to the other mere boys whose employ-
ment as jockeys has been shown to be so hurtful, and to
examine the reforms that may be beneficially introduced in
their case.

It requires no philosopher to tell us that a boy of 7 stone
must be preferable in the saddle to one of half the weight ;
for he possesses as much knowledge and infinitely more
strength than the little urchin who, after ruining his em-
ployers and all connected with him, retires from the scene,
to be replaced by others as useless and audacious as himself,
if they do not succeed in surpassing their predecessor in
these qualities.

These self-styled jockeys, who are physically debarred from
riding properly (I will not say, with skill, for the term is absurd
when applied to children) start as masters of the art without a
rudimentary knowledge of it. Often they are unable to sit
on their horses, whilst they are seldom able to guide, and
never to assist, them. Many frightful accidents prove this ;
the fearful example in the Metropolitan Stakes at Epsom when
a boy not only lost his own life, but endangered the lives

DISASTROUS RESULTS OF BOYS RIDING. 273

of many others, being only one out of numbers. This
danger is in itself a proof of the necessity of doing away
with these pigmies as jockeys. If clerks of courses and
handicappers will continue to adhere to the present ridi-
culously low scale, and the Jockey Club do not take the
matter into its own all-powerful hands ; then, it may be ex-
pected that the legislature will interfere, and by fixing a
minimum weight of seven-stone, confer a benefit on the racing
community, and put a stop to a reckless and useless waste of
life and limb. Action was taken, not very long ago, with
respect to performances on the trapeze and other things, in
which the sacrifice of life had been trivial compared to that
which is caused on the race-course. In fact, it is almost a
common occurrence to hear that this or the other jockey has
been killed on the course or maimed for life ; the result of
the sensational exhibition of tiny lads, who would be in the
proper place out of harm's way in a dame's school, instead of
endangering not only their own but the lives of all jockeys
unfortunate enough to be riding with them, besides risking
injury to spectators who are frequently knocked down and
ridden over.

It is a wonder to me that the old jockeys do not in a body
respectfully solicit their employers not to ask them to ride
in such company, or indeed with any one under seven stone.
Should a deputation selected from our able riders ask per-
mission to wait on the Jockey Club, or one of the stewards,
to represent the real state of the case, I think that very
likely the request would be granted, and the grievance com-
plained of, be redressed. The evil unfortunately is on the
increase ; and nothing will in my opinion, as I have said
before, stop it, but the raising of the weights to a seven-
stone minimum.

274 PRACTICABLE REFORMS.

I know the theory set forth is, that unless boys learn to and
do ride at three stone or thereabouts, they will never be able
to do so at heavier weights. A more fallacious idea I think I
never heard uttered, or one more likely wholly to stop the
progress the theory professedly seeks to advance. Admit for
argument's sake that it is necessary for boys to commence
their tuition at an age so very early ; then, let them ride
at two stone, or any other weight, until practice has given
them something beyond the rudiments of a business they are
supposed to be thoroughly well acquainted with, if not perfect
in. It is not the learning at an early age that I complain of
in these boys, but the assumption of duties they are utterly
incapable of performing, and the coming forward to ride in
public, much as John Gilpin did, as regards the amusement
afforded to onlookers ; although unfortunately it is the reverse
of diversion to the luckless owner and backers of the horse.

Everything I see connected with the light weights, con-
vinces me more and more of the absolute necessity of em-
ploying men instead of boys ; and whilst on this important
subject I cannot refrain from expressing my views copiously,
even at the risk of being thought tedious. Can any one
seriously believe that, of two boys weighing three stone
apiece and in other respects equal, the one after a year's
tuition as a jockey, shall, in after life, be better than the other
who has received four or five years extra tuition in his art
before appearing in public ? Yet this is what some people
would have. By the same parity of reasoning they might
assert of two students equally gifted, that the one leaving
college after a year's tuition, will be equal in learning to the
other who has continued his course of study with unremitting
labour for four or five years longer. If this be the logic
brought forward in support of retaining the services of mere

A GROWING EVIL AND ITS REMEDY. 275

boys, I think no more need be said to prove on my part that
the sooner the scale of weights is raised the better.

I must confess that I am not a great admirer of the
Education Act in its application to the youths intended for
the racing business. It prevents them being taught anything
but their school lessons until they are too old to be taught
riding as children ; and the probability is, that when they
come forward to ride in public, they will year by year know
less and less of the rudiments of the art. This, in itself, is
an additional reason, were one needed, for having boys of a
certain weight, or men, as jockeys. I fear, too, that the in-
fluence of the Act in the stable will be to still further elevate
the ideas of both men and boys already too prone to think
themselves above their work.

Before finally leaving the subject, it may be well to point
out a most pernicious practice that has lately sprung up in
connection with the light-weight system. I refer to the
galloping from the saddling paddock, harum-scarum, like so
many wild Indians, uphill and down dale, over uneven ground
wet or dry, to obtain a supposed preference in the choice of
the side from which to start. As a consequence, older
jockeys, who, properly consulting their employers' interests,
go steadily to the post, are, at the instance of these boys,
made on their arrival to take what place they can find — a
practice unfair, and which cannot be too strongly deprecated.
Owners, unable to restrain these impetuous youths, suffer by
having their horses broken down. But the stewards, if in-
formed of the practice, which is a nuisance both intolerable
and dangerous, might put an effective stop to it by fining
every jockey who should be first at the post more than once
on the same day, and by suspending him for a repetition of
the offence.

T 2

276 PRACTICABLE REFORMS

The sale of racehorses with their engagements is another
matter on which some observations may be offered.

When sold as yearlings, the rule is clearly defined and well
understood, both by vendors and purchasers. A list of the
engagements is given in the printed catalogue of the day ;
and these are taken over by the purchaser. If no engage-
ments are specified, it would be taken for granted the animals
had none ; and if it should turn out otherwise, the seller
would not be able to compel the purchaser to take them
over afterwards, if he refused to do so. But older horses are
often sold with or without their engagements, and sometimes
under what are termed Lord Exeter's conditions, which are
not always well understood, though really so simple as to
need little explanation ; the fact being that horses, bought
under such conditions, are virtually bought without their
engagements — for the purchaser need neither run them, nor
pay their forfeits. On the other hand, should the buyer
prefer running, no one can prevent him doing so, so long
as the nominator is alive, and the new owner pays one halt
the stake and gives the original vendor one third of the
results if the horse wins. These very excellent conditions
were made by the late Lord Exeter, and no purchaser
can wish to buy under better. But in selling horses in the
ordinary way, with their engagements, one objectionable re-
sult is that the seller passes the right to scratch from his own
to other hands. It may then happen that the minor forfeits,
a mere bagatelle when duly declared, are neglected and swell
to a serious item, which it is compulsory on the vendor to
pay in default of the purchaser doing so ; the remedy of the
former being to place the latter's name on the forfeit list until
he refunds the amount.

Now there is evidently some need of redress here in justice

SALES WITH ENGAGEMENTS CONSIDERED.

277

to the seller. A man of straw may buy a horse heavily
engaged, and from neglect or design refuse to declare the
minor or any other forfeits, and put the vendor to an extra ,
unjust, and vexatious expense.

A case came under my own observation which I will briefly
relate, to show how unfairly the practice operates against the
seller : a person who bought a yearling with his engage-
ments died, and his executors sold the horse again, on the
same conditions, by public auction. The animal was bought
by a man who neither struck him out nor run him ; and as no
one else had the power to do so, the forfeits were augmented
to a serious sum. The executors refusing to pay this, the
vendor (the nominator) was bound to do so by the rules of
racing. Thus the vendor was deprived of every sort of
remedy for the recovery of this unlooked-for outlay. It was
equally useless to place on the forfeit list the name of a
defunct person, or the names of others who refused to pay or
had not the means to do so. Now to enable the vendor to
have what he expects and what he is most justly entitled to,
it would be well, I venture to think, if the aggregate amount
of the smaller forfeits were stated at the time in the con-
ditions of sale, and the sum deposited by the buyer in the
hands of Messrs. Weatherby before the horse was given up.
And in default of payment of these minor forfeits, the horse
should be at once put up and resold, the defaulter paying the
expenses of the resale and any loss accruing to the vendor.
Such a rule as this would, I think, meet the exigencies of the
case. Or it might be made that before the larger forfeit
became due— if it were not duly paid, the vendor should have
the power of striking the horse out, notwithstanding any
conditions to the contrary in the catalogue of sale.

There is another ground for very general discontent in the

273 PRACTICABLE REFORMS.

rule that disqualifies a horse on the death of the nominator ;
and I think a judicious revision of the rule might be made.
The purchaser of any horse with his engagements, should, if
so notified to Messrs. Weatherby within a given time, be
able to have him transferred from the nominator to himself,
and should alone be answerable for the horse's stakes and
forfeits, and should be looked upon in every respect as the
original nominator. Of course if any one, to evade his re-
sponsibilities, sold a heavily engaged horse that was good for
nothing, and gave as the purchaser a man of straw, or even
one not known, or who could not satisfy the Jockey Club of
his power to pay the forfeits or stakes as they became due,
the horse should then still remain the property of the vendor
so far as his stakes and forfeits were concerned, unless the
amount were paid into Messrs. Weatherby 's hands to cover
them. This would simplify matters and operate justly to all.

The comfort of all true lovers of the turf, would, I feel sure,
be increased, and the condition of those connected with it
improved, by restricting racing to a certain number of days
in each week. Lord George Manners exercised his influence
with the Jockey Club beneficially, by restricting all meetings
at Newmarket, the Houghton meeting excepted, to five days ;
an example that might be worthily followed by the officials
elsewhere. But the restriction might be carried further with
increased advantage. I would have the racing at all meetings
confined to four days in the week; leaving the Monday for the
settling at Tattersall's, and the Saturday for yearling sales —
for men can only be' in one place at a time.

If it should happen that all the races set down could not
be run off within the four days, some of the minor stakes
might with advantage be amalgamated to reduce the number
and increase the individual value of them ; or should such a

RACING SHOULD BE RESTRICTED TO FOUR DAYS. 279

plan he thought inadvisable, then an extra day, or two days
if needed, might be given in the following week — the latter,
a provision that his lordship made, which it may be remarked,
was the cause of the re-introduction of the Second Spring
Meeting at Newmarket, after its discontinuance for so many
years. Even at head-quarters, four days a week should
satisfy the most ardent sportsman. If the time did not
permit all the races to be run off, it would be better to have
eight annual meetings instead of seven, concluding the racing
season at head-quarters as now with the Houghton meeting.

Apart from the increased comfort to racing men, there is an
incentive for the change in the benefit accruing to those pro-
fessionally engaged in training. Five days racing means an
augmentation of the Sunday labour which, in almost every
other direction, it is endeavoured to limit as much as possible.
Racehorses must travel to and from the scene of action, and
men must take them. Workmen must be employed in the
construction of booths and temporary stands, and horses and
men in the transport of the material. Sunday must be largely
devoted, too, to the cooking of provisions, and the conveyance
of drinkables from place to place. The present custom was
commenced, and is continued, for the benefit of the few; it
finds no sympathy with the bulk of the people, or with the
generality of racing men.1

I should add that certain recent enactments of the Jockey
Club have, with excellent judgment, in a certain measure
helped in the diminution of Sunday labour. I refer to rule
54. By it, all entries previously made on a Sunday, are in the
future to be made on the Monday, or for races falling on
Monday on the previous Saturday.

1 Since this was written Saturday racing has been (in April 1879) abolished at
Newmarket.

MINOR EVILS OF THE RACE-COURSE.

CHAPTER XXVII.

MINOR EVILS OF THE RACE-COURSE.

Evils of suburban meetings; first-past-the-post betting — The suburban meeting
and its frequenters ; practicable restrictions on the behaviour of the masses —
The extermination of the welsher possible through institution of outer ring
for protection of small bettor — Restraint in use of language ; example of the
influence of order in Inspector Tanner ; responsibility of the clerks of the course
— Removal of the ballad-monger — Beneficial result of reforming the customs
of the course-^Dramatic restrictions, a lesson in point — Necessity to restrict
sale of drink and dancing — The race-course as it was (1S17) — Admiral Rous
on the powers of stewards and others— Apology for introducing the topic.

THE suburban meetings, as they are called, are those which
cast the greatest blot on the reputation of the turf. It is only
a natural result that in the neighbourhood of large towns,
more especially of the metropolis, races should attract a con-
course of people amongst whom manners and morality are
only conspicuous by their absence. The racing, too, is poor.
Even for large stakes, good horses seldom compete at such
places ; and indeed few run at them, for the races are mostly
plates.

The disgraceful exhibitions often seen at such meetings
were recently made more objectionable by the introduction
of "first-past-the-post" betting, which was simply this : the
horse that is first past the post, and is so placed by the judge,
wins the race so far as his backers are concerned, for they are
paid. It does not matter what the horse may be, or his age,

LAWLESS CONDUCT OF THE MASSES. 2S1

or the weight he carries, or the course he runs ; or that imme-
diately afterwards he is disqualified, and the race given to the
second horse : he has won to all intents and purposes. For-
tunately the practice was stopped in its infancy through the
vigilance of the Jockey Club ; and I only refer to it here as
showing the lengths to which the promoters of these meetings
would go if they were permitted.

Such meetings have no attraction for gentlemen ; and in
the absence of the restraining example and influence of the
upper classes, the crowd, wild with excitement, is prone
to excess in every conceivable form. I well remember the
Hippodrome races at Bayswater, and those at Harrow, now
most happily done to death by their own inherent viciousness.
The scenes witnessed at Harrow would beggar description.
The few policemen, utterly powerless to preserve order, con-
sulted their own safety in flight. Life itself was endangered ;
whilst any one having property was ruthlessly despoiled of it,
with little risk on the part of the thieves of detection, and none
of punishment when detected. One visit was my first and last
appearance on the scene. The Hippodrome was no better,
the difficulty of preserving order, there, being admittedly
increased by the number of footpaths across the inclosure.
The company was chiefly composed of welshers, prize fighters,
and the disreputable beings that always follow in their wake,
and the downfall of a meeting reliant on such elements was
as certain as it was speedy; the press of the time1 pointing
out that a mob "displaying such brutal coarseness and
immorality" must drive away "the stay and props of all
race-meetings — the respectable portion of the community."

I am not so optimist as to suppose that the objectionable
frequenters of the race-course can be as summarily removed

1 Sunday Times.

282 MINCR EVILS OF THE RACE-COURSE.

from it, as an intruder is ejected from your own house.
"In every crowd there is a thief" is an old proverb that
holds good with the athletic sports or the cricket match ;
the ball or the rout, or with an assemblage of any kind. The
frequenter of the race-course cannot, therefore, look for a
special immunity from this plague. And I am far from
wishing to deprive any class, even the great unwashed, of
its right to witness the national sport, although its numbers
be often so great as to hinder rather than help the diversion.
But there is a duty imposed upon the crowd, as there is on
the individual. It must behave itself, and assert a right to
its own freedom of action by respecting that of others. But
when, with horse-play and coarse brutality, it rides rough-shod
over every one, the panic-stricken public fly, and the result is
the place is left to the mob and the meeting discredited for
all future time. It must be admitted that the turf would
benefit largely were means taken to prevent the recurrence of
such scenes ; or, failing this, to obliterate all such meetings
from the calendar.

I think something might be done to get rid of the wretched
"welsher," or to minimise the evil he does, by apportioning a
piece of ground on each race-course close to the grand stand,
or on the nearest eligible site, for the so-called ready-money
bettors. It should be enclosed with iron railings, with gates
for ingress and egress ; and into it, all these men should be
forced to go, and no betting be allowed elsewhere except, of
course, in the ring proper. This would effectually checkmate
those who now take money before the race and decamp with
it. A small fee should be charged for admittance, which the
frequenters, whether professional, or the public wishing to bet,
could well afford to pay. In this ring, no money should be
allowed to be taken before the race, in open transgression and

SUGGESTED PROTECTION FOR THE SMALL BETTOR. 383

in defiance of the law ; nor should any betting-man be allowed
to leave until he had paid after every race, nor any one else
till all just claims on him had been settled. A small distinctive
badge might be worn on the arm, with his name legibly
written on it, to denote that the wearer was a bookmaker ;
and there should be persons appointed to hear any complaints,
and the offender should be at once expelled and proclaimed
a defaulter, and not allowed again to enter until he had satis-
fied all just demands upon him. The fantastic garments now
often worn for the sake of attracting the attention of investors
should be forbidden.

Such a provision would put an effectual stop to ready-
money betting, which, although proscribed by the law, is
still practised to an alarming extent, and winked at by the
authorities. A few policemen at each gate, and a small reserve
force at command to take into custody offenders against this
salutary rule, would soon enforce it. The transgressors, like
those of the other ring, should be taken at once before the
magistrate and relegated to the police-station until the
charge of taking money for bets before the race could
conveniently be preferred. A few convictions would soon
convince the delinquents that though they might not admire
the law, they must, like other people, obey it. The same
sharp measure would put an end to the other illegal prac-
tices, such as the exhibition of lists, of any structure, an
umbrella, stool, or bag to mark a fixed spot ; and the result
would be, one and all would be compelled to resort to
the appointed spot prepared for their reception and for the
protection of others. That pest of the turf, the welsher,
would be done away with, and the poor man would be able,
as he is entitled to be, to bet his shilling or two with the
same amount of protection as the larger bettor who lays

284 MINOR EVILS OF THE RACE-COURSE.

his thousands, and can appeal for redress, when injured, to
the Committee of Tattersall's.

