RACE RIDING 147 



To tell this story quite accurately it should be added that the 

 favourite was an animal with a curious temper, and having 

 failed to get through at the corner would not try afterwards. 

 A jockey who is a consummate judge may see that the leaders 

 are going too fast, and will accordingly come back to him, but 

 it needs rare perception to tell to a certainty that this must 

 inevitably be so. There have been cases also in which the 

 rush to get up at last has been so far successful that the horse 

 has won, but with disastrous consequences, for the desperate 

 effort has ruined the winner. 



In a short distance a five furlong race of course much 

 depends on how the horses get off, and a secret of success here 

 is in being really ready to start. On this head some remarks of 

 F. Archer may judiciously be quoted, for his practice was in 

 accordance with his theory, and to have headed the list of 

 winning jockeys for twelve seasons with an average of one win 

 in less than three races gives him the best of all possible rights 

 to be heard with attention. In discussing the question of 

 'getting off' Archer said, in reference to a current statement 

 that he frequently contrived to steal a couple of lengths, ' I do 

 not mean to say that I don't do my best to get away when the 

 flag falls, but it isn't getting away first so much as how you get 

 away how you set your horse going, I mean that makes all 

 the difference. You can't set a horse going directly if you have 

 tight hold of his head. You often see a jockey at the post in a 

 five furlong race pulling at his horse, as nervous as he can be, 

 watching the starter. The flag falls and he lets go of the reins, 

 but his horse isn't ready to slip off at his best pace. I've always 

 got my horse ready to go, and then when we do start I'm at full 

 speed at once.' A brother jockey, the late H. Constable, Archer 

 specially commended for getting well away, so that he was 

 * always galloping at once.' In a foot race the competitors do 

 not stand erect with flaccid muscles till the signal is given ; 

 they make ready to go without losing the fraction of a second, 

 and wide as are the differences between biped and quadruped 

 the master horseman will have his horse ready to dash away in 



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