CHAPTER XXL 

 Training for a Race* 



There is a tendency toward returning to long distances, 

 and a happy and encouraging fact this is, though it is not 

 receiving that attention from the public breeder to which it 

 is entitled. The private breeder, however, is blazing the 

 way, and racing associations, by offering large rewards for 

 supremacy in such events, are rapidly compelling acqui- 

 escence in the plan. It is popular also, for nine men out of ten 

 would rather see a good long race, where the horses pass 

 the stand as many times as possible, than a short dash, where 

 one is hardly interested until it is over. In the olden times 

 there was the greatest excitement, because it took some time 

 for the contests to be completed and because there was an 

 additional interest in watching the struggle of one horse for 

 the supremacy over the other. 



It is just the same as in a card game. If it were all 

 over by the turn of a single card, no one would care to play 

 whist, and thus this fashionable and highly interesting pas- 

 time would fade and die. It takes time to produce the ex- 

 citement that is attractive to anybody but one who has 

 simply gone to the track for speculative purposes. The 

 man who really loves the sport because it illustrates the 

 glory of the horse wants to see the actual racing and just 

 as much of actual contest as is possible. 



The olden time sportsmen cared comparatively little for 

 the money to be won. He enjoyed seeing a race and he 

 was not in the least actuated by sordid motives. William 

 Walker, who rode Ten Broeck in his famous race with 

 Mollie McCarthy, once told the writer concerning Mr. Har- 

 per, the owner of the horse he bestrode and piloted to vic- 

 tory, that Mr. Harper did not bet a cent on the race and 

 never bet on any of the races where his horses were en- 

 tered. He said the glory of winning was sufficient for him. 

 Mr. Harper was a horseman of the old school and was loved 

 and respected because of his fairness and devotion to the 

 sport. 