Of other objectionable features of the race-course not any
is more vicious or repugnant to good sense than the unre-
strained licence given to the tongue, which chiefly characterizes
what I should term the outer ring, in close vicinity to the
more refined and delicate portion of the company. It is
but fair to say that the reputable bookmakers are decorous
in their language, and detest the use of vile expressions on
the part of other members of the ring as much as any one
does, and would hail with as much delight its effectual sup-
pression. But the evil exists ; and it only remains to inquire
if there may not be found some practical remedy. It occurs
to me that what is wanted might be brought about by
the employment of a few extra policemen, including some
detectives; whilst the extra expense incurred would be amply
covered by the additional receipts from members, who, as
matters now stand, are debarred from frequenting a place in
which such language is allowed — or, if need be, by raising
the charge.

It is certainly incumbent on clerks of the course and lessees
to do all in their power to put down the evil, either by per-
suasion or by force. So long as ladies and gentlemen pay the
sum demanded for admission to the stand and its inclosures,
so long have they a right to demand to be protected from
insult ; that decent order be kept ; and that all offenders, in
this respect, should be immediately expelled. At a theatre —
if the comfort of a visitor who has taken a ticket for the
stalls, or any other part of the house, be interfered with by a
maudlin fool or talkative person, the latter is immediately
removed by the attendant without solicitation or charge. So
it should be on the race-course with those whose language is

THE BALLAD-MONGER AND OTHER PESTS. 2S5

an annoyance to others. In the days of the late Inspector
Tanner, his simple presence had an immediate salutary effect
on all indecorous people, although he was engaged to look
after the pockets and not the social behaviour of the visitors.
His wide influence extended beneficially over the fraternity of
welshers. It is clear, therefore, if the power of one man high
in authority was so effective, that a system once set in motion
by men of equal position, would require little addition to the
ordinary staff to render it efficient in the future. I submit,
therefore, that such a system is worthy of a trial, and if it
succeeded, clerks of the course and lessees would gain the
gratitude of their chief supporters, and undoubtedly make
their own position easier and stronger.

Their influence, aided by the strong arm of the law, could
make itself felt in the alleviation or removal of evils which
extend beyond the grand stand and its enclosures. These
evils may be best pointed out in the fewest words. Chief
amongst them are the ballad singers — not only the dirty, half-
clothed creatures who sing offensive doggrel, but the well-
dressed men, women and children who troll forth songs
hardly less coarse, and often more harmful in their signifi-
cance. It is hardly possible to imagine a worse evil. No
visitor, whether in carriage or in drag, on horseback, or on
foot, can, as matters now are carried on, enjoy immunity from
the pest ; and it is not possible to say that even the most
innocent escape contamination from the repetition of words
and sentiments of the grossest suggestiveness. If one lot
of these tormentors be bribed to go away, its place is quickly
filled by another ; in the result levying a continuous black-
mail on any one who is desirous to free his party, often
consisting of his own family, from such surroundings.

I suspect the law, if set in motion, would quickly put an

286 MINOR EVILS OF THE RACE-COURSE.

end to the career of these disreputable beings. Money
obtained under such circumstances would probably be ruled
to have been obtained under false pretences, and the im-
postors would be sent to prison as rogues and vagabonds.

But here, too, I think the simpler remedy of having a few
extra policemen would be found effective, whilst the expense
would be met by an additional charge of a shilling, or so, on
carriages making use of the reserved enclosure. But I do
not think such a charge would be found necessary ; my
impression being that the course, once freed from obnoxious
elements, would receive a sudden access of visitors who now
avoid it. Clergymen of many denominations are deterred
from attending races, not because they disapprove the sport
in itself, but because of the Saturnalia into which, unchecked
by any authority, the scene is turned.

There is no reason why a race-meeting should not be as
charming and inoffensive as any concourse of the people.
The English delight in outdoor recreation. Melody adds to
diversion of the kind a pleasure of its own ; songs that would
delight and not offend the senses, would be an acquisition to
such a scene, whilst instrumental music would help to beguile
that period which, in the intervals of racing, might become,
by comparison, wearisome : and those who should contribute
such accessories, deserve both encouragement and reward.
The former pests of the race-course and its approaches — the
thimble-riggers and card-sharpers, astrologers and sooth-
sayers— have long since become a thing of the past. It
would not, therefore, be impossible to sweep away the offen-
sive ballad-mongers, and with them the wretched objects,
who, to excite charity, exhibit monstrous deformities, often
painfully shocking the sensibilities of the fair visitors. The
latter is a sight that is needless ; for we know these objects

THE PLEASURES OF A RACE-MEETING. 287

of compassion are well provided for by public institutions,
and would not be permitted thus to exhibit themselves in
any town or country village.

Freed from these blemishes, the amusements offered by the
race-course would be both enjoyable and innocent, affording
to old and young that recreation which prepares them to
encounter with fresh vigour the duties of to-morrow. The
drive to and from the course, with all its pleasant surroundings,
is a scene which has often been graphically depicted by our
sporting writers, and is one, allowably, that can find no
equal elsewhere, in which all is good fellowship and innocent
merriment and fun.

When a building is licensed as a theatre, the Lord Cham-
berlain satisfies himself that it is so constructed and arranged
as to insure the well-being, comfort, and safety of its fre-
quenters. But he does not limit himself to these precautions.
He proscribes any piece that has an immoral tendency, per-
mitting only such to be put upon the stage as cannot offend
the most innocent. It is a practice that might be worthily
followed in turf matters by clerks of the course, who should
use the powers they possess in the same discreet way.

The sale of intoxicating drinks on the race-course is another
matter to which some restraint should be applied. The
legislature has wisely curtailed the hours in which liquor
may be sold in public-houses, and some such prohibition
should be extended to the sale of it in the booths on race-
courses. The sale might, I think, be safely permitted for a
certain period of the day, commencing an hour or two before
the first race is run, and extending until two hours after the
last race is over, on each day of the meeting. As things are
at present, it is the custom for the lower classes to rush off at
the conclusion of the day's sport, to the booths, often accom-

283 MINOR EVILS OF THE RACE-COURSE.

panied by their wives, daughters, or other female friends who
may be under their care. Drinking is then carried to excess,
followed by dancing in semi-darkness ; and it is needless to
say how baneful such a form of dissipation must be to men
and women who are, it may be said, in a measure entrapped
into it. Sobriety and modesty often become mere remin-
iscences. The restrictions I have named would do much
towards stopping this lamentable practice, and would turn
into a real day's pleasure for the poor man, what is now too
often an outing he can only look back upon with regret. If
to do so much be beyond the authorities, then the magistrates
should interfere ; and if they, too, are powerless, then surely
some true lover of racing holding a seat in Parliament would
bring forward a bill for the purpose, if only the matter were
agitated.

My observations on these matters are not intended for a
moment to attach blame to clerks of the course and others
for evils which in many cases were pre-existing. Indeed,
these officials as a body deserve a large meed of praise for
strenuous efforts, often successful, towards reform. Nor
would I have it supposed that the race-course of to-day is
worse than the race-course in times gone by. Indeed, if we
examine the subject, we shall probably find that we have
much less to complain of in this respect than our forefathers
had.

In the beginning of the present century, Newmarket not
only abounded in touts of all kinds, but in other degraded
characters, who stood on no trifles in the commission of
actual crime. These miscreants were tutored to villainy by
men who because of their superior education and talent were
worse than their tools. So widely spread was the mischief,
that the turf showed signs of decline if not of absolute

THE RACE-COURSE AS IT WAS IN 1819. 289

collapse. A sporting authority (the Morning Heraldry writing
in 18 19, says, that the races at Epsom had fallen into such
low repute, owing to the ill condition of the course and the
scanty accommodation afforded, that it was thought they
would be given up on the death of the then Lord Derby.
" How changed," exclaims the writer, " from the days of
O'Kelly and Eclipse ! " Defaulters, too, seem to have been
very plentiful at that time, collecting every guinea they could
obtain from their honest associates, and levanting with the
sum so received, whether big or little, ^10,000 or £10,
without paying a farthing of their losses. These and other
discreditable acts, substantially the same as those named
in the newspaper referred to, had brought racing to a very
low ebb. Here is what is said on some other points : —

"These were not the only unfortunate circumstances at-
tending the races held at Epsom that year, for we are further
informed that they were greatly attended by 'thieves,' and
other bad characters. The Races this year had the honour
of being particularly patronised by the ' borough gang,'
who committed unheard-of depredations : one day Mr. Bolton
was attacked by upwards of thirty men, near the course,
and, as a matter of course, they relieved him of his watch;"

After describing how others were robbed, it is added,
that a gentleman that was looking at the races had his
pockets turned inside out, and a constable, who, seeing the
act, seized the rogue, was surrounded by about 200 thieves,
who knocked him down and kicked and beat him with
sticks. The bare recital of these barbarisms is sufficient to
show the improvement made in our day in the proceedings
on the course, and that it is not without reason I affirm that
the racing authorities deserve praise for successfully carrying
out many difficult reforms.

U

290 MINOR EVILS OF THE RACE-COURSE.

It may be pertinent to our topic to inquire briefly what
is the extent of the power vested in racing authorities.
The general routine and management of the race-meeting
devolve upon the clerks of the course and the lessees under
the acknowledged, but seldom obtruded, guidance of the
stewards of the respective meetings ; and it will be appro-
priate if I submit a few extracts from the late Admiral
Rous's book on horse-racing, in which he gives his opinion
on the subject :

" It will be well," says the Admiral, " for a gentleman who
undertakes the duties of a steward at a country race-meeting,
to be informed of the liabilities he takes upon himself in
accepting that office, and of the rights and privileges conferred
upon him by virtue of it. In law a steward is liable in respect
of all things done or ordered in his name, by his authority,
either expressly or impliedly given."

A little further on we read :

"As a general rule it may be taken that during the day
of racing, the race-course and enclosures are in the legal
possession of the stewards, and that they have for all pur-
poses connected with the races, the authority of the owner of
the ground to order off every person whose removal they deem
desirable."

The removal of the objectionable persons here alluded to is
no doubt that of defaulters in respect of stakes or bets lost on
horse-racing, and those who misconduct themselves in other
ways ; and others who having been proved guilty of any
malpractices on the turf, had been warned not to attend
under penalty of expulsion. But it is clear that authority,
and authority brief in its action and potent in its con-
sequences, is vested in racing officials, and it therefore seems
feasible that similar excellent enactments might be put in

APOLOGY FOR INTRODUCING THE TOPIC. 291

force to repress what we have here discussed as " the minor
evils of the race-course."

That I, as a trainer writing on training, have ventured to
devote a chapter to these matters may be thought to demand
some apology. The fact will not, I trust, be viewed as an
attempt to set myself up as a moralist. But writing on the
racehorse, and incidentally and necessarily on certain turf
matters, I hope it may not be deemed an excess of zeal to
point out those blots, which to a certain extent exist only
because their existence is not known, or its grave conse-
quences are not fully appreciated. The removal of the
anomalies I have here glanced at, is all that is wanted to
complete that improvement in the customs of the race-course
which I have shown has been progressive if slow ; an im-
provement that it may be confidently hoped will be carried
out by the competent authorities, if only the general desire
for such a reform be pressed upon their notice.

:92 SHOEING AND THE FOOT.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

SHOEING AND THE FOOT.

Importance of the subject justifies an additional chapter — The blacksmith too
often blamed for lameness — Early treatment necessary to produce good feet
— The method shown — Extremes to be avoided — Hints to those who have
not the natural appliances — My own experience of smith's work — The foot,
and method of preparation to receive the shoe described — The shoe itself ;
and method of fixing it and number of nails ; and of taking it off — Errors in
shoeing and resulting injuries shown— Racing plates, their use and disuse —
Other shoes ; Mr. Westley-Richard's invention — Variety of opinions on
shoes and the method of fixing them — One safe general rule.

ALTHOUGH the importance both of frequent examination of
the feet and of due regard for their size and shape, has been
impressed upon the reader in the portions which treat respec-
tively of the stable and sickness, and of purchasing, it has
seemed well in the present edition of the work to add a special
chapter upon this subject, and upon shoeing, which is insepar-
able from it and of not less interest. As the treatment of
disease should primarily be left to the specialist, so shoeing
also is the recognised duty of the craftsman. Yet the black-
smith as well as the veterinary surgeon may learn something
from the knowledge acquired by the trainer in the exercise of
his profession.

The result of my own experience has been the conviction
that the blacksmith is far too frequently blamed for lame-
ness. Shoeing is so simple a process that few smiths with
ordinary ability and common prudence make many mistakes.

JUDICIOUS TREATMENT OF THE FEET. 293

Injudicious treatment of the horse when young is in most
cases the origin of the evil. And though the shape of the
shoe, the preparation of the foot for its reception, and the
method of securing it, are matters which deserve our attention,
it will be well in the first place to ascertain the treatment
most likely to assist development of the foot itself. For if
the horse when young has a foot that is well formed and free
from disease, little danger may be apprehended from shoeing.
In truth the point at issue is not so much this or the other
scientific principle applied to shoeing, as the simplest way of
keeping a horse sound in its feet.

In the present day horses are treated much better than in
past times, both in their infancy and maturity ; and in no
respect is the improvement more marked than in the treat-
ment of the feet. Except in the cases when the animal is
born with the defect, the cause of contracted, ill-shaped, and
diseased feet, is undoubtedly the hardness of the ground on
which horses when young are often made to remain during
the heat of the day, and the absence of moisture generally.
If foals bred on light gravelly soil or on chalk, are allowed
with their dams to depasture in roomy paddocks early and
late in the day when the dew is on the grass, and immediately
after either rain or fog, there will be the requisite moisture to
promote the growth of the horn and insure the development
of good feet. The necessity of moisture for their growth and
proper expansion is acknowledged, and often when foals or
older horses suffer for want of it, resort is had to the uncom-
fortable clay beds, or to enveloping the feet in wet cloths.
It is needless to say that these processes are at best a
poor substitute for natural means, and have the additional
drawback that the animals seldom touch their food whilst
undercroincr them.

294 SHOEING AND THE FOOT.

On the other hand, with horses bred on wet clay or on
undrained heavy land, the opposite treatment is necessary.
Here, the fear is the too rapid growth of the foot ; and the
aim should be to keep the mare and foal on dry litter in the
stable until the dew has disappeared ; and when the ground
is more than usually wet to limit the time for exercise and
feeding in the open air to a few hours only of each day.
The adoption of the system indicated as proper to either
case, would be to aim at that prevention which is better than
cure. It is scarcely necessary to observe that yearlings should
be brought up in much the same way in this respect ; and so
much being said of the method of producing good feet, we
may turn to consider how they should be treated in order to
keep them sound.

In this respect, it follows that the same principle more or
less is applicable throughout. Should your training ground
have a surface and subsoil such as I have described as
desirable, the horses should always be exercised early, when
the dew is on the grass or the land saturated with moisture.
By this treatment the foot is kept in a healthy state ; the
growth of new horn equals in quantity the old horn which
it is found necessary to remove at each time of shoeing, and
supply and demand are equalised. But reverse the process ;
keep your horses in the stable and only exercise them (as
indeed too many are only exercised) in fine dry weather, and
though well looked after in every other respect, they fall
lame, and the blacksmith is unfairly found fault with. It
may be well to add, on this head, that where horses cannot be
exercised under the desirable conditions I have named, the
feet should be well washed once or twice a day, and kept
supple with tar and grease plentifully supplied — in wintei
two oi three times a week, and oftener in summer — and

CAUSES OF LAMENESS. 295

then stopped with cow-dung. Exposure to excessive
moisture, on the other hand, is equally to be deprecated, and
is, indeed, equally under the control of the trainer. The two
extreme conditions are fruitful sources of disease — want of
moisture often produces sandcrack contractions, excess of it
as frequently produces thrush.

These are the causes of lameness, as I have said, much
more frequently than the negligence of the blacksmith or his
want of capacity. Quittors, I allow, may arise from the nail
being driven too near the quick, or actually into the sensible
part of the foot ; and corns, which also often cause lameness
to follow, may result from the shoe being drawn on over-
tight; yet it should be remembered that the one may also
arise from a neglected overreach, and the other from a blow.
But an efficient blacksmith, my own experience tells me,
seldom makes mistakes. During the twenty-five years in
which I have had on the average some fifty horses in my
stables, they have been shod one and all by my country
smith and his assistant — and the former, although he had had
no previous experience, and had been deprived early in life
of the sight of an eye, never to my knowledge lamed one, or
at all events never lamed one in a serious manner. It is clear
therefore that lameness in most cases should be attributed to
some other cause than to bad shoeing, or to the defective
construction of the shoe itself. In truth, when we consider
the thousands of horses that are continually running, and
how often they are newly shod, the wonder is, not that a
few horses fall lame from shoeing, but that so many remain
sound ; and in fairness we should give to the blacksmith the
credit that is demonstrably his due.

