I02 RACE RIDING. 



an immensely long horse, squandered his field in the 

 Chester Cup for 1869, with Qst. i lb. up. Also, Asteroid, 

 who was built on a large scale, won in 1863, carrying 

 9 St. 4 lbs., beating fifteen others. At Liverpool, which 

 is a very roundabout course, the Cup was won in 1872 

 and 1873 by those big horses, Vanderdecken, 3 yrs., and 

 Sterling, 5 yrs. The former, carrying 7 st. 8 lbs., beat a 

 field of twenty ; while the latter, with 9 st. 4 lbs. up, 

 defeated fourteen others. Unsound horses, as a rule, act 

 best on a soft course, especially those with any tendency 

 to laminitis, or navicular disease. Old horses, which are 

 somewhat stiff on their legs, should have a steady pre- 

 liminary canter to warm them up before starting. Certain 

 horses appear to have a special liking for certain courses 

 and varieties of ground. Game, honest horses are often 

 several pounds better, when facing a hill, than one with 

 a suspicion of " softness," though they might be as nearly 

 equal as possible on the flat. 



The Seat when Finishing.— When a jockey wants to 

 finish, he should sit down in the centre of his saddle 

 with his seat as much under him as possible. He 

 should catch a good hold of the horse's head so as to 

 collect him at each stride ; he should lean slightly back ; 

 should grip the flaps of the saddle tightly with his 



