206 



CHAPTER V. 



FLAT RACING. 



I HAD occasion to say, that in all exercises, the ordinary 

 horseman, riding master or jockey should know what he ought 

 to require from his horse. It is generally but wrongly 

 thought that this rule does not hold good with respect to flat 

 racing, at which the most successful jockeys are those who 

 best conform to it. 



In a flat race, when all the horses are on about the same 

 level, as regards speed and staying power, the jockey who 

 can set the pace in his own way will have the best chance, 

 and consequently his success will depend on his knowledge of 

 his animal's capabilities. He will give him the exact support 

 which is necessary, and will put him at the speed to which he 

 has been accustomed towards the end of his training ; will 

 maintain it during the race, and will reserve his supreme 

 effort for the finish. 



As the horse has not been over-ridden during the race, 

 he can easily, at the finish, make the last rush, upon which 

 success almost always depends. I can easily prove this 

 fact by the case of Archiduc, whom everyone remembers. 

 On three consecutive occasions, Archiduc took the lead 

 at a pace which suited him, and no horse was able to get 

 near him. In the Chantilly Derby, however, Fra Diavolo 

 tried to take the lead. These two struggled for supremacy. 