We have seen in the Xllth Chapter how the yearling is
managed and older horses are trained. With respect to

296 SHOEING AND THE FOOT.

shoeing, it may be well at the outset to observe that yearlings,
or in fact horses of any age, should not be shod until they
have been ridden and are quiet. For if shod before, should
they by plunging or kicking hurt either themselves or their
attendants, the shoes would much increase the injury done

With regard to the shoe itself, and the method of fixing it.
I shall preface my remarks by pointing out that the foot as
we find it in a state of nature, is, if not perfect, yet approxi-
mately so, in shape, size, and in other respects. The feet of one
thoroughbred horse are as a rule so like the feet of another,
that it is needless to attempt to describe this or the other
particular one, but rather to show the preparation for shoeing
of one that is free from disease, and from defects in shape.
Something will depend on its formation, natural or acquired.
If the foot is very strong, much of the outside crust should
be removed, the outer edge of the concavity being pared almost
to an even surface; but if it be weak, then nothing but the
crust on which the shoe rests should be touched, and the
paring should be little and discriminate. Smiths, in fact, have
one failing — a disposition to use the knife too freely, and un-
fortunately not always in the right direction. Instances to the
point may be seen in horses having naturally low heels, in
which all traces of the bars have been removed by the impru-
dent use of the knife in the hands of an unthinking operator.
On the other hand, if, as sometimes happens, the toe is too
long, it should be shortened ; but this too should be done with
judgment and by degrees ; if removed all at once lameness
will probably follow. For the frog, all that is required is to
keep it in its proper shape, and for this purpose an occasional
slight paring will be sufficient. The heel is the most impor-
tant portion of the foot, and requires more careful management
in shoeing than perhaps any other part of it. In all horses,

FORMATION AND FIXING OF THE SHOE. 297

the heel between the bars and frog should be kept well open,
and the bars extending to the point of the frog left pro-
minent. With horses that have very high and narrow heels,
approaching contraction, the free use of the knife is a
necessity, and with it and the rasp, the crust should be
lowered considerably, but exactly how much or how little
should be left to the discretion of the smith, who ought to be,
and often is, the best judge of such matters. It is at least
beyond my aim to attempt to lay down specific rules for
isolated cases. The subject is one most satisfactorily treated
on broad principles. It has been discussed theoretically and
scientifically by many eminent men, whose otherwise admir-
able observations have, I cannot help thinking, lost much of
their value by the introduction of hypothetical facts leading
to equally visionary arguments.

The shoe usually worn by the racehorse is the common
English shoe, to the description of which I shall at present
confine myself, as it is probably the best of all, as it is
certainly thoroughly efficient for its purpose. It is, or should
be, of medium size in width and thickness, only varying
slightly in certain special cases. It should rest on the crust
or inferior surface of the wall of the foot ; and in order to
prevent pressure and injury to the sole, it should be bevelled
on the inside, and consequently be much thinner on the inner
and under part than it is on the outside. It is generally
fastened with seven nails, four on the outside and three on
the inside, which method, both in disposition and number, I
believe to be the best. A greater number would, in
repeated shoeing, be apt to break the crust of the foot and
so injure it ; a less, would be insufficient and dangerous from
the risk of the horse often throwing the shoe. This number
it should be remembered is not an absolute necessity, nor

29S SHOEING AND THE FOOT.

should the disposition be rigorously adhered to. Common
sense will teach that it should be varied in accordance
with the nature of the foot. In some cases a less number of
nails may be used beneficially on the outside or the inside
as need requires. A clip on the toe gives additional firmness,
but those on the sides are unnecessary except in the hind
shoe, a matter to which I shall refer later. The shoe
should be made to fit the foot for which it is intended, not
hammered to do so afterwards. The nails should be driven
slantingly outwards, so as only to pierce the wall, and the
shoe should neither be drawn on too tightly nor left insecure ;
after the points of the nails are twisted off with the pincers,
dinted and rasped even with the foot, the shoeing is com-
pleted. But though the horse be shod properly, it is scarcely
less important to describe the correct method of taking off
the shoe, for this is very often done in a manner that cannot
be too strongly reprehended. When the shoes are removed,
either to be replaced with new ones, or for paring the feet and
renxing the old, every clint should be cut to free the nail of
its hold, and then each nail should be drawn separately with
the pincers. The harmful practice, which we often see, of
knocking the clints barely up and tearing the shoe off bodily
by main force, should never be permitted. Too often a
portion of the hoof comes away with the shoe, and lame-
ness ensues.

As a rule horses require to be newly shod once a month,
and removed in the interim. The feet should also be daily
examined by the smith as a matter of precaution. For even
with the greatest skill and care in shoeing, and with the
strictest supervision of the work, horses will throw their shoes
whilst at exercise in strong work, and thus hurt either them-
selves or others. The very best nails will break, and the shoe

VARIOUS CAUSES OF LOSING A SHOE. 299

get loose ; and if the mischief is not rectified before another
gallop is taken, the shoe is thrown, and the foot being bruised
or broken, the horse becomes lame. Hence the imperative
necessity that the smith should daily examine each horse. Shoes
it should be said are thrown from other causes, not infrequently
arising from errors on the smith's part. These are easily
prevented, and it will not be out of place to describe some
of them. Sometimes the shoe is pulled off by the horse
itself, the hind toe catching in the heel of the fore foot, and
drawing or breaking every nail. This is usually done at the
commencement of the canter or gallop ; though it may
happen whilst pulling up, or in trotting before or after it. A
mistake is here evidently made by the smith ; the heels of
the fore shoes are too long, or the ends not properly rounded
off; or, it may be, the toes of the hind feet are unnecessarily
long ; a judicious shortening of either or both will prevent
its lecurrence. Horses that turn their toes out much are apt
to strike one foot against the other leg, and thus do them-
selves harm. Boots and bandages are the usual remedy, but
they are not always effective — the real evil is either with the
foot, shoe, or the way in which the latter is put on, and here
the mischief must be attacked. In this case, the foot should
be well rasped away in the inside quarter towards the heel,
and the shoe kept well within the crust ; for it is the pro-
jection of this part of the foot or shoe that causes the harm,
and it cannot be effectually remedied in any other way.
Overreach is sometimes caused by long hind shoes or toes,
and shortening them will avoid or minimise the risk of a
repetition of the injury. In such a case the clip at the toe
may well be done away with, and placed at the side of the
shoe. With this difference in the position of the clip, the
hind shoes are the same as the front shoes in every respect

3oo SHOEING AND THE FOOT.

except in the inside bevelling. For the hind foot, being
generally much stronger, and therefore less liable to injury,
the bevelling is not needed.

The plates in which horses customarily run races are lighter
than the ordinary shoes. The heels also are turned up in
each plate ; but these are the only differences, the manner of
fixing them being also the same as in ordinary shoeing, with
this precaution — that in order to prevent breaking the crust of
the foot, the nails are placed as much as possible in the old
holes ; a plan one cannot but agree with. I may add that in
the autumn, or indeed at any other time, when the ground is
very wet and " deep going," plates, and more particularly the
hind ones, may be dispensed with altogether. For in galloping
through mud the feet sink into it, and the result is a certain
amount of suction, the resistance of which is materially lessened
if they have been freed from the incumbrance of the plates.

I have so far confined my observations to the use of the
common English shoe, because experience teaches me that
for all purposes it is the best. But there are other kinds, as
there are other theories on the subject of the number and
disposition of the nails ; and it will not be out of place to
enumerate some of them. There are the French shoe,
Mr. Turner's unilateral shoe, Mr. Goodwin's, Mr. Westley
Richard's, Mr. Bracey-Clarke's hinged shoe, Professor
Coleman's half moon, and others. Those of my readers who
are curious on the point will find most of these minutely
described in " Stonehenge's " admirable work on this and
cognate subjects, The Horse in the Stable and in the Field,
a work to which I am indebted for some valuable hints on
shoeing. There is not, however, that I know of, any existing
account of Mr. Westley Richard's invention, which I may
therefore briefly describe. His shoe is a modification of the

VARIETY OF OPINIONS. 3°i

French patent shoe, and not very dissimilar to the English
plate, but shorter ; the number of nails ordinarily used in
fixing it being six only. It has some advantages. It is
cheap and is said to be durable, although, on the latter point
and in regard to its general usefulness, I prefer that others
should judge of it for themselves ; for though I have seen it,
I have not seen it long enough in use to speak decisively for
or against it. With racehorses the shoe and foot are seldom
exposed to the trying effects of the hard road ; with them
therefore these shoes might be worth a trial, especially as they
offer one advantage over the common system of shoeing —
horses can race in them. Lieutenant Perry, we are told, tried
the experiment of working a mare unshod on the road, with,
as might have been looked for. a disastrous result ; and this
should suggest caution in the use of Mr. Westley Richard's
invention, though not necessarily condemning it.

But I may say in conclusion, that there is scarcely any sub-
ject on which scientific and theoretic opinions differ so much
as on that of the shoe and shoeing. All cannot be right ; and
when we find direct contrariety of principles, we may well
hesitate to accept this or the other theory. If, for example,
Mr. Miles, who has written on the subject, be correct in
affirming that five nails only are required for properly
fastening the shoe, what becomes of Mr. Spooner's theory
that eight are imperatively needed ? or of Mr. Turner's as-
sumption that no nails whatever are requisite on the inside ?
Mr. Bracey-Clark, again — another theoretical authority —
stands alone in believing that a hinge at the toe is an improve-
ment, and though agreeing with the French plan as to the
requisite number of nails, differs with it as to their disposition;
Mr. Clarke placing five on the outside and three on the inside,
whilst in the French system, the number on either side is

3o2 SHOEING AND THE FOOT.

equal. Not one of these acknowledged judges — whose
op-nions, I may point out, are selected from a number of all
shades and complexions, each one differing from the other
in some respects — agrees with the ordinary system of using
seven nails, four on the out and three on the inside. Yet
this is the number and disposition approved by most practical
men. I am convinced it is the best, and my opinion is borne
out by experience, and by the constant and continued general
practice. I must not be understood to prefer one of the
various inventions I have named to another, nor to condemn
any one of them. They may be excellent, but the mere
fact of their advocacy by the inventors is not a proof
of their superiority ; and it would ill become one dealing
professionally with facts, and not opinions, to approve or
condemn without a sufficient trial. But of one thing I am
satisfied : the shoe best adapted for the generality of horses
is the one I have described as bevelled on the inside and
fastened with seven nails. Other kinds may suit specific
cases, but for ordinary use nothing has yet been produced
that can equal, and much less supersede, it. To discuss the
many speculative theories as to the treatment of the foot
generally, and particularly of the toe and heel, and as to
how often the feet should be attended to, would be, in my
opinion, a useless tax on the reader's patience. We can see
how various and conflicting are the dogmas held on the
subject. Were they to be comprehensively dealt with, they
would assume a giant's shape of contradictions causing only
distrust of any theoretic proposition whatever. It is there-
fore fortunate that for purposes of general utility practical
experience comes to our aid, and points out the shoe and
the system of fixing it which may be adopted without fear
of ill results.

ATTACKS ON THE TURF. 3°3

CHAPTER XXIX.

ATTACKS ON THE TURF.

Frequency of attacks on the turf — Contrasts in its favour with other occupations-
Professor Low's attack specially considered : errors of his statements and
their deductions shown ; the alleged cruelty to the horse refuted by contrast
with his actual treatment ; wasting not injurious ; his indiscriminate charges
against trainers and jockeys shown to be groundless ; instance of Chifney —
Absurdity of his allegations against owners laying against their horses dis-
played, and the real origin of public favourites shown.

It is so common an expression that the practices on
the turf are corrupt and its frequenters actuated by
sinister motives, that I feel I ought to say something to
exhibit the fallacy of this notion. To defend or excuse
those of my own calling, and the others more or less
directly connected with it, is no part of my intention ;
for defence or excuse would imply an admission that
the attacks on the turf have some solid basis, which is not
the case. My object is merely to show, by contrast with
other occupations, how utterly erroneous is the popular
estimate of my own in this respect.

Amongst trainers and jockeys there may be those who
are guilty of malpractices, as there are offenders in all
sections of the community ; but I think it is not too much
to say, that the worst practices on the turf are outdone
daily in other occupations. We have dishonest bankers,

304 ATTACKS ON THE TURF.

stockbrokers, solicitors, and tradesmen, whose culpabil'ty
will outvie any charge ever whispered against the owner
of a racehorse, or his trainer or jockey. Without giving
instances in number, I may shortly refer to the Glasgow Bank
as an example of what men of commercial position will
descend to do for their own ends ; and to the frequent cases
of adulteration on the part of the retail trader : and ask,
if the annals of the turf can show anything to equal these
frauds in systematic dishonesty.1

The abuses of the turf, and the errors of the trainer and
jockey may well be left, the one to the vigilance of the

1 The Evening Standard of 22nd October, 1878, in speaking of the Glasgow
Bank, says : — " The report relates a tissue of dishonesty, fraud, concealment, and
malversation wholly without parallel. Advances of enormous extent have been
made to prop up rotten houses : bad debts have been made to an amount many
times exceeding the whole capital of the bank ; false balance sheets have been
drawn up to deceive the shareholders and the public ; lying returns have been made
of the amount of gold in the coffers of the bank ; and an immense over-issue of
notes has been sent out ; large dividends have been declared when the bank w'as
in a hopeless state of bankruptcy : and in fact it is difficult to mention a single
description of monetary fraud that has not been perpetrated at the bank."

With respect to food adulteration, the same authority says: — "According to Dr.
Harper, and other chemists and analysts, tea is adulterated with no less than
seventeen different substances, milk with eight, sugar with four, the staff of life
is tampered with to an enormous extent with four spurious ingredients, butter with
three, curry powder with ten, pickles with five amongst which figure sulphuric acid
and corrosive sublimate, besides other things." It further goes on to relate how
spurious are the drinks we must consume, if we do not confine ourselves to water.
" Beer," it says, " is adulterated in several different ways, and it may be startling
to the reader to hear some of the effective ingredients, such as strychnine, and
sulphate of iron, and wormwood. Soda water, commonly so called, in nine cases
cut of ten, contains no soda at all, but is simply water into which carbonic acid
gas has been pumped. Brandy is mixed with nine different substances, and
sherry, champagne, and port are more or less shamefully adulterated." The frauds
of Sir John Dean Paul, of Redpath, and others, and recently of the solicitor
Froggatt, show that no profession can claim immunity from scoundrelism, whilst
one of the most harmful of all offenders, the purveyor of diseased meat, often
escapes the just punishment of his gross misdeeds on payment of a nominal fine.

PROFESSOR LOW'S ERRONEOUS CONCLUSIONS. 305

recognised authorities, the other to that of employers, to
the restraints imposed by law, and to the penalties which
invariably follow unfair or careless performance of duties ;
whilst reformers would find ample scope for the practice
of their designs, in the many abuses which affect the welfare
of the world at large.

But from this general view of the subject it will be well
to turn to consider special attacks on the turf.

Professor Low, in his work entitled " Domestic Animals of
Great Britain," is perhaps fortunately too partial and too
consistently pessimist in his views, to cause his authority on
racing matters to rank high with lovers of fair play. After
telling us something of notable persons connected with the
sport from the time of James I. to that of Oliver Cromwell, he
speaks of the sport itself; of which he, at least, says, and in
so far we may agree with him, that it is not productive of more
gambling than other things, nor so harmful as cards or dice ;
nor is there, he allows, more gambling with us than in other
countries in which horse-racing is unknown. But when he
comes to discuss the professional aspect of the topic, it will
be conceded, I think, that his conclusions have no trust-
worthy foundation, either of experience or logical argument.

" The humblest class," he says, " connected with the business
of the turf are the boys of the stable ; to each of whom is
assigned the care of one horse with the duties of riding it at
exercise." (He here starts with a palpable mistake, as each
boy does two horses.) He proceeds to state on the authority of
Holcraft, " that the boy rises at half-past two in the summer."
Speaking of wasting jockeys, the Professor says that, under
the system which he has been describing, " a man may reduce
his weight a pound or more in the day without injury to his
general health or temporary impairment of his natural
vigour." Of the young horse itself, he states, "he is cruelly

X

306 ATTACKS ON THE TURF.

misused ; to fit him for his future task, he must be deprived
of liberty, and subjected to artificial feeding and training,
almost from the time he quits the side of his dam. No time
is allowed him for that exercise in the field which his instinct
points out as the most suitable and natural, nor for partaking
of that food in the open air, which is best of all others to
preserve health, and answer the demand of the sanguiferous
system in the young animal. He must be trained, bled,
physicked, sweated, and subjected to restraint in his natural
motion, at the time when the animal functions should have
their natural play."

These assertions are positive enough. Yet I think it is
easy to prove that the Professor is wrong in every point.
The cruel treatment and restraint to which the foal is
subjected from the time it leaves the side of its dam, of
which he speaks, may be summed up in the following
brief description.

