328 STEEPLE-CHASING. 



Good hands are scarce, absolutely perfect hands almost un- 

 kno^Yn ; but the rarest attribute of jockeyship is a knowledge of 

 pace. Without it no jockey has ever risen to celebrity ; and if it 

 be not the most valuable gift of all, there is certainly none more 

 important. This knowledge must be intuitive, aided and de- 

 veloped by constant practice and keen observation. The value 

 of patience can scarcely be over estimated, but this is really 

 an adjunct to knowledge of pace ; for patience is useless by 

 itself unless the rider understand w^ien he has been patient time 

 enough, and wdien the moment has come for action. 



Not long since a horse started for a race with something 

 over thirteen stone in the saddle, a disadvantage counterbalanced 

 by the fortunate circumstance that most of the weight consisted 

 of a consummate horseman. None of the others had within 

 many pounds ot the burden to carry, and what were therefore 

 the light weights went merrily away, racing on and soon begin- 

 ning to make the pace tell. The rider of the heavy weight 

 plodded on in the rear, knowing that his mount could maintain 

 a fair steady pace, but that to attempt to hurry on with the 

 rest w^ould be fatal to his chance. Before long the leader 

 showed signs of giving w\ay, and w^as passed by another light 

 weight, which took up the running, to succumb in turn by 

 the violence of his own efforts. The pace told on the others so 

 severely that one by one they came back to the heavyweight, who 

 had been galloping on keenly observant but making no sign. 



As they came into the straight for home, the heavy weight 

 was some four or five lengths behind the leader, going steadily 

 well up in the midst of a group of beaten horses. 



' I could do nothing but sit still,' the rider of the top weight 

 said, in describing the race afterwards, 'for I felt that my horse 

 was going as fast as he could, and that to try and make him go 

 faster would do more harm than good. I had almost given up 

 hope of winning, when the jockey of the leader looked back 

 and saw me coming. I hoped and expected he would take up 

 his whip and stop his horse, and so he did. He began to 

 ride his hardest, and with one stroke of the whip a couple of 

 strides from the post I just got up and won a head.' 



