112 THE BREEDS OF LIVE-STOCK 



tributed in large part, no doubt, to the fact that the destiny 

 of the Thoroughbred has been cast with men who had un- 

 limited resources on which to draw. 



Time and altered customs have wrought important 

 changes in the system under which these horses are raced, 

 with some corresponding modification in type. Whereas, 

 up to 1880 these races had been in four-mile heats, the 

 custom now is to run dashes, carry less weight, and start 

 as two-year-olds, a custom, which, like the horse, has 

 come to us from England. The wisdom of the present 

 course is doubted by some who hold the stamina and 

 weight-carrying ability of the old four-milers in higher 

 esteem than the great flights of extreme speed for a few 

 furlongs, shown by our modern sprinters. Conflicting 

 opinions are expressed, too, with regard to the probability 

 of these twentieth-century horses being capable of lower- 

 ing the distance-records of a century ago. Those who 

 know, however, are reluctant to admit that the Thorough- 

 bred of to-day is a degenerate in any sense, and, in support 

 of their view, they maintain that in olden times the horses 

 ran but a few races a year, with no handicaps, and they 

 were especially trained for each race. Against this, the 

 modern horse is credited with being kept in racing form 

 nine months in the year, running many races in a single 

 season, and these closely contested because of the number 

 of contestants and the method of adjusting handicaps. 



The three classic events run in England are the Derby, 

 the St. Leger and the Oaks. The first Derby was run 

 May 4, 1780, for a stake valued at fifty guineas, open to 

 three-year-olds, colts to carry eight stone, fillies seven 

 stone eleven pounds, over a distance of one mile. It was 

 won by Diomed. The first and only American-bred horse 

 to win the English Derby was Iroquois,a line descendant of 