The colt is, when weaned, confined in a stable with a
companion or two, until he has forgotten his dam. Then
he is with the others set at liberty, depasturing in well
sheltered paddocks and comfortably housed at night ; when
he has the best of corn and natural and artificial grasses of
all kinds, and has in every other way all that he desires for
his comfort. It will be seen that he does not lose his liberty,
as the Professor would have us believe, at the time of his
quitting the side of his dam, or indeed until some twelve or
fourteen months after, when eighteen or twenty months old.
Up to this time he enjoys the most perfect freedom of action.
He daily exercises himself according to his natural propen-
sities, either galloping or idly taking his rest. What is this
but natural exercise ? and where is the restraint so much
objected to ? I am free to confess I cannot see it ; and more,
I am bold enough to say it does not exist. But the time

PROFESSOR LOW'S ERRORS DISPLAYED. 307

has arrived, as it does to all horses, when the colt must
be accustomed to restraint ; and even then, a proportionate
allowance of exercise to suit his tender age is given — and he
is not overworked, whilst he is well cared for.

Again, as to his being trained, bled, physicked, and
sweated, I can vouch for it that his training is little more
than gentle exercise until he is old enough to bear work ;
and that in a state of health, he is not subjected to bleeding,
and that a mild dose of physic is only administered occa-
sionally as a preventive of disease, or in illness.

Having shown, I think, beyond all doubt, that the Professor
is wrong in his remarks on the horse, I shall next essay to
demonstrate that he is not more happy in his strictures on the
manners and customs of those that have to do with him.

In his statements as to the early hour at which the boys
rise, and as to one boy being kept for each horse, it must
suffice to say that he is in error, as he is in a general sense in
other ways. For as to wasting one pound a day, I have my-
self wasted for years, and often reduced myself six pounds in
a day, and day after day several pounds. I reduced myself
to ride Belissama, at Bath, from 10 stone to the required
weight, 7 st. 13 lbs. which included the saddle. I have never
injured myself by the process, and I do not doubt others have
wasted even more with a similarly innocuous result.

But the Professor still further commits himself to untenable
statements, and does so in a much more reprehensible fashion,
when he categorically attacks trainers and jockeys and would
brand them with infamy ; as indeed he is inclined to attack
all and any who happen to differ with him in opinion. But it
is only fair to submit his own words, even though the quota-
tion be somewhat lengthy ; for by this method, points will

not be brought forward that specially assist my theory,

X 2

30S ATTACKS ON THE TURF.

nor on the other hand, others suppressed to the injury of
his arguments.

"The betting," he says, "of jockeys and trainers, to a vast
amount, has now become a system extensive, open, and
avowed. It is no longer the restricted and temperate betting
which prevailed in former times, on horses in which the
master and employer of these people had an interest, but
they must have their books as regular as the boldest gambler
of the course. Now, here is a system which strikes at the
very root of all confidence in the affairs of the turf. What !
the horses of sportsmen to be entrusted to a set of avowed
gamblers, who may have a direct interest in causing their
defeat ! What confidence can be placed in a jockey on whose
success in a match with another horse he or his confederates
may have thousands depending ? Will he win in opposition
to an interest so great ? Those who believe so, must have
a ^higher confidence in the virtues of Newmarket than our
knowledge of human nature elsewhere justifies. The first
admission on record of a jockey betting on the horse opposed
to that which he himself rode, is the elder Chifney. He lost
the race, but he justifies himself by saying, that he knew the
horse he rode was unfit to win. The argument of the jockey
is not worth the tassel of his velvet cap ; and the principle
contended for needs only a little extension to justify every kind
of roguery. This very jockey lived to acquire a splendid stud,
to build houses, to sport his equipage, and to experience the
revolution of fortune's wheel, by dying a beggar. But the
training grooms, more trusted still — what can be said of their
concern with the gambling speculations, by which their
interest and their duty have been placed at variance ? What
need of their master-key to guard their troughs from the
introduction of the arsenic or the sublimate ; or of the live
fishes, to show that the water is as pure as their own thoughts ?
A few orders of the head groom on the training-ground, a
few doses out of time of Barbadoes aloes, a gentle opiate from
the apothecary's shop, all for the health of the horse, will

ATTACK ON TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS. 309

answer every end. Or should these disgraces not be perpe-
trated, how many are the means by which races may be lost
or won ! A simple breach of confidence may answer the end,
information may be conveyed sufficient to neutralize the hopes
of the confiding employer, and the one book be made square,
although the other may become a memorandum of ruin."

We may pause for a moment in our quotation to examine
the relevancy of what he has said to this point. If such
things were done, there would be some ground for such an
argument. But he bases his thesis on an utter hypothesis.
No jockey or trainer bets in the way he describes, and there-
fore does not fall under the temptation. And it is on hypo-
thesis only that he ventures to condemn a class. He says,
"The elder Chifney was the first to back a horse in a race
other than the one he rode, and he lost owing to the horse's
unfit condition." This was the rider's opinion, soundly based
no doubt and justified by the result, though he might have
been mistaken in his opinion, and might have had to pay
dearly for it. I confess I cannot conceive the dishonesty that is
attached to such conduct. It cannot be the mere fact of the
jockey's betting, or of his being the first that did so, and
nothing of an improper nature is proved against him. All he
did was to ride one horse and back another in the same race.
But why should he not have done so ? What reason can be
given to show, that if a jockey rode a carthorse of his em-
ployer's, he should be required, if he betted at all, to back him
against an Eclipse ; or if you will, against one of his own
horses of which he thought well and had confidence in his
brother professional in the saddle ? For racing has its glorious
uncertainties. One horse may fall down, or go the wrong
course, and from various reasons others may be disqualified
and the carthorse may be the winner, and his jockey having

3io ATTACKS ON THE TURF.

backed another horse, may lose and would pay. But there
would have been no dishonesty if the horse had been beaten.
The fact is, horses are beaten from other causes than the
roguery of owner, trainer, or jockey. It is possible to cite
numerous instances in which the jockey, by consummate art
has, at the critical moment, turned what would have been an
easy defeat into a splendid victory, and not unoften at his own
cost. At Goodwood on one occasion this was so palpably
done at the cost of some thousands of pounds to the jockey,
that the prefix of "honest" was ever after attached to the
rider's name. The contest for the blue riband of the turf
itself can contribute a case, a parallel to which it will not be
easy for the Professor himself to find off the race-course. In
this instance a jockey rode the winner for his employers when
his own horse ran second. In one minute he could have
made a splendid fortune and would never have been called to
account. But the temptation, great it must be confessed, had
no charm for him. He preferred honour to riches.

Fortunately these facts are known and appreciated by the
chief supporters of racing, and therefore the jockeys as a
body can afford to treat with contempt attacks upon their
honesty. For myself, I find it difficult to believe that the
writer really supposes the occult practices he condemns have
existence. According to him, trainers and jockeys, by com-
bining to deceive their employers, make their own fortunes,
and the unhallowed process is kept an undivulged secret from
all save the nefarious accomplices. According to the pro-
fessor, the evil is by no means fleeting, it is chronic. Annually
similar frauds occur, and fresh owners take the place of their
ruined predecessors, to be dealt by with the same unrelenting
dishonesty. But such a theory carries its own refutation :
were it so, no owner, even a millionaire, would be able to

ABSURDITY OF HIS CHARGES AGAINST OWNERS. 311

withstand these terrible losses, coming as they would with
each revolving year; whilst we should see trainers and jockeys
the possessors of the ancestral estates of their victims. It is
difficult to say which of the two results is the more im-
probable. As a matter of fact, there are on the turf, owners
who make money and owners who lose it ; and a similar
experience awaits the adventurous jockey or the speculative
trainer. It is a game of hazard to a certain extent, and has
its lucky and unlucky followers.

If we turn once more to the book, we shall find that the
Professor has little good to say even of the unfortunate (as
he would make him) owner.

" It is seen," he says, " that the owner of a horse may,
by betting against his own horse, gain by his losing the
race : and by having his own horse largely backed, and then
running to lose, pocket enormous sums."

The merest tyro will be here inclined to remind our critic
of the sound advice of Mrs. Glasse : " Before cooking, first
catch your hare." First then, let it be shown who are the
people who will back the horse, that the owner may win
enormous sums by betting against him, and the matter may
be worth discussion. As things are — and this is all that need
trouble us, we do not wish to start from hypothesis : as
things are, then, owners of other horses will not back our
hypothetical owner's horse, nor will the bookmakers whose
business it is to lay ; whilst the little staked by the public,
naturally limited if the owner do not essay to lead the way,
when sifted by the commissioner, will leave but a meagre
nucleus for the "enormous sums for the owner's pocket."
The fallacy of the argument requires no demonstration.

But let us hear the writer further on betting.

" One of the practices pursued," he goes on to say, " is to get

312 ATTACKS ON THE TURF.

up favourites for the great stakes. This is done by means of
lies, false trials, deceptive bets, high prices paid for horses, so as
to enhance the public opinion of their value, and by devices of
all sorts. Large sums are staked on the favourite horse by
the public. But is it intended that he shall win ? No, it is
settled he shall lose. A little management of the jockey
will save appearances, and thousands are to be duped that
the owner and his confederates may pocket the spoil. Enor-
mous sums, as 3,000 guineas or more, have been paid for a
colt ; we will suppose, to start for the Derby. What is the
meaning of this ? Is the owner to back this colt against
a hundred horses he has never seen, twenty or thirty of
which (many of them, for anything he knows, better than his
own) are to start ? No : the purpose is not to win the Derby.
The owner and his confederates are to gain by the loss of the
race, and the dupes are to back the favourite."

Now as only owners could do this wretched business, if
such a thing were done, on them alone must fall the blame.
But a brief examination will show the crudeness of the notion.
No one would put any faith in reported trials of living
wonders, unless the stable backed the reports with money.
Then who is to get up false trials, circulate lies and make
sham bets for nothing ? or to give thousands for a horse not
worth a copper with the vain hope of persons more shrewd
than himself backing him ? Who would thus part with a
certainty for a doubtful expectancy, and give up the substance
for the shadow ? A shallow trick of the sort would be un-
worthy of the merest novice, and would certainly recoil on
the head of its inventor. Owners are like other people, I
am pretty certain ; and as such, consult their own interests in
preference to that of strangers, friends or enemies, and would
scorn the idea of acting in a way at once mad and disre-
putable. The truth is, favourites are not made by those con-
nected with them, " by lying and other devices." Their chief

OWNERS DEFENDED. 313

supporters are the public, led on by touts and tipsters. Those
who back and those who advise, continue to sing the praises
of the animals in hopes that a shorter price will enable them
to hedge, and so stand to win a good stake but lose nothing :
whilst the unfortunate owner, wishful to back his own horse
at a fair price (knowing its real chances) has often to look on
and ultimately in self-defence to withdraw him from the race
— as I have before explained.

It is therefore clear that the owner has no motive for
dishonesty. But for argument's sake, we will assume that
owners, trainers, and jockeys conspire to defraud the public
of their money by the vilest deception. No one, not even the
Professor, can believe that the public will be hoodwinked by
the most ingeniously concocted scheme. At least, the success
of such a thing has not come within my experience, nor I
venture to say within the experience of any careful observer
of the turf and its patrons.

On paper, nothing looks easier than to lay thousands
against a horse and thus ruin credulous dupes and make your
own fortune. But in practice it is very different. For then,
experience shows that there is considerable difficulty in
hedging one's stake, though only for a small sum, and even
that this cannot always be done. But when anything beyond
this is attempted, the bookmakers and the public are on the
alert, and the facts (or what they surmise to be the facts) are
telegraphed to thousands of people in a few hours, and your
horse is driven from favouritism to an obscure place in the
betting ; perhaps reported lame, and certainly predicted to
be an absentee on the day of the race.

I think I have said enough to show that it is not possible
to win enormous sums by laying against horses in our day.
And I hope I have succeeded in making clear that Professor

314 THE WORK JUSTIFIED.

Low in his attacks on the turf writes on the slenderest infor-
mation, and that more often incorrect than not. But if one
more instance be required to show the emptiness of the
charge so gravely made, it may be found in the following
question, as simply put as it is simply answered.

" Is the owner to back this colt," he asks in reference to
an animal for which it is supposed a large sum has been
given, " against a hundred horses : twenty or thirty of which
(and of these many, for anything he knows, better than his
own) are to start ? " " No. "

The fact is, owners not only back their horses against
a hundred they have never seen before, but against double
that number or more, any one of which may be better
than their own. I may add in conclusion, that the Pro-
fessor is not singular in his aspersions of the doings of
owners, trainers, and jockeys. Other writers glibly attribute
motives which have no existence ; amongst them Mr. Lawrence,
from whom I have on more than one occasion quoted. But
an answer to one, is an answer to all ; and it is only necessary
that that answer should be a direct and complete refutation,
in language unmistakable, fearless, and frank.

I have now said all I have to say strictly bearing on the
subject which in the commencement of this work I proposed
to treat. I have resisted throughout the temptation to intro-
duce anecdote, even when relevant, lest in so doing the essen-
tial purport of the treatise, which is to be directly serviceable
to the individual rather than amusing to the multitude, should
be frustrated by the interposition of extraneous matter. The
nature of this temptation may be illustrated here by a few
examples, not uninstructive in themselves.

It would have been easy to relate how on one occasion a

THE WORK JUSTIFIED. 315

match was made to be run at Newmarket, when the one horse
died and the other was unfit to run, and stratagem was used
on either side. When in the end the match was declared off, a
little pleasantry was indulged in ; the one sportsman declaring
his horse was scarcely able to walk out of the stable, whilst
the other retorted that his was dead and buried in it. On
another occasion, a jockey was bribed not to win, and telling
his employer, was recommended to take the bribe, which he
did ; and the owner himself rode the horse and won. Again,

a gentleman who shall be nameless, matched his horse

for ^"200 a side against that of a baronet, now deceased. The
baronet had, as it afterwards appeared, no intention of running,
and merely sent his horse, in order to frighten his oppo-
nent. But the latter, whose horse in reality was too ill to
leave the stable, substituted another for it, and sent the
impostor to the spot (Newmarket), with strict injunctions to
his trainer to give all inquirers an evasive answer. The
baronet, by the aid of his trusty touts, learned of the arrival
of the false horse, and believing it, on the same trustworthy
evidence, to be the real Simon Pure, paid forfeit. This was
no doubt sailing rather near the wind ; yet the baronet had
tried to frighten his opponent with " false fire," and clever
tactician though he was, was perhaps deservedly outwitted
by one more wily than himself.

There is a savour of " Munchausen " in these stories, it
may be thought ; yet they have a substratum of truth which
few of the marvellous conceptions that appear in books on
racing matters can boast. And they must suffice.

In my treatment of the various subjects it has been my
desire to introduce only those things that are relevant to it ;
although perforce some matters will appear of more interest
and greater importance than others to racing men. The

3i6 THE WORK JUSTIFIED.

breaking of the colt and his following preparation, his
subsequent performances in trials and in public, are subjects
demanding the ample treatment which has been given to
them ; and the method followed will hardly be charged with
redundancy, which, at the worst, would be less censurable
than incompleteness. The chapters on betting, on the scandals
of the race-course, and the present one on attacks on the turf,
are open possibly to the charge of being the least cognate to
the subject. As such they are, I am free to confess, the least
satisfactory to myself; but, on the other hand, they are not
absolutely foreign to our examination, and, indeed, it is hoped
may in some fashion serve to round it off. I may add that
the suggestions for reform which fill Chapter XXVI., as well
as the earlier comments on the light-weight jockeys, have, I
am fully convinced, every warrant for their amplification in
any work on the racehorse. If any one doubt that the conduct
of the young jockeys is an evil loudly crying for redress, let
him attend the room next the weighing-room after one of
the large handicaps, and he will find that if their faults
have not here been extenuated, at least nought has been set
down in malice.

If nothing more is required to be said specially on other
points, I may yet venture to submit that the whole, as an
original work, has had to contend with many difficulties in the
endeavour to eliminate golden truths from popular errors, and
to avoid plagiarism.

It has been my studied object throughout not to weary the
reader by giving a detailed account where it was unnecessary,
or punctiliously to define matters and things when the bare,
name was sufficient. For instance, when physic is recom-
mended, I merely mention it. I have not said what it should
be composed of, or the quantity sufficient for the dose, or the

THE WORK TUSTIFIED. V7

treatment of the animals whilst under its influence ; simply
because I assume all people connected with racing stables
would understand a part of their management which admits
of little or no variation.

I trust I have succeeded in being, without tediousness, ex-
plicit in describing racing matters to the comprehension of the
uninitiated as well as of the cognoscenti. I have endeavoured
to the best of my ability to refute the baseless and virulent
attacks on my profession, and to forward the cause of morality
in it, by exposing its errors, condemning its faults, whilst
giving to honour and honesty their meed of praise. The
result of my experience is recorded impartially, and I trust
intelligibly, and without the aid of rhetorical embellishment.
That the work has its blemishes I cannot doubt ; but I
trust the weight of information may be thought to out-
balance them, and, if I have achieved little, that the
reader will generously accept that little as the best I
can give. The words of the great moralist may, in
this sense, perhaps fittingly serve at once as the best
apology for the attempt I have made and a plea for its
indulgent reception.

