EARLY TRIALS. 145 



tax on our credulity, what is quite certain is that The Bard's 

 owners had underrated the merits of the performance, whatever 

 it may have been, and it was , not till they had seen him canter 

 home for the Brocklesby that they realised how good an animal 

 they had. As a two-year-old he was never beaten, starting for 

 and winning no fewer than sixteen races ; it is, indeed, impossible 

 to say whether he was ever thoroughly extended ; for, though it 

 was thought that Cissy stretched his neck at Sandown, Archer 

 says that the race was never in doubt. We may conclude 

 this subject by saying that the later and best two-year-old of 

 any year, the winner of the Middle Park Plate for instance, 

 is generally about 2 stone in front of the good early form. 



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

 thre'e-year-old some 2 st. 7 Ibs. ' 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 Ibs. 

 over five furlongs ; then, calculating that the spring winning 

 form is 2 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 17 Ibs., the handicap coming out thus : 



st. Ibs. 



Best three-year-old of year . . .100 



Trial three-year-old 77 



Best two-year-old form . . . .84 

 Spring two-year-old form . . .64 



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 



L 



