154 RIDING 



point and purpose, that it is impossible to forbear quoting it 

 here. It must be understood that a race is being run and the 

 critical moment is approaching. 'P^ordham throws a keen 

 glance to right and left, then . . . thinking that these two boys 

 have got more left in them than he quite fancies, he sets his 

 shoulders higher than ever, a convulsive movement agitates his 

 elbows, while from exultant layers rises crescendo a yell of "The 

 field, a hundred ! " . . . For the hundredth time the old ruse 

 has succeeded ; the two stable lads, thinking they have the great 

 horseman in difficulties, plunge simultaneously into the fantastic 

 ecstasies of a flogging finish, which settles their horses in the 

 next dozen strides ; with the semblance of a shake Fordham 

 shoots out, and canters home the easiest of winners by two 

 lengths.' The boys, it will be seen, were in too great a hurry 

 to get home ; to employ another familiar phrase, ' they got up 

 their whips and stopped their horses.' But supposing that they 

 had preserved the patience and discretion which are so rarely 

 found ? Assuming that they had avoided the ' fantastic ecsta- 

 sies,' kept hold of their horses' heads, ' sat and suffered ' for a 

 few seconds and then ridden home with their hands ? Fordham 

 might or might not have won, but there would certainly have 

 been no cantering home the easiest of winners by two lengths. 



* Be not too tame neither, 'might be said to the jockey as to 

 the actor, for the student in taking to heart what has been 

 written in praise of patience might very possibly lose the race 

 from lack of energy. A strong finish is a most valuable acquire- 

 ment, and we not seldom see that there is such a thing as 

 ' leaving it too late ' ; but lack of patience is by far the com- 

 monest fault. 



Taking liberties of any sort is to be severely deprecated. 

 At the Goodwood meeting of 1888 two most important races 

 were thrown away, for example, in one instance by carelessness 

 and in the other by something worse. In the latter case a 

 jockey had practically won ; his extraordinarily speedy animal 

 was leading so far at the distance that several of the other riders 

 stopped their horses, supposing that pursuit was hopeless ; but 