" He that in the latter part of his life," says Dr. Johnson,
" too strictly inquires what he has done, can very seldom receive
from his own heart such an account as will give him satisfac-
tion. We do not indeed so often disappoint others as ourselves.
But he has no reason to repine though his abilities are small
and his opportunities few. He that has improved the virtue
or advanced the happiness of one fellow-creature ; he that
ascertained a single moral proposition, or added one useful
experiment to natural knowledge, may be content with his
own performance ; and with respect to mortals like himself
may demand, like Augustus, to be dismissed at his departure
with applause."

INDEX.

Acceptance : a new method of sug-
gested, 259 ; the method sketched
and advantages shown, 258-64

Accidents. (See Sickness and Casual-
ties)

Aged horses. (See Remarks on the Four-
year-old)

Air. (See Ventilation)

Air-holes and windows, 6

A/ep's defeat by Avowal, a proof of
improvement of thoroughbred, 230- 1

Alington, Lord, My purchase of reason-
ably priced yearlings for, and results,
128

Alternate rest and labour essential, 82

Amateur Backer, The : hints to, 246-7 ;
the counterfeit bookmaker and the
" tipster," 246

American system, The : breaking,
Umpire an instance, 71 ; system of
training, 110-12 ; contrast of distance
and pace, no-il; extra clothing,
in; rarity of victories, a proof of its
inferiority, ib.; Prioress at New-
market, ib.; Mr. Ten Broeck's and
Mr. Sanford's studs, ib.; condition
of Preakness at Epsom, 1 12

Ancient estimation of the horse, 237

Anecdotes of racing, Reason for
restraint in using, 314

Anglesey's, Marquess of, dictum on pur-
chasing, 138

Anonymous letters : evil of, 190-2 ;
proper treatment of, 192 ; instance of
harm done at Whitewall, 191

Antagonist's victory a proof of benefit
of early breaking, 72

Appetite and condition, 85

Arsenic, Evil of use of, 43

Ascot and Epsom courses contrasted,
and inferences, 175-6

Assheton Smith, Mr., as a heavy-
weight rider, 194
Athelstan's, King, "running horses,"

237

Attacks on the turf, 303-14 : frequency
of, 303 ; the turf and trade con-
trasted, 304 ; Professor Low's attack
specially considered, 305-14, errors
of his statements and deductions
shown, ib., alleged cruelty to the
horse and jockey refuted, 306-7,
groundlessness of charges against
jockeys and trainers shown, 308,
absurdity of his charges against
owners laying against their own
horses shown, 311-14

Auctions, Absurdity of prices paid at,
for blood-stock, 127 ; and contracts
of success of reasonably priced
animals, 127-8

Audacity of boy -jockeys, 162

Avowal's defeat of Alep, a proof of
improvement of thoroughbred, 230-1

Backing book-maker, The, his proce-
dure and harmfulness 248

Ballad-mongers should be removed from
the race-course, 285

Bandages condemned, 28, 31 ; hand-
rubbing preferred to, 16

Banditto's defeat of Eztropa, an in-
stance of the trustworthiness of trials,

153

Bay Middleton : an example that horses
run in all shapes, 136 ; taken as a
criterion of a generation since, and
contrasted with Blue Gown and other
modern horses, 226-7

Bentinck, Lord George : his custom of
selecting yearlings in the paddock,

320

INDEX.

73 ; his opinion of Defender's
thorough-pin, 116; Lady Grosvenor
and Crucifix, 1 19; his repute as a
judge of blood-stock, and failure in
the case of Mendicant, 125-6; unex-
plained removal of his horses from
Danebury, 219-20
Betting and Bettors : 245-268 ; instance
of value of seclusion in, at Wood-
yates, 64 ; modern increase of, 240,
246 ; a chief cause of turf losses,
243. Betting as it is : hints to the
amateur, 246-7, services of the
book-maker, 245, his counterfeit and
the amateur backer, 246, untrust-
worthiness of tipster and tout, ib.,
only sound reasons for backing a
horse, ib. , better to keep a few horses
than to bet, 247, the De Goncourt
fraud, ib., harmfulness of the back-
ing book-maker, 248, the commis-
sioner : evils of employing him,
250-5 ; how commissi 3ns are worked,
251-2, authentic personal experi-
ences in illustration with the Metro-
politan, Two Thousand, and Good-
wood Stakes, 252-4; necessity with
many to bet, 250. Betting as it
might be, 256-68, suggested reme-
dies, to legalize betting, 256, and to
restrict commissions, 257, three
courses recommended to owners,
257-8, suggested alteration in
system of nomination and entry,
258-60, the proposed method
sketched, 258-9, its result, betting
on the nomination and other benefits
illustrated from the betting on the
Waterloo Cup and " draw, " 260-6 :
the one disappointment, Coomassie
forestalled, and its warning, 266-7,
the "tipster" and "tout" done
away with, 263. Book-makers and
their procedure, 263, reversion to
old tactics recommended, 264. Sug-
gested institution of an outer ring for
protecting small bettors, and extermi-
nation of "the welsher," 282-3;
" first past the post " betting, 280-1 ;
jockeys' betting, 308-10, case of
Chifney, 308-9, brilliant example of
honesty at Goodwood, 310; ab-
surdity of charges against owners
laying against theirownhorsesshown,
311-14 ; real origin of "favourites,"

313

" Big" condition : examples of horses
fit when "big," and contrasts, 47;

typical instance of "big" and
"light" condition, Tame Deer and
Fisherman, 56 ; horses oftener fit
"light" than "big," 57; how Mr.
Scott beguiled the public, and in-
stances of his failures, 92-3 ; pre-
judice of owners for, and instance of
compliance with it, 95-7 ; evils of
"big" condition, 97 ; slow progress
of fat yearlings, 129-31 ; prevalence
of sore shins in, 13 1

Bird on the Win%, her illness and re-
covery, an instance of public opinion
on scratching, 183-4

Bit and bridle for breaking, 67

Blue Gown contrasted as a modern horse
with Bay Middle/on, 227

Blue Rock, an instance of success of a
low-priced yearling, 125

Book-maker, The : value of his services,
245 ; his counterfeit and the amateur
backer, 246 ; the harmfulness of the
backing book-maker, 248 ; book-
makers and their procedure : a rever-
sion to old tactics recommended,
263-4

Boxes, The Loose, described, 4 ; the
partitions, 5 ; both boxes and stalls
necessary, and why, 6

Boys as jockeys. (See Jockeys)

Boys, the Stable : their rooms, 5 ; the
stable-boy and his tempter, 269-70 ;
how the tout works, 269 ; a plan
to frustrate espionage, its method ex-
plained and advantages shown, 270-2

Breaking: 65-74; gentleness essential,
65 ; physic to be given, ib. ; tackle
described ib, • preliminary process,
66, other methods, and objections to
them, 66-7 ; bit and bridle, 68 ; the
colt ridden loose, ib. ; the best age,
Buffon and Cuvier thereon, ib., argu-
ments for breaking as yearlings, and
instances, 69 ; the best season, ib. ;
different practices, and objections to
them, 69-70; instances of endurance
of horses broke early, 70-1 ; custom
in other countries, 71 ; the American
system, ib.; instances in support of
my system, 72, confirmed by the
French practice, 73

Bridle and bit for breaking, 67 ; altera-
tions in, in present day, 78

Brig inline, as a roarer, 39 ; an instance
of a successful low-priced yearling,
125

Buccaneer, an example of foreign pur-
chases of our best stock, 229

INDEX.

321

Buffon, on the natural coat of animals,

42 ; on the age to break the horse,

68
Bunbury's, Sir Charles, system of

preparation, 78
" Burnett's " fluid, Use of, 18 ; in

sickness, 33
Burns, Mr., on ventilation, 11

Camerine, an example of a good small
horse, 117

Caractacus, an example of the value of
produce of old mares, 129

Casualties. (See Sickness and Casual-
ties)

Catch-'' em-alive, a horse fit when " big,"

47

Chandos, an instance of the thorough-
bred carrying weight, 195

Changeability of owners, how caused,
and its prejudice to trainers, 210-6

Charon's in-and-out running examined
and explained, 109

Chester Cup, Instance of betting on
Starter and Our Mary Attn for, 64

Chifney : last days of, "why jockeys
are poor," 224; his betting defended,
309

Clark, Mr., on feeding and soiling, and
remarks, 24-5 ; on water and its
qualities, 26-7 ; on equine fatness,
58

Cleanliness in the stable, 18 ; its need in
sickness, 33

Clerks of the Course : their responsi-
bilities in preserving order, 284 ;
dramatic restrictions, a lesson in
point, 2S7 ; value of their services,
288 ; Admiral Rous on the powers of
stewards and others, 290

Climate, Effect of, on the breed of
horses, 58

Clothing : preferred to exclusion of air,
13 ; must be dry, 18 ; winter and
summer clothing, ib. ; warm clothing
necessary in sickness, 37 ; for the
yearling, 84

Coats Rough and Glossy : stifling stables
and their attractiveness, 10-13, dire-
ful results, 13-14; predilection for
glossy coats, 41, protest against, 42 ;
natural coat of animals, ib. , Buffon
thereon, zb., removal of coat, its
evils, the condition-ball and arsenic,
42-3 ; rough coats oitenest seen, 43 ;
examples of horses fit when rough,
44

Colds and Coughs ; the danger of, 33 ;
their prevention ib., diverse effects of
coughs on condition, 52 ; precau-
tions against, during preparation,
86

Collingwood and The Cur, Disobedience
of declaration to win with, 170

Commi-sioner, The: 250-5; evils of
employing him, ib. ; how commissions
are worked, 251-2; his dishonesty,
plausibility, and easy gains, ib.;
authentic personal experiences in
illustration : Pharsalus and The
Metropolitan, 252, Promised Land
and the Two Thousand, 252-3,
our commission on the Goodwood
Stakes, 253-4, the result examined,
254 ; suggested restrictions on, 257 ;
owners recommended one of three
courses with, 257-8

Condition-ball, The, and its evils, 43

Condition : predilection for glossy coats,
41, protest against, 42; the natural
coat of animals, ib., Buffon thereon,
ib.; evils of removal of coat, ib.;
the condition-ball and arsenic, 43 ;
rough coats oftenest seen, ib.; in-
stances of horses fit when rough, 44.
Popular opinion of condition, theory
and experience, 45-7, its error shown,
56 ; the trainer the only judge of,
47, 54 ; instances of horses fit when
" big" and when " light," 47, 56 ; the
trainer sometimes deceived, personal
experiences and inferences, 49-50 :
necessity of time and work, 50 ; con-
dition for long courses, 49-50 ;
owner's ideas of condition, and
examples, 50-1 ; various effects of
coughs discriminated, 52 ; lameness
and its different results, ib.; instance
of diverse opinion of two owners,
53 ; signs of condition, 54 ; curious
belief in two states of condition and
fallacy shown, 54-5 ; oftener fit
"light" than "big," 57. Condition
of pedestrians (foot note), 57, 94 ;
fat men, 57 ; Mr. Clark on equine
fatness, 58 ; effects of climate, ib. ;
danger of excessive work when unfit,
82 ; evils of running when unfit, 92 ;
running "big" and "light," ib. ;
instances of " light " horses fit, ib.;
prejudice of owners for "big" con-
dition and remarkable instances in
disproof of its value, 95-7; evils of
"big" condition, 97; reason for
insistence on "light" preparation

Y

322

INDEX.

and analogies, 102-3 '■> signs of exact
fitness specially described, 106, only
achieved by perseverance, ib.; Freak-
ness at Epsom, 112; progress of
fat and light yearlings contrasted,
129-13 1 ; sore shins more frequent
with fat horses, 131

Constitution, Horses differ in, and
require different treatment, 104-5

Co imassie forestalled for the Waterloo
Cup, the one disappointment, and the
lesson it teaches, 266-7

Copperthwaite, Mr.: on sore shins and
my objections, 35-6 ; his method in
trials, 147 ; on the Derby course, his
errors shown, 174-5

Corannacoli, the, Deceptive appearance
of, 50

Corn : the lofts described, 5 ; screening
the corn, 6 ; English oats preferred,

23

Cosmopolitan state of the turf, 240
Cossack, an instance of the ultimate
triumph of trials over public form,

154

Coughs. (See Colds)

Course, The. (See The Race-course ;
Weights and Distances ;• Long
Courses ; Short Courses ;
Welter Races)

Cracked heels and their cure, 31

Cracovienne, an instance of sudden
failure of sound legs, 1 1 5

Crib-biting is a trick, its danger and
prevention, 37-8

Criticism of able writers commended
and desired, 268

Crucifix : an example of a large horse,
good both as a yearling and later,
119 ; Lady Grosvenor's objection to
her name, ib.; an instance of value of
produce of old mares, 129, that
horses run in all shapes, 1 36 ; her
trial with Iris, 147 ; trial as a
yearling, 150; an instance of the ex-
cellence of the modern thoroughbred,
240

Cur, The, and Collingwood, Disobedience
of declaration to win with, 170

Curbs and their result, 1 15- 16

Cutaneous diseases, the result of neglect,
32 ; their treatment, id.

Cuvier on the age to break the horse, 68

Dancing, Necessity to testrict licence

of, on the course, 287-8
Day, Mr. John : his system of pre-

paring the yearling, 84 ; his prefer,
ence for running " light," 93; dif-
ference of opinion with Lord George
Bentinck on Mendicant as a yearling,
125-6 ; his work as a jockey, 167 ; un-
explained removal of Lord George
Bentinck's horses from Lanebury,
219-20

Declarations to win : 169-72 ; instances
of disobedience of jockeys, and ruin-
ous results: at Shrewsbury, 170,
The Cur and Collingwood, and Mr.
Rolt's retirement, ih., Mr. Starkey's
disappointment with Viridis and
Land Tax, ib., Duke of Hamilton's
better fortune, 1 71 ; copy of my
letter to " The Sporting Gazette,"
with suggestions, 17 1-2

Deep ground, Effects of running in, and
instances, 177; the thoroughbred
across country, ib.

De.ender, incident in connection with
his thorough-pin, 116

Deformed, The, an instance of doubt-
ful legs standing preparation, 115

De Goncourt fraud, The (footnote),
247

Derby, Lord : his objections to Lord
Redesdale's bill examined and fallacy
shown, 199; his racing career con-
trasted with that of the Marquess of
Hastings, and satisfactory inference,
242-3

Dervish, an instance of fitness when
"light," 92

Design and scope of the work, I -4

Disobedience of jockeys in "Declara-
tions to win," 169-72

Distances. (See Weights and Dis-
tances)

Dixon's, Mr., opinion of condition, 51

Docking, 45

Doncaster, yearling sales at, Attendance
at, recommended, 124

Downhill exercise condemned, 60

Drai;is. in stables, condemned, 8

Dramatic restrictions, a useful hint for
race-course authorities, 287

Drink, Necessity to restrict sale of, on
the course, 287-8

Dry ground, Effects of running on,
176-8

Dulcamara, Diverse running of with a
man and with a boy up, 168

Dulcibellis, running contrasted at two
and three years old, 101

Durability of legs, Uncertain ; special
and contradictory instances, 114-16

INDEX.

