148 RACING. 



same day of their respective years, was followed by such 

 variety of fulfihiient or repudiation as was the case with 

 Donovan, Semohna, and Katharine II. 



Weight for age is the basis of trials with old horses. A 

 three-year-old some 2 st. 7 lbs. ' worse than his year,' as it 

 is technically termed, is as good a trial horse in the .beginning 

 of the year as need be required. At weight for age he would 

 be called upon to give a two-year-old in March 2 st. 2 lbs. 

 over five furlongs ; then, calculating that the spring winning 

 form is two stone worse than the autumn, and taking into 

 consideration the difference of weight for age in October as 

 against March, the two-year-old and three-year-old should be 

 tried at 1 7 lbs., the handicap coming out thus : 



Best three-year-old of year . . 



Trial three-year-old . . , 



Best two-year- old form . , , 



Spring two-year-old form , , 



Bad policy as it is to dogmatise about anything connected 

 with racing, it may be taken as a rule that fillies come to hand 

 earlier than colts, and are perhaps the most trustworthy during 

 their two-year-old career, as they are not so apt to turn jades 

 and cowards. Storm Light indeed furnishes a striking modern 

 exception ; for, after winning the Maiden Plate at Ascot 1885 in 

 a canter on the Tuesday, she positively refused to try a yard in 

 the Windsor Castle Stakes on the Friday. Still we maintain 

 that she is the exception ; but at three years old, beware of 

 fillies ; however highly tried in private, they are never worth 

 backing for money till they have given indisputable proof in 

 public that they retain their early form. 



Of this we have a striking example in Queen Adelaide, 

 whose youthful fame was sadly tarnished by her subsequent 

 refusal to race in public, and yet there is every reason to sup- 

 pose that, in training parlance, ' she could do what she liked at 

 home.' 



