BRITISH TURF. 109 



enables him to perform extraordinary feats of ac- 

 tivity and motion, coupled with wonderful endu- 

 rance of the highest bodily exertion ; hence, he ex- 

 plains, the expression, " he shows a vast deal of 

 blood," means only true formation as a race horse. 

 *' Where," continues this writer, '' is the blood of 

 the ostrich, whose speed so far excels that of the 

 swiftest horse ? If the good qualities of the race 

 horse depend upon blood, we could not, as we 

 often do, see one horse very good, and his brother, 

 with equal advantages of good keep and training, 

 very bad." 



Osmer censures the folly of expecting that 

 what is termed high blood in the Eastern horses, 

 un-accompanied with essential form, will produce 

 a race horse ; and he instances the many failures that 

 have occurred, in breeding according to this rule, 

 without reference to the important truth, that 

 blood can never be considered as independent of 

 form or substance. 



Although we must allow, that there is much 

 truth in the foregoing observations, nevertheless 

 we conceive that Osmer, in the endeavour to ob- 

 tain for the effect, the weight to which it is most 

 undoubtedly entitled, has entirely overlooked the 

 cause to which its production may be ascribed. He 

 would have blood to consist in mechanical excel- 

 lence alone ; while we maintain that excellence to 

 be the result of blood never to exist without it — and 