323

Earl, The, an instance of improvement
with age in large horses, 119

Earlie-t race on record, The, 237; first
yearling race, 69, 119

Eccentric owners and their doings, 214-

15

Edges, Mr., as a heavy-weight rider,
194

EU ho, My purchase of, an example of
value of low-priced yearling-, 12S

E»tbUm and Emblematic, instances of
the success of the racehorse across
country, 177

Engagements : hints and arguments on
the engagement of yearlings, 136-9,
current errors, 137, early trials re-
commended, and reasons, 138. Sales
with engagements considered in refer-
ence to present hardships, 276-8,
and suggested reform, 278

Entry and nomination, New system of,
suggested, 258 ; the method sketched
and advantages shown, 258-67

Epsom and Ascot courses contrasted,
and inferences, 175-6 ; Mr. Copper-
thwaite on the Derby course, and his
errors, 175

Etiropa's defeat by Banditto, a proof of
correctness of his trial in contrast
with public form, 153

Exercise. (See Work)

Extravagance, 111 effects of, on boy-
jockeys, 163

Extremes of heat and cold unadvisable,
13

Farming and training compared, 102-3
Farquharson, Mr., as a heavy-weight

rider, 194
Fashion, Influence of, on purchasers,

128
Fat men, Instances of (footnote), 57
Fatness, Mr. Clark, on equine, 58
Favourites : ** How favourites are

made," 313
Feeding: hours of, in winter, 16; in
summer, 17-18; value of regularity,
21 ; system past and present, 2Q
Feet, The : (See also Shoeing) fre-
quent examination of, necessary, 2S,
30 ; thru-h and its cure, 30 ; cracked-
heels, 31 ; careful watch of, during
preparation, 85 ; points to be noticed
in purchasing — size and signs of
speed, 117
Final gallops, Value of the, 85
Fisherman: typical instance of "big"

and "light" condition in contrast
with Tame Deer, 56 ; exceptional ex-
ample of a good large horse, 119;
his defeats accounted for, 155 ; an
instance of ability of thoroughbred
to carry weight, 195 ; his perform-
ances, an example of the excellence
of the modern racehorse, 239

Fitness. (See Condition)

Flyers and stayers of our day enume-
rated, 226

Fog, Danger of exercise in, 86 ; curi-
ously fatal occurrence in, 87

Food : hours of feeding and quantities
of food, 20, its qualities, 23, English
oats preferred, ib., hay must be from
good land, 24, good food the only
food, ib. ; Mr. Clark on feeding and
soiling, ib, ; system of feeding past
and present, 26

Foreign competition : increase of, 229 ;
instances of purchases from us, and
their produce, 229-30

Forestalling : the reason of absenteeism
at the post, 185 ; its evil done away
with by a suggested new method of
entry and nomination, 258-65 ; Coo-
massie forestalled, the lesson to be
learned, 266-7

Form : horses run in all forms and
shapes, and instances, 136 ; popular
reliance on public form, 152, its un-
certainty, and instances, 153 ; trials
ultimately proving the more trust-
worthy, and instances, 154 ; defeats
accounted for, 155 ; celebrated cases
examined, Lady Elizabeth and others,
156-9

Forth, Mr., his system of preparing
the yearling, 84; his work as a
jockey, 167

Four days a week racing suggested,
and its advantages shown, 278-9

Four-year-old, The : preparation de-
scribed, 82-4 ; danger of overwork
when unfit, 82 ; training for long and
short courses, 8^ ; hints on buying,
(see PuRCHASli-'G) ; large horses often
show best, and instances, 1 19;
best method of trial, and instances,
152

Frdulein, Diverse running of, with a
man and with a boy up, 168

French system, its successes favour
early breaking, 73

Friends : their influence with owners,
186 ; how secrets are divulged, and
fatal results, ib.; prejudice to the
Y 2

324

INDEX.

trainer of their officious interference,

instances from my own experience,

211-14
Frost, Exercise in, 84
Fugitive, curious instance of sore shins

with, 35 ; an instance of fitness when

" light," 98

" Galloping for a Start," a grow-
ing evil, and its remedy, .275

Galopin, an instance of the excellence
of the modern thoroughbred, 240

Gamos, extraordinary defeats and suc-
cesses of, compared with the case of
Lady Elizabeth, 159

General Hesse, Illustrative trial of, with
an Arab, 146

Gentleness essential in breaking, 65

Gifts to boy-jockeys condemned, 163

Glenllvat, a high-priced failure, 126

Glossy coats. (See Coats, Rough
and Glossy)

Goodwood Stakes, The: our commission
on, 253-4 ; the result examined, 254

Grafton's, The Duke of, gift to his
jockey a contrast with our times,

l65
Green Sleeves : a case analogous to that

of Lady Elizabeth, 1 58
Greville's, Mr. C. C, career as a

tactician, 188-9 > cause °f its partial

success, 189 ; anecdote of Perkins,

ib.
Griping, Prevention of, 18
Grosvenor's, Lady, objection to the

name " Crucifix," 119

Hamilton's, Duke of, good fortune
in a " declaration to win," 171

Handicaps : curious belief in special
condition for, 54-5 ; at Newmarket
and Goodwood, tabulated to show
preponderance of boy-riders, 203-4

Hand-rubbing preferred to bandages,
16

Hardships of the trainer. (See Pro-
fessional Hardships)

Harrow, Scenes at, in times gone by,
281

Hastings, Marquess of: career of, 241-
2, its assumed disastrous result re-
futed, 242 ; contrasted with that of
the Earl of Derby, and satisfactory
inference, 242-3

Hay : the. lofts, 5 j must be grown on
good land, 24

Head-collar, the, Attention to, neces-
sary, 38

Head-lad, The : a good head-lad neces-
sary, 21-2 ; multifarious occupations
of the trainer, 22 ; duties of the
head-lad, 22-3

Heats in the old times, 239

Heavy-weight jockeys. (See Jockeys)

" Hellfire Dick" and the Duke of
Queensberry, 238

Hermit : fit when rough, 44 ; trust-
worthiness of trials proved in his case,
154 ; his reported accident and the
public, 185

Hero, The, his lameness and subse-
quent recovery, an instance of popu-
lar fallacy in respect to "scratching,"
182-3

Heroine, an instance of two-year-old
running as a small horse, 119 ; wins
the first yearling race, ib.

Hippodrome, The, Scenes at, in times
gone by, 281

Historian; was fit when "big," 47;
an instance of endurance, though
broken early, 70, also, that severe
preparation is not necessarily harm-
ful, 97 ; supports the argument for
"light" preparation, 98

Hocks. (See Legs)

Hours of stable work, 15

Hunter, The : performances of, under
heavy weights — Mr. Edges, M r. Asshe-
ton- Smith, Mr. Farquharson, 194 ;
improvement in, 232

In-and-out running: running of horses
as two- and as three-year-olds contrast-
ed, and instances, 101, the subject ex-
amined, certain remarkable instances,
107-10, the discrepancy explained,
109-10, the lesson to be learned, ib.;
variations in health, 107

Increase in number of horses in train-
ing, 228-9

Iris, Illustrative trial of with Crucifix,
147

Jester, in-and-out running of, examined
and explained, 108 ; an instance ot
an unfashionably-bred winner, 135

Jockey Club, The : reforms instituted
by, in weights and distances, 201,
their further powers, ib.; petition to,
from able jockeys suggested, 206 ;

INDEX.

3=5

judicious enactments of, 279 ; coin-
cidence of their recent enactments
meeting my suggestions in part {foot-
note), 279

Jockeys : 160-72 ; their mistakes alter
public running, 155 ; difficulties of
obtaining a good jockey, 160 ; want
of heavy jockeys, 162 ; evils of boys
in the saddle in short and long
courses, 161-2, 169, 200-2, 272 ;
their audacity, 162, and temptations,
162-5, lavish gifts to children, and
results of extravagance, 163 ; advan-
tage of having men in the saddle,
273-4 ; reform of light-weight scale
urgently necessary, 161, 272-5; a
protest by able jockeys suggested,
273 ; the remedy, to pay a fair
wage, 164 ; a jockey's services not
inordinate, ib. ; remuneration in the
past, instances, my own and others,
165-6 ; work as it was and is, 166 ;
wasting in old days, to., luxury v.
deprivation, instances, 167; instances
of diverse running of the same
horses ridden by men and by boys,
168-9 > recalcitrant jockeys and
declarations to win, instances of
injury done, 169-72 ; duties of the
owner to, 191-2, 221-4; power of
the Jockey Club, 201 ; table showing
preponderance of boy-riders in handi-
caps at Goodwood and Newmarket,
203-4, no dearth of able jockeys if
wanted, and injustice of the system
to them. 204-5 > examination of boys
suggested, 205 ; petition to the Jockey
Club recommended, 206 ; neces-
sity to learn riding early, 274 ;
doubtful results of the Education Act,
275; a growing evil, "galloping for
a start," and its remedy, ib.; wast-
ing not injurious, 307 ; Professor
Low's charges against refuted, 308-10;
jockeys betting, 308-10, Chifney's
case, 308-9, singular instance of self-
denial at Goodwood, 310

Joco, a failure as a hunter, 177

Joe Miller : an instance of exercise in
wet weather, 86 ; an instance of the
durability of small horses, 118;
chronic lameness of, when in strong
work, 121 ; rejected for want of size
as a yearling, 126; an instance that
horses run in all shapes, 136 ; his
performances in deep ground, 1 76

Joints, Swollen, their cause and effects,
36, 116

Judge, an instance of a good " light "

yearling, 130
Judges of blood-stock, their reputation

and fallibility, instance, 125-6

Kisber, a specimen of foreign produce
of our own stallions, 230

Ladv Elizabeth : her celebrated de-
feat and her detractors, the mystery
accounted for, 156-9; analogous cases,
Green Sleeves, Gamos, and others, 158-9

Lameness : frequent causes of, 38, at-
tention to head-collar, ib.; its appa-
rent effects, 52 ; swollen joints and
their effects, hints on purchasing,
36, 116 ; chronic lameness of horses
in strong work, and instance, 121-2 ;
rarity of with Sir Tatton Sykes's
stock, 131. (See also Shoeing.)

Land Tax and Viridis, Mr. Star key's
disappointment with in declaration to
win, 170

Language, Restraint in use of, desirable
on the course, 284-5 > good influence
of Inspector Tanner, 285

La Pique, an instance of fitness when
raggedly " light," 47 ; abortive treat-
ment of, by Sir Richard Sutton, 48

Large horses : more liable to roaring,
38, 120; moderately-sized preferred,
117; performances of large and small
horses contrasted, 11 7- 1 8, exceptional
instances of good large horses, 1 19 ;
are generally better with age, and in-
stances, ib.; should be tried a long
course before parted with, 120

Lawrence, Mr., on preparation, 78

Legs, The : necessary frequent exami-
nation of, 27 ; signs of disease in,
and treatment, 30 ; bandages not re-
commended, 16, 28, 31. Sore shins
and their treatment, curious instances,
Mr. Copperthwaita on, 34-6 ; swol-
len joints and ruptured tendons, their
cause and results, 36, 116; ring-bone,
splint, and spavin, ib. ; careful
watch of during preparation, 85 ;
points in legs and hocks when pur-
chasing, 1 14-16, uncertain durability
of, and contradictory instances, ib.

Letters, Exposure of, should be avoided,
187 ; evils of anonymous letters,
190-2

Liberality, Instances of, on the part of
owners, 218-19 ; mv own experiences,
219

3^6

INDEX.

Light : 9-14 ; as necessary in the stable
as ventilation, 14; "the tinsel of
glossy coats," ib.

" Light " condition : instances of horses
fit when "light," and contrasts, 48 ;
useless treatment of La Pique by
Sir R. Sutton, ib. ; typical instance
of "big" and "light " condition, 56 ;
horses oftener fit ' ' light " than '" big,"
57; instances of "light" horses
West Australian and Dervish, 92 ;
Mr. John Day's system, 93 ; infer-
ences from pedestrianism, 94 ; in-
stance of the same horses running
"light" and "big," and failure of
the latter, at Ascot and Goodwood,
95-7 ; instances in support of my
theory, 98 ; successes of my stable
in past times, 98-101 ; reasons for
insistence on "light" preparation,
and analogies, 102-3 » progress of fat
and light yearlings contrasted, 129-
31, my preference for the latter, and
instances, 130

Light-weight jockeys. {See Jockeys)

Light-weight scale, The : necessity of
its reform, 161, 272-5, its evils, 194 ;
horses can carry heavy weights, in-
stanced from racing and hunting,
194-5, Admiral Rous's opinion, 196 ;
the trainer's view of it, 196-99 ; ad-
vantages of a higher standard and
opinions of the press, 200 ; riding of
boys, and resulting accidents, 272 ;
necessity and advantage of having
men in the saddle, 273-4

" Like begets like," illustrated at Sled-
mere, 133

Lilian, an example of an early-broke
horse, 70

Lofts for corn and hay described, 5 >
screening the corn, 6

Longbjw's running as a roarer, 40

Long courses, condition for, 49-50;
training for, 83

Loose-boxes. [See Boxes)

Low's, Professor, attacks on the turf.
(See Attacks on the Turf)

Macgre^or, his defeat analogous to that

of Lady Elisabeth, 158
Management of the stable. (5«'Stakle-

management)
Manners', Lord George, judicious action

in limiting racing, 278
Manure, Disposal of, 7

Maximilian, a high-priced yearling

and a failure, 124, 135
Men as jockeys. {See Jockey s)
Mendicant, her appearance as a year-
ling and performances as a racehorse,
an instance of divergence of opinion
of judges of blood-stock (Lord George
Bentinck and Mr. John Day), 126
Metropolitan and Pharsalus, the, Our

commission on, 252-5
Morning, the best time for exercise, 81
Musjid, an instance of a yearling re-
jected as under-sized, 126

Names. (See Registered Names)
Natural coat of animals, The, 42 ; Buffon

thereon, ib.
Neatness and regularity, Value of, 27-8
Neglect, the cause of many diseases

and accidents, 32
Newmarket as a training-ground, 61-2
Noisy: diverse running of, ridden by
boys and men, 168 ; beaten for
Chester Cup and City and Subur-
ban for want of a man-jockey, 202
Nomination and entry, New system of,
suggested, 258 ; the method sketched,
and advantages shown, 258-67
Nottingham colt, The, his victory a
proof of the benefit of early breaking,
72

Occupations of the trainer, Multifari-
ous nature of the, 22

Offal food, Removal of, 17

Old mares, occasional value of their
produce, and instances, 1 29

Oliver, Mr. T., on preparation, 79

One Act, Deceptive appearance of, 49

Osbaldeston's, Squire, race against time,,
a proof of the power of the thorough-
bred to carry weight, 194-5

Our Mary Ann, betting on her for the
Chester Cup, an instance in favour
of seclusion, 64

Overwork. (See Work)

Owners : their opinion of condition,
50-1 ; Mr. Dixon and Phihppa, ib. ;
diverse opinion of two owners on
condition, 53 ; advantages of seclu-
sion to, 63 ; prejudice of for "big"
condition, and remarkable instance
in disproof, 95-7; their duties to the
public, 178-90, to the trainer, and
the jockey, 191-2, 221-4, the right
of " scratching " considered, 179-81,

INDEX.

327

special cases of public error when
horses have been reported ill, 18 1-5 ;
forestalling the real cause of absen-
teeism at the post, 1S5 ; owners and
their friends, 186, secrecy and its
value, ib., how secrets are divulged,
and fatal results, ib., exposure of
letters, 187 ; mistakes of eminent
tacticians explained, and instances,
187-9, errors of self-confidence,
1 89 ; publicity of registered names and
suggested remedy, 189-90 ; anony-
mous letters, 190-2 ; changeability of,
and its prejudice to the trainer,2io-i6 ;
eccentricity of, and instances, 214-15 ;
influence of servants, 215 ; deferred
payment of accounts, and its injustice,
216-18, instances of liberality, 218-19 '■>
unexplained removal of horses and
other groundless complaints and their
unfairness to trainers and jockeys,
219-23; recommended one of three
course^ in betting, 257-8 ; fallacy of
Professor Low's charges "owners
laying against their own horses,"

3"-i4

Oxonian: was fit when "light," 98;
curious instance of warranty with,
1 20 ; his performances in deep ground,
176

Pace : necessity to see before purchas-
ing, 124 ; false pace, the cause of un-
satisfactory trials, 142 ; value of dis-
crimination of, in trials, 143 ; a
good pace essential in trials, ib. ;
disappointments in pace-made races
accounted for, instances at Good-
wood and Newmarket, 143-4, how
pace should be made, 143 ; results
of false pace, 147 ; pace in trials
and in races, 148

Paddock, The : contrast of big and little
yearlings, in, 73 ; Lord George Ben-
tinck's custom, ib. ; Sir Tatton
Sykes's excellent method in, 74

Palmerston's, Lord, removal of his stud
from Danebury through influence of
a servant, 215-16

Palmistry, Purchase of, at Sledmere,

133

Parole, an instance of small horses
best as two-year-olds, 119; an example
of trial as a yearling, 149

Parr's, Mr. T., system of stable manage-
ment, and my objections to it, 19

Partitions to boxes and stalls described, 5

Pavement of stalls, its material ai.d
slope, 7

Payment of training accounts : hardship
of deferred payment, 216-19 > d' verse
instances, 216-18 ; bills and renewals,
216 ; instances of liberality, 218-19

Pedestrians, Condition of {footnote:), 57,
94

Perseverance necessary to achieve fit-
ness, anecdote of the late Mr. R.
Stephenson, 107

Pfiarsalus and the Metropolitan, Our
commission on, 252-5

Philippa, Mr. Dixon's mistake with
her condition, 50

Poll-evil, caused by neglect, 32 ; its
treatment, ib.

