332 STEEPLE-CHASING. 



'At one time I really did begin to wonder if the front 

 horses were coming back to me ; but I knew that they must be 

 going too fast and that the hill before the finish would stop 

 them. Surely enough, before they were at the top I was with 

 them, though I had never asked my horse to go ; and we won 

 in a canter,' was the jockey's subsequent description of a race 

 which it was curious to watch. This, nevertheless, was, it must 

 be admitted, an exceptional instance, and is put forward rather 

 as an instance of perfect judgment than as an example to be 

 followed ; for, as a rule, though it is frequently a good thing for 

 a rider to wait, it is rarely a good thing for him to lay out of 

 his ground. 



The art of ' waiting in front ' is a great one to learn ; for, if 

 occasion should arise, it may often be practised with the utmost 

 advantage. The leader sets the pace, and if he, while leading, 

 is going well within himself, so much the greater reserve of speed 

 will he have when it comes to racing. A very great many 

 races are lost every season because riders do not make enough 

 use of their horses. They are told to wait, and wait they do 

 accordingly, though it may be that the horse is a fair stayer. 

 Supposing, however, that, instead of making a hot pace, the 

 leader is in fact ' waiting in front,' when the effort has to be 

 made the stayer is beaten for want of speed to finish, whereas 

 had he gone up and improved the pace his staying powers 

 would very likely have brought him home. Here again know- 

 ledge of pace comes in. If the rider who had been instructed 

 to wait had possessed this faculty, he would have perceived that 

 the race was being run at a false pace, and would have taken 

 means to counteract this detriment to his chances, so that 

 waiting in front would have been out of the question. Thus 

 it often happens that horsemanship wins the race for the 

 inferior horse. 



Races, it must be remembered, are not won entirely on the 

 post. When once the flag has fallen and the field has started 

 every yard that a rider can gain without taxing his horse is so 

 much to the good. In the course of the race the cunning 



