FOR PEACE AND WAR. 75 



I think it may be said without offence to anyone, or 

 disparaging of anything, that the sooner the standard of our 

 racing studs are numerically and physically improved the 

 better! And the more rapidly will the objectionable, re- 

 garding the horses, vanish. But how is this to be practically 

 aided towards consummation ? 



We find, from history, tradition, and living evidence, 

 in the establishment of Royal Plates in the past, when 

 the turfites, through their institution, were offered a sti- 

 mulus not afforded by opportunities and rewards of our 

 own gambling era, that there was a vastly more general 

 supply of sound animals with stamina. The money for 

 these Royal Plates, with a view to encourage the propa- 

 gation of blood horses of a superior type, when race- 

 horses were not numerous, and the prizes awaiting their 

 successful efforts moderate, was all fair, legitimate, and 

 desirable ; but the sums now expended for Queen's plates 

 could be, almost anyhow, better applied for advancement 

 of the object they were instituted to promote and maintain. 

 And this, too, without interfering to any appreciable extent 

 with racing and its votaries. The Turf has, within its own 

 system, ample j)rizes noiu to induce to the production of as 

 high class horses as the materials for their propagation will 

 allow, irrespective of any consideration the Royal Donations 

 might evoke, as these gifts have of late years comj)letely failed 

 in inducing the competition and contests which they were 

 inaugurated to engender, and in former times produced^ 

 Surel}' the Master of the Horse should be called upon to 

 give some consideration to this subject, of a more general 

 character than condensing three of the Royal Plates in one 

 at Newmarket, as recently announced in sporting organs ; 

 and having a regard to the time-honoured adage of " new 

 brooms," the present is an opportune period. 



The turf men, in simple justice, have no right or reason 



