UPON TRAINERS. 213 



admiration than Matthew Dawson has ever been ; and, secondly, 

 that, as we have already shown, the first great improvement in 

 the art of training was introduced at Newmarket by Robert 

 Robson. It is true, however, that a finer trainer than Thomas 

 Dawson, especially for long-distance races, never entered a loose 

 box, and, like all his brothers, he deservedly enjoyed the repu- 

 tation of being one of the best fellows and most honest men 

 that ever breathed. 



Before quitting the second chapter of our trilogy, we have 

 a few words to say upon the vast advantage which it is to a 

 trainer to have a good wife. Two of those mentioned in our 

 list — old John Day and William I'Anson — owed almost every- 

 thing to the women whom they married early in life, and found, 

 in Solomon's words, to be more precious than rubies. There is 

 no calling, indeed, in which industry, early rising and sobriety 

 are of more value than in that of a trainer, and its richest prizes 

 fall, as a rule, to those who most deserve them by hard work, 

 rigid attention to business, and temperate habits. 



This portion of our narrative will not be fitly closed without 

 a brief recital of the labours endured by the still living John 

 Kent when he trained for Lord George Bentinck and the late 

 Duke of Richmond, between 1841 and 1846. 



During most of that time John Kent, junior (his father 

 was still living, but the heat and burden of the day fell upon 

 the son), had under his charge about 120 horses in training, 

 00 brood-mares, from 40 to 50 yearlings, and the same number 

 of foals, four or five stallions, and 28 cart-horses. The latter 

 were constantly employed to do work upon the racecourse 

 and gallops at Goodwood, such as removing soil, rolling turf, 

 making roads, and carting tan from Chichester. Turning from 

 the equine to the human contingent, we find that John Kent 

 had 95 men and boys to manage in the stables, 14 or 15 in the 

 paddocks, and at one time not less than 125 labourers en- 

 gaged in making and improving the gallops upon which the 

 squadron of horses in training took their exercise. Five women 

 were also employed daily in filling in and levelling the tracks 



