204 SOLDIER AND SPORTSMAN 



at Epsom, many critical eyes were there to take 

 stock. There was only one officer in the regi- 

 ment in my time who could do the thing in style, 

 and that was the present Lord Gisborough : pre- 

 vious to taking that title he was Dick Chaloner, 

 and before that was known as " Sammy Long." 



The breeding and development of the thorough- 

 bred is, indeed, a most fascinating enterprise. 

 Thousands are spent annually in the attempt to 

 breed classic winners, and it seems strange that not 

 more than two, or at the most three, absolutely first- 

 class horses are bred annually. Take the annual 

 entries for the Derby — say a hundred and fifty — 

 every animal with the bluest of blood in his veins ; 

 yet as often as not it turns out there is only one 

 top-class horse in the lot. What is the explanation 

 of this? If that explanation could be found, first- 

 class horses could be as numerous as Platers. The 

 very best land can be acquired ; the management 

 of the breeding stock, as near as can be, reaches 

 perfection ; the treatment of the youngsters by the 

 bulk of the trainers is unquestionable ; and still 

 only one or two first-class horses is the result. I 

 venture to suggest that, unless "luck" is on his 

 side, a man may strive to achieve success in any 

 undertaking and fail. "Luck" — i.e. fortune for 

 good or for evil — is an enigma that confounds 

 logical definition or explanation ; it is nevertheless 