Popular notions. (See The Public)

Portland, Duke of : an incident at
Welbeck Abbey, remuneration of
jockeys in old times, 166 ; his objec-
tion to short races, 206

Practicable 1 eforms. (See Reforms)

Preakness, " Big " condition of, at
Epsom, 112

Preparation : 75-112 ; past and present
systems contrasted, 75-7 ; sweating
no longer necessary, tb., my disuse of
it, 76, its evils, 77 ; other practices
happily abandoned, ib. ; other con-
trasts, 77-9 ; Mr. Lawrence on pre-
paration, 78 ; alteration in bridles,
ib. ; Sir C. Bunbury's method, 78 ;
Mr. T. Oliver's dictum 79 ; best
season for, 79 ; early preparation
advocated, ib. The process with the
two-year-old, 79-82, discrimination
of amount of exercise, 80, the
proper hours, 81, morning preferred,
ib., alternate rest and labour essential,
82. The process with older horses,
82-4, danger of overwork when
unfit, 82, training for long and short
courses, 83. The process with the
yearling, 84, Mr. Scott, Mr. Forth,
and Mr. John Day thereon, ib., my
own and other methods, ib., clothing,
ib., exercise in frost, ib. Essential
principles to be followed with horses
of all ages, 84-6, should be timely,

85, the final gallops to be watched,
84-5, appetite, 85, examination of legs
and feet, 85, precautions against cold,

86, exercise in wet and fog, instance
of its harmlessness, ib. Sunday
labour not necessary, and why, 87-9 ;
new theories, the Turkish bath,
89-90 ; impossibility to satisfy all,

328

INDEX

91 ; popular estimates of fitness, ib. ;
the trainer's duty, 92 ; evils of run-
ning unprepared, ib. ; running " big "
and "light," ib., how Mr. Scott be-
guiled the public, 92-3, instances of
"light" horses being fit,92 ; Mr. John
Day's system and instances, 93 ; in-
ferences from pedestrianism, 94 (foot-
note) ; owners' liking for "big"
horses, and instance from my own
experience of compliance with it, and
contrast, 95-7 ; severe preparation
not necessarily harmful, and instance,
97, work done in old times, 98.
Instances in support of my theory,
ib., successes ot my stable in past
times, stakes won and lost, 99, list
of winners, 100, horses sold, and
prices, and their subsequent perfor-
mances, 101. Abuse of preparation,
horses run too often, 100. Reasons
to insist on " light " preparation,
102, no general rule, ib., farming
and training compared, 103 ; treatment
should be varied to suit different con-
stitutions, 104-5 > ev''s of running too
often in public, 105-6 ; the essential
signs of fitness indicated, 106, only
achieved by perseverance, ib., anec-
dote of Mr. R. Stephenson, 107. In
and out running examined, and in-
stances, 107-10, variation in health,
107. The American system examined
and contrasted with our own, 1 10-12,
evidence of its inferiority, 1 1 1. Un-
certain durability of legs, and instances
of doubtful cases standing severe
vvork, and viceve?sd, 1 14-16. Alleged
cruelty of preparation refuted by con
trast with actual treatment, 306-7

Press, The : its advocacy of a higher
standard of weights, 200 ; on Alefis
defeat by Avowal, 230-1 ; criti-
cism of able writers commended and
desired, 268

Prices of blood stock past and present
contrasted, 127 ; absurdity of prices
paid at auction, and contrary examples,
127-8; results of paying such, 135-6

Prioress's performances at Newmarket,
III

Private studs contrasted with public
studs, and reasons of their success, 134

Professional hardships : changeability
of owners, 210-16. How trainers are
assumed incapable, 210, public
slander, ib., interference of friends,
211-14, resulting removal of horses

and instances from personal ex-
perience, 210-13. Ecceiv ricity of
owners, and examples, 214-15 ; in-
fluence of servants, and instance,
215-16. Deferred payment of ac-
counts, and instances, 216-18, bills and
bill-discounters, 216 ; instancesof libe-
rality, 218-19. Unexpl ined removal
of horses, and its prejudice to the
trainer, instances, 219-22, ground-
less complaints illustrated in two
instances, 221-24; why trainers are
poor, 224

Promised Land : an exceptional instance
of success of a high-priced yearling,
125 ; an instance of running in all
shapes, 136; in race with North
Lincoln, an instance of trustworthi-
ness of trial, 153 ; our commission on,
for the Two Thousand, 252-3

Public, The : popular notion of con-
dition, theory and practice, 45-7, its
error shown, 56 ; their estimate of
fitness, 91, and reliance on public
form examined, 152. Erroneous view
of the owner's duty to, 178-9, fallacy
of popular view of scratching, 179-81,
scratching examined and its reason
shown, "forestalling," 179-85; con-
flicting public judgment of horses, its
fallibility shown in instances, 181-5

Public form. (See Form)

Public studs contrasted with private
studs and reasons of their failure, 134

Purchase of yearlings (See also Pur-
chasing), 123 139 ; differences of
judgment and f allibility of good looks,
124 ; when and where to buy, ib. ;
should try pace before purchasing,
ib. ; roaring not always discoverable,
ib. ; failures of high-priced stock
and rarity of exception, 1 24-5, 127,
135 ; successes of low-priced yearlings,
and instances, 125, an unfashionably-
bred winner, 135 ; reputed judges of
stock, special instance with Mendi-
cant, 125-6 ; instances of good year-
lings rejected as undersized, 126; prices
past and present contrasted, absurdity
of latter, out-turn of purchases at
auction contrasted, and instances,
127-8, influence of fashion, 128 ;
how yearlings are bred to be sold, and
how they should be bought, 128-9 \
value of blood and produce of old
mares, and imtances, 129. Predilec-
tion for fat yearlings and its disap-
pointment, 129, my preference for

INDEX.

329

light, and hints where such may be
bought, 130, progress of fat and
light yearlings contrasted, and pre-
valence, of sore shins with former,
130-1, excellent result of Sir Tatton
Sykes's system, 131, rarity of disease
with, ib., instances of its success, 131-2,
" like begets like," 133, his disposal
of colts and fillies, ib., a visit to
Sledmere described, 133-4. Private
and public studs contrasted, 134,
reasons for success of former, 135.
Horses run in all shapes, and instances,
136. Inferences, the best yearlings to
buy, 136. Engagements of yearlings
considered, 136-9. Dictum of the
Marquess of Anglesey, 138.
Purchasing (See also The Purchase
of Yearlings), 113-39; purchase of
old horses, 114-20 ; those best worth
buying, 1 13-14; value of atrial, 114 ;
other considerations, ib. ; the best
seasons to buy, ib. ; points in legs and
hocks, 1 14-16, uncertain durability
of, and contradictory instances, 151,
effects of curbs and spavins, 116, of
thorough-pin and special instance
in Defender, 116 ; unsound horses
best sold, 116, rare exceptions, ib. ;
how horses should stand, 117; big
joints and lameness, 116; the feet,
their size and signs, 117 ; moderately
sized horses preferred, ib., instances
of large and small horses contrasted,
117-18, durability of the small horse,
special instance, J.Je Miller, 118, ex-
ceptional instances of excellence in
large horses, 119, instances of in and
out running of large and small horses
contrasted at two and three years,
ib., large horses more frequently
roarers, 120. Inferences from pre-
ceding, ib. ; argument for trial
before parting with large horses, ib.
Observations on warranty, 120-2 ;
roaring not discernible, 124. Dictum
of the Marquess of Anglesey, 138.
Sales with engagements considered
and reform suggested, 276-8

Queensberry, Duke of, and "Hell-
fire Dick," 238

Queen's Plates, Official table of weights
for (footnote), 207

Quiet. (See Secrecy)

Quittors, caused by neglect, 32 ; treat-
ment of, ib.

R— Inspector, Fidelity of, a racecourse
incident, 249 ; changed career of two
boon companions, ib.
Race, The : 173-92; evils of running
horses too often, 105-6 ; disappoint-
ments in pace- made races accounted
for> x43. instances at Goodwood and
Newmarket, 144, how pace should be
made, 143 ; pace in trials and in races,
148. Defeats in, accounted for,
and instances, 155, the case of Lady
Elizabeth examined, 156-9; diverse
running of horses with men and boys
up, 168-9. Declarations to win ex-
amined, and instances, 169-72. Ef-
fects of shape and slope of course,
and of wet and dry ground, 174-8,
examples from Epsom and Ascot
courses, and deductions, fitness of the
horse the sole essential, 175-6,
effects of deep ground, 177. Owners
and the public, 178-86; registered
names, 189-90; suggested new system
of entry and nomination, and antici-
pated safeguard against forestalling,
258-67. Pour days a week recom-
mended as a limit, 278-9
Race-course, The : Effects of shape and
slope on running, 174, of wet and
dry ground, 175, of deep ground, and
instances, 177; Mr. Copperthwaite
on the Derby course, and his errors,
175 ; the Epsom and Ascot courses
contrasted, and inferences, 175-6. A
race-course incident, fidelity of In-
spector R— , 249. Minor evils of,
280-91 ; suburban meetings, 280-2 ;
"first past the post" betting, ib.';
Harrow and the Hippodrome, 281 ;
lawless behaviour of the masses, 282 ;
"the welsher," ib., plan to exter-
minate him, 282-3 ; other restraints :
on language, 284-5, on ballad sinking,
2S5, on dancing and sale of drink,
287-8 ; charms of a race-meeting and
benefits of reform, 286-7 ; the powers
of stewards, 290 ; the race-course as
it used to be (1819), and present im-
provement, 288-9
Racehorse, The, as he is and was : 225-
233 ; thoroughbreds across country,
177, ability of the thoroughbred to
carry weight instanced from hunting
and racing, 194-6. Has the thorough^
bred improved, and reasons for affir-
mative answer, 224-31, Admiral
Rous's opinion, 226, flyers and
stayers of the age enumerated, ib.,

33*

INDEX.

horses of the past and present con-
trasted, Bay Middleton v. Blue
Gown, etc., 226-7, work now
more continuous, 227 ; table of num-
ber of horses, 228, and of distances
run, 229 ; increase in numbers, 228,
and in foreign competition, 229, our
best stallions often sold, ib. , and
competition of their produce, 230 ;
ALp's defeat by Avowal, 230-1 ; satis-
factory result of the examination,
230. Size of horses in 1750, 231,
its increase to-day, ib. Fallacy of
the time-test, 232. Improvement in
hunters and steeplechasers, 232-3 ;
excellent performances of the race-
horse of to-day, 239-40 ; ancient esti-
mation of the horse, 237

Racing, Past and Present : 234-44 ;
work done in old times, 98 ; rarity
of races in old times, 234-5, extracts
from records, racing in 1750, 235 ;
value of stakes then and now con-
trasted, 236, table of present values,
ib. {footnote) ; ancient estimation of the
horse, King Athelstan's "running
horses," 237 ; the earliest race on
record, ib. ; racing in the early part
of this century, distances travelled
and hardships, 237-8, the Duke of
Queensberry and " Hell-fire Dick,"
238, a six mile race, 239, heats, ib.,
cruel feat of endurance at Stock-
bridge, ib. Racing as it is : horses
run oftener, 71, 239 ; instances of
excellent performances of modern
horses, 239-40 ; racing for pleasure,
and modern increase of betting,
240 ; cosmopolitan state of the
turf, ib. ; evils of usury, 241 ; careers
of the Marquess of Hastings and
the Earl of Derby contrasted,
and satisfactory inferences, 241-3 ;
racing not necessarily unprofit-
able, 243, chief causes of loss,
betting and usury, and instance of the
latter, 243-4. The race-course as it
was (18 1 7), and its improvement
since, 288-9

Rain-water in tanks preferred, and
reasons, 27

Rataplan, an exceptional instance of a
good large horse, 1 19; an instance of
ability of thoroughbred to carry
weight, 195

Redesdale's (Lord) Bill, Lord Derby's
objections to, examined, 199 ; Mr,
Scott's sdvocacy of it, ib.

Reforms : 256-91 ; necessity to reform
the light-weight scale, 161-3, Pro"
posed reform, 272, and advantages
shown, 272-5 ; jockeys should be
paid fairly and no more 164;
suggested remedy for publicity of
registered names, 189-90 ; powers of
the Jockey Club, 201 ; examination
of boy-riders recommended, 205 ; to
legalise betting, 256, and place
restrictions on commissioners, 257.
Suggested alteration in system of
entry and nomination, 25860, the
plan sketched and advantages shown,
258-67. The stable-boy and his
tempter ; a method to defeat es-
pionage, 269-70, its working and
advantages explained, 270-2, Sug-
gested alterations in sales with en-
gagements, 276-8 ; limit of racing
to four days a week and its advan-
tages, 278-9 ; reforms of minor evils
of the race-course, 280-91, an outer
ring for protection of small bettors,
and extermination of "the welsher,"
282-3, other necessary restraints,
284-8, responsibility of clerks of
the course, 284, their services, 2S8,
and powers, 290

Registered names, Current publicity of,
its evils and suggested remedy, 189-90

Regularity and neatness, Value of, 27-8

Reind>er, an example of an early-broke
horse, 70

Removal of horses, Unexplained, its
frequency and prejudice to both
trainer and jockey, 219-223, in-
stances at Danebury and Woodyates,
219-23 ; the trainer's right to an
explanation, 221-2

Rest and labour, Alternate, essential, 82

Restoring surface of training-ground,
Method of, 61

Rihblesdale, the late Lord, Anecdote of,
in regard to Sunday work, 88

Riding. (See JoCKfYS)

Ridsdale, Mr., Last days of, "why
trainers are poor," 224

Ringbone, Effects of, 36

Ringworm, Treatment of, 37

Rising Sun, Illustrative trial of, with
Twilight, 147

Roaring : large horses more liable to,
38, 120; instances of cure, 39 ; does
not always prevent running, 40 ; cause
of, ib. , effects of situation, ib. ; not
often discoverable when purchasing,
125

INDEX.

33 1

Rolt's, Mr., retirement from the turf,
because of disobedience of jockey in
dcclaiation to win, 170

Romulus, My purchase of, and his un-
explained removal from Woodyates ;
an instance of ill-treatment of the
trainer and jockey, 222-3

Roof to stable, Tile recommended for, 4

Rough coats. (See Coats Rough and
Glossy)

Rous, Admiral : his evidence on
" scratching" before House of Com-
mons, 179-81 ; his errors as a tac-
tician, and instance, 187-9 5 his
opinion on the light-weight scale
and its contrariety, 196; his opinion
on the improvement of the thorough-
bred, 226 ; on the power of stewards
and others, 290

Ruptures of the tendons, their cause and
results, 36

Saddle-room, The, 4

Si. Giles, deceptive appearance of his
condition, 49

Sales of yearlings at Doncaster and
elsewhere, Attendance of purchaser
recommended at, 124

Sales with engagements considered.
(See Engagements)

Sand crack, a sign of neglect, 32 ; its
treatment, id.

Sanfcrd's, Mr., stud, m

Schism, run as a yearling at Shrewsbury,
69 ; a success as a low-priced year-
ling, 125 ; her trial as a yearling,
r5°

Scope and design of the work, 1-4

Scott, Mr. John : his system of prepar-
ing the yearling, 84; how he be-
guiled the public in running "big,"
and instances, 92-3 ; his failures,
The Era and Michael Scolt, 93 ;
his sensible advocacy of Lord Redes-
dale's bill, 199

Scratching: Admiral Rous's evidence on,
179-81 ; fallacy of popular view of,
181 ; special instances of conflicting
popu'ar judgment of horses reported
ill, and fallacy shown, 181-5 ; thereal
reason of absenteeism at the post,
"forestalling," 185

Screening the corn, 6

Seclusion. (See Secrecy)

Secrecy : advantages of a quiet training
ground, 63, instance at Woodyates
in the Chester Cup, 64 ; effects of

publicity on owners, 63 ; its value,

186 : how secrets are divulged and
fatal results, id., exposure of letters,

187 ; publicity of registered names
and suggested remedy, 189-90 ; the
stable-boy and his tempter, a method
to defeat espionage ; its working ex-
plained and advantages shown, 270-2

See Saw in large horses, 119

Servants, Influence of, against trainers,
and instance, 215-16

Severe preparation not harmful, and
instance, 97 ; abuse of horses run
too often, 100

Shadow, an instance of running as a
roarer, 40

Shape : horses run in all shapes and
forms, and instance, 136

Shoeing. (See Appendix, 336)

Short courses : training for, 83 ; Duke
of Portland's objection to, 206

Shrewsbury, Instance of disobedience in
declaration to win in the Wrekin at,
170, and my letter to "The Sporting
Gazette " on the subject, 171-2

Sickness and casualties : 29-40 ; sore
backs, prevention and treatment, 29,
30 ; thrash and its cure, 30 ; cracked
heels, 31 ; the legs, signs of disease
in, and treatment, 30 ; warbles and
their treatment, 31 ; quittors, sand-
crack, poll-evil, and cutaneous dis-
eases, their cause and cure, 32 ; treat-
ment of strangles, 32-3 ; value of
" Burnett's Fluid," 18, 33 ; colds and
their prevention, 33 ; sore shins and
their treatment, curious instances,
and Mr. Copperthwaite's theory, 34-
6 ; swollen joints and ruptures, their
cause and results, 36 ; ringbone,
splint, and spavin, ib ; thorough-pin,
37 ; ringworm, how treated, ib. ;
warm clothing and air essential in
sickness, ib.; crib-biting a trick, its
danger and cure, 37-8 ; lameness,
how frequently caused, 38 ; attention
to head-collar and stirrup-iron, ib. ;
roaring, more common with large
horses, 38, 120, instances of cure, 39,
possible cause of, 40 ; sickness often
the cause of unexpected defeats, 155

Signs of condition, 54 ; the signs of
exact fitness demonstrated specially,
106 ; signs of speed in the feet, 117
Situation, a possible cause and cure of

roaring, 40
Size: desirable size of the foot, 1 17;
moderately-sized horses preferred.

332

INDEX.

117; good yearlings rejected as under-
sized, instances, 126 ; increase in size
of the thoroughbred demonstrated,
231-2 ; size of horses in 1750, 231
Sledmere. {S?e Sir Tatton Sykes)
Slope of the pavement of stalls, 7
Small horses : moderately-sized pre-
ferred, 117; performances of large
and small horses contrasted, 117-18;
special instance of durability of small
horses, 118; generally show best
when young, and instances, 119 ; in-
stances of good yearlings rejected as
under-sized, 126
Soiling, 25

Sore backs, their prevention and treat-
ment, 29-30
Sore shins and their treatment, 34-6 ;
curious instances of, 34 ; Mr. Cop-
perthwaite on, and objections, 35-6 ;
their prevalence iD " big" condition,

x3*
Southwood, Dr., on ventilation, 11

Spavin and splint, 36, 1 15-16

Speed, Signs of, in the feet, 117

Speed the Ploughs performances in deep
ground, 176

Splint and spavin, 36

" Sporting Gazette The," My letter to,
on declarations to win, 17 1-2

Stable management: 15-28; hours of
work and preliminary process, 15.
'Wintertreatment, timesof feedingand
exercise, 16, hand-rubbing preferred
to bandages, 16, 27-8, no deviation
from rules, 16, Sunday work, 17,
removal of offal-food, ib. Summer
treatment, times of feeding and ex-
ercise, 17-18 ; clothing must be dry,
18 ; winter and summer clothing, ib.\
prevention of griping, ib.; tempe-
rature should be even, ib. ; neces-
sity of cleanliness, ib. ; practical
results of this system, 19 ; Mr. T.
Parr's system, and objections to it,
ib. ; hours of feeding and quantities
of food, 20 ; value of regularity, 21;
necessity of a good head-lad, and
his duties, 21-3 ; food and its quali-
ties, 23-4, oats, 23, hay, 24, good
food the only food, ib. , soiling, 25,
water and its qualities, 26-7. Exami-
nation of the legs, 27, of the feet,
28, evils of inattention, 27-8 ; value
of neatness and regularity, 28

Stables, The training : 1-8 ; buildings
described, 4 ; tile roof recommended,
ib. ; loose boxes, stalls, ^ind partitions,

4-5 ; corn and hay stores, 5 ; boys'
rooms, 5 ; saddle room, 4 ; ventila-
tion of, windows and air-holes, 6 ;
boxes and stalls both necessary, and
why, ib. ; disposal of manure, 7 ;
supply of water, ib. ; material and
slope of pavement, ib. ; drains con-
demned, 8 ; the yard, ib.

Stalls, The, described, 5 ; both stalls
and boxes necessary, and reason, 6

Starkey's, Mr. J. B., purchase of
Viridis, a contrast to the current
absurd prices, 127, his disappoint-
ment with Viridis and Land Tax, 170

Starter, curious instance of sore shins
with, 34; betting on, for Chester
Cup, 64 ; instance of a good "light "
yearling, 130

Stayers and flyers of our day enume-
rated, 226

Steeplechaser, The, successes of race-
horses as, 177 ; improvement in, 232

Stephenson, the late Mr. R., Anecdote
of, 107

Stewards, Admiral Rous on the powers
of, 290

Stirrup-iron, the, Attention to, neces-
sary, to prevent accidents, 38

Stockbridge, Cruel feat of endurance at,

239

Strangles ; treatment of, 32-3 ; cleanli-
ness and air necessary in, ib.

Studs. (See Private Studs and Pub-
lic Studs)

Suburban Meeting, The: its evils, 280-
I, and frequenters, 282 ; "first past
the post " betting, 280-1 ; scenes at
Harrow and the Hippodrome, 281,
lawless behaviour of the masses, 282

Successes of my stable in past times,
list of stakes won, 98-9, winners,
ICO, horses sold, and prices, and
their subsequent performances, 101

Summer : times of feeding and exer-
cise in, 17-18 ; clothing, 18 ; separate
training ground necessary for, 61

Sunday work : 17 ; not necessary, 87 ;
pleas for Sunday rest, 87-8, anecdote
of Lord Ribblesdale, 88 ; my own
practice, 89

Surface soil of training ground de-
scribed, 59 ; method of its restora-
tion, 61

Sutton's, Sir Richard, purchase and
abortive treatment of La Piqite, 48

Sweating in old days, 75-6 ; no longer
necessary, ib.; my early disuse of it,
76 ; its evils, 77

INDEX.

333

Sweetmeat, an instance of a yearling
rejected as under-sized, 126

Swollen joints, their cause and results,
36 116

Sykes, Sir Tatton : his treatment of
yearlings in the paddock described
and commended, 74 ; excellent result
of his system, 131 ; rarity of disease,
131 ; his successes and instances,
131 -2, "like begets like," 133; dis-
posal of colts and fillies, ib. A visit
to Sledmere, 133-4, purchase of
Palmistry, 133

Table of handicaps at Goodwood and
Newmarket, showing preponderance
of boy-jockeys {footnote), 203

Table of light- and heavy-weight han-
dicaps (footnote), 197

Table of number of horses in training,
(footnote), 228

Table of races and distances run in
present day (footnote), 229

Table of value of stakes to-day (foot-
note), 236

Table (official) of weights for Queen's
Plates (footnote), 207

Table (suggested) of weights for shorter
races (footnote), 208

Tackle, The breaking-, described, 65

Tacticians : eminent turf-tacticians and
their failures, 187-9, Admiral Rous
and Weathergage, 188, Mr. C.
C. Greville's career, 188-9; self-
confidence accounts for only partial
success, 189

Tame Deer : typical instance of " big "
and "light" condition — Tame Deer
and Fisherman, 56

Tanner, Influence of the late Inspector,
on the race-course, 285

Temperature of stables should be even,
18

Ten Broeck's, Mr., stud, in

Thoroughbred, The. (See The Race-
horse)

Thorough-pin, 37; the case of Defender,
116

Three-year-old, The : his preparation
de-cribed, 82-4 ; danger of overwork
when unfit, 82 ; training for long and
short coiuses, 83 ; in and out running
at two- and three-years-old, and in-
stances, 101 ; hints on purchasing (see
Purchasing) ; large horses gene-
rally show best as, and instances, 119;
best method of trial, and instances,
152

Thrush and its cure, 30
Tile roof to stables recommended, 4
Time, an essential of condition, 50
Time- test, the, Fallacy of, 232
"Tipster," The : untrustworthiness of,
246 ; only sound reasons for backing
a horse, ib.; his occupation done
away with by new system of entry
and nomination, 263 ; criticism of
press commended and desired, 268
Touchstone, an example of a good

small horse, 1 1 7
" Tout," The : seclusion from, atWood-
yates, and instance, 63-64 ; untrust-
worthiness of, 246 ; his occupation
done away with by new system of
entry and nomination, 263. The
stable-boy and his tempter, how the
tout works, 269, a method to frus-
trate espionage, its working de-
scribed and advantages shown, 270-2
Trade and the Turf contrasted, 304
Trainer, The: multifarious duties of,
22 ; the only judge of condition,
46-7, is sometimes deceived, and in-
stances, 49-50, knows his own horses,
54; cannot please all, 91 ; duty im-
posed upon him, 92 ; duty of the
owner to, 191-92, 221-4 ; his view of
the light-weight scale, 196 ; hardships,
209-224 (see Professional Hard-
ships) ; why trainers die poor, 224 ;
Professor Low's indiscriminate charges
against, refuted, 308-10
Training. (See Preparation)
Training-ground, The : 59, 64 ; its es-
sentials, 59 ; surface, ib. ; extent and
shape, 60; downhill exercise con-
demned, ib. ; distinct course- for sum-
mer and winter, 61 ; the trial-ground,
ib. ; methods to restore surface, ib . ;
Newmarket and other sites, 61-2 ;
different values set on situation, 62 ;
a quiet spot recommended, and rea-
sons, 6^, example of advantages of
seclusion at Woodyates (in the betting
on the Chester Cup), 64
Training stables, The. (See Stables)
Trials : 140-159 ; essentials of training-
ground for, 61 ; value of a trial be-
fore purchasing, 114; large horses
should be tried before parted with,
120 ; a trial recommended when
■practicable before engagement, 138 ;
immense value of, 140 ; difficulties,
ib.; certainty not possible, 141 ; mis-
takes in long and short trials, ib.;
unsatisfactory trials, false pace, 142 ;

334

INDEX.

the best method, ib. ; value of dis-
crimination of pace, 143 ; a good
pace essential, ib. ; when in doubt,
try again, 142, 145 : disappointments
on pace-made races accounted for,
143 ; how pace should be made, ib. ;
points to be noted, 144-51 ; trial-
horse should be a known horse, 144;
mistakes, and hints thereon, 145. Il-
lustrative trials, General Hesse and
an Arab, 146, Crucifix and Iris,
147, Rising Sun and Tivilight, ib.
Mr. Copperthwaite's system, 147.
False pace and its results, 147 ; pace
in trials and in races, 148 ; my suc-
cesses in repeated trials, ib. The
trial of yearlings, and instances, 149-
51, early trials commended, 15 1.
The trial of two-year-olds, and in-
stances, 151-52 ; of older horses,
152. Private trials and public form,
152-4, uncertainty of the latter, and
instances in proof of the former test,
153-4, defeats accounted for, 155 ;
horses not always well, ib.; special
cases considered, Lady Elizabeth,
Gamos, and others, 156-9

Turf, The. (See Racing and Attacks
on the Turf)

Turkish bath, The ; tendency to accept
new theories, 89-90

Twilight, her illustrative trial with
Rising Sun, 147

Two Thousand, the, Our commission
on Promised Land for, 252-3

Two-year-old, The : his preparation
described, 79-82, the proper hours,
81, necessity to discriminate amount
of work, 80 ; instances of in-and-out
running at two- and three-year-old,
101 ; hints on purchasing (see Pur-
chasing) ; small horses generally
show best as, and instance, 119 ; best
method of trial, and instances, 15 1 -2

Unsound horses best sold, 116; rare
exceptions, ib.

Usury : its evils, 241, a chief cause of
racing losses, 243 ; special instance,
" ^2,000 for a box of cigars," 244

Value of stakes in 1750 and now con-
trasted, 235-6 ; table of the latter,
236

Valuer's diverse running with a boy
and with a man up, 168

Van, The first railway, 118

Venison, an instance of a good small

horse, 118 ; and of a yearling rejected
as under-sized, 126

Ventilation: 9-14; windows and air-
la >les of the stable, 6 ; practice in old
days, 9 ; effect of stifling stables on
human beings, 10 ; attractive result
of exclusion of air, 10 ; Drs. Burns
and Southwood on, 11, other argu-
ments, 12 ; experiment in proof of
evil of stifling stables, 13 ; tempta-
tions and direful result, ib.; extremes
inadvisable, ib. ; clothing preferable
to exclusion of air, ib. ; light equally
necessary, 14 ; necessity of fresh air
in sickness, 37

Vespasian, an example of a thorough-
bred carrying weight, 195; contrasted
as a modern horse with Bay Middle-
ton, 227

Vex, an instance of a horse fit when
"light," 98

Virago, fit when rough, 44 ; an instance
of doubtful legs standing prepara-
tion, 115

Viridis, Mr. Starkey's purchase of, an
example of a reasonably priced year-
ling, 127 ; his disappointment in the
ca e of declaration to win with Land
Tax, 170

Voitigeur, an example of a thorough-
bred carrying weight, 195

Wales, Prince of, H.R.H. the, Good
example set by, in welter-racing, 207

Wapiti, an instance of doubtful legs
standing preparation, 115

Warbles, Treatment of 31

Warranty : observations on, 120-2 ; sale
of Oxonian and other curious in-
stances, 1 20- 1 ; chronic lameness of
horses in strong work and instance,
121-2

Wasting by jockeys in old days, 166-7 5
not injurious, 307

Water : supply of, to stable, 7 ; its
qualities, 26-7 ; Mr. Clark thereon,
ib. ; rain water in tanks preferred, and
reasons, ib. ; prevention of griping,
18

Waterloo Cup and "Draw," Betting
on the, and inferences for im-
provement of turf, 260-6 ; the one
disappointment — " Coomassie" fore-
stalled, 267

Weatherbound' 's running as a two- and
as a three-year-old, 101

Wtat/iergage, Admiral Rous's failure
with, 188

INDEX.

335

Weight-for-age races, Curious belief in
special preparation for, 54-5

Weights and Distances : 193-208 ; evils
of light - weight scale, 193-4 ;
power of the racehorse to carry
weight shown from instances of
hunters and racehorses, I94"5>
Squire Osbaldeston's performance,
ib., Admiral Kous's opinion and its
contrariety, 196, the trainers' view,

197. Table of the light- and heavy-
weight handicaps and the lesson it
teaches, popularity of welter-races,
197-8 ; Lord Derby's objections to
Lord Redesdale's bill, examined and
fallacy shown, 199, Mr. Scott's
advocacy of it, ib. ; advantages of
higher standard and press opinions,
200 ; rarity of success of children as
jockeys, and evils of the system, and
instances, 200-2 ; action of the
Jockey Club and its further powers,
201. Long and short courses : ad-
vantages of the former, 202, evils of
the latter, 203. Table of handicaps
at Goodwood and Newmarket show-
ing preponderance of boy-jockeys,
203-4, no dearth of good jockeys
shown, 204, injustice of the system
to men, 204-5, petition to Jockey
Club Miggested, 206 ; popular liking
for welter-races, 206, good example
of the Prince of Wales, 207. Official
table for Queen's Plates, 207 ; sug-
gested table for shorter races, 208

Welbeck Abbey, An incident at, 166
Welsher's, The, extermination possible
through institution of outer ring,
282-3
WTelter-races and Weights : ability of
the thoroughbred to carry a weight
instanced from hunting and racing,
193-5 '■> popularity of welter-races,

198, reason for this, 206 ; trainer's
advocacy of, 197, 199 ; advantages
of a higher standard, 200-1 ; good
example set by the Prince of Wales,
207.

West Australian, fit when rough, 44 ;

and when "light," 92
Wet ground, Lffects of running on,

176-8
Wet weather, Exercise in, 86 ; instance

of its harmlessness, ih.
Wild Dayrcll, an instance of a large

horse improving with age, 1 19
Windows and air-holes to stables, 6

Winter : hours of feeding and exercise
in, 16 ; clothing, 18 ; separate train-
ing ground for, 61

Woodyates : value of seclusion shown
at, in betting on Chester Cup,
Starter and Our Mary Ann, 64 ;
successes of my stable in past times,
list of stakes won, 98-9, idem of
winners, 100, idem of horses sold and
prices, and their subsequent perform-
ances, 101

Work : hours of exercise in winter, 16,
in summer, 17-8 ; the cause of swollen
joints, etc., 36 ; a necessity of condi-
tion, 50; discrimination of, nece:-sary
in preparation, 80 ; proper hours for,

81 ; alternate rest and work essential,

82 ; danger of excess when unfit, ib. ;
exercise in frost, 84 ; exercise in wet
and fog, 86 ; Sunday labour not
necessary, 87-9 ; severe preparation
not necessarily harmful, and instance,
97, work done in old times, 98 ;
abuse of severe preparation, horses
run too often, 100; cases of doubt-
ful legs standing severe preparation,
and vice vend, 114-6; chronic lame-
ness of horses in strong work, and
instance, 121 -2

Yard, The, described, 8

Yearling, The : horses run as yearlings,
69, 119, the best time to break,
69-71, examples of horses so broke
lasting, 70-1 ; big and little yearlings
in the paddock, their promise and
performances contrasted, 73, Lord
George Bentinck's custom with, ib.,
Sir" Tatton Sykes's treatment of,
described and commended, 74, his
successes with, 13 1-3. Preparation
described, 84, Mr. Forth's, Mr.
Scott's, and Mr. John Day's usage
of, 84, my own system, ib. ; cloth-
ing, ib., exercise in frost, ib. Hints
on purchasing {see The Purchase
of Yearlings) ; small horses gener-
ally better as, 119, instances of under-
sized yearlings rejected, 126 ; pro-
gress of fat and light yearlings con-
trasted, 129-30. Hints on engage*
ments of, 136-9 ; how yearlings
should be tried, and instances, 149-
151 ; their running in public, 150

Yearling race, First, at Shrewsbury,
69, 119

336

INDEX.

APPENDIX.

INDEX TO NEW CHAPTER.

Shoeing : The blacksmith too often
blamed, 292 ; good feet in youth,
the essential, 293 ; proper treatment
to ensure them, 293 ; extremes to be
avoided, 294 ; hints to those who
lack natural appliances, 294 ; the
foot described, 296 ; how it should
be prepared for the shoe, 296 ; the
shoe described, 297 ; method of fixing

it and number of nails, 298 ; how it
should be removed, 298 ; errors in
shoeing, 299 ; resulting injuries, 299 ;
use and disuse of racing plates, 300 ;
other shoes, and those of Mr. Westley-
Richard's described, 300 ; various
opinions on the subject, 301 ; prac-
tice and theory, 301 ; one safe rule,
302

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THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW.

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SIR J. FITZJAMES STEPHEN, Q.C.

LESLIE STEPHEN.

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(Warden of Keble College).
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W. T. THORNTON.
HON. LIONEL A. TOLLEMACHE.
H. D. TRAILL.
PROFESSOR TYNDALL.
A. J. WILSON.

GEN. VISCOUNT WOLSELEY.
THE EDITOR.

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