THE TURF 3 



the fact, that the equestrian candidates were 

 required to enter their names and send their 

 horses to Elis at least thirty days before the 

 celebration of the games commenced ; and 

 that the charioteers and riders, whether 

 owners or proxies, went through a prescribed 

 course of exercise during the intervening 

 month. In some respects, we can see, they 

 closely resembled ourselves. They had their 

 course for full-aged horses, and their course 

 for colts ; and their prize for which mares 

 only started, corresponding with our Epsom 

 Oaks-stakes. It is true that the race with 

 riding-horses was neither so magnificent 

 nor so expensive, and consequently not 

 considered so royal^ as the race with 

 chariots ; yet they had their gentlemen- 

 jockeys in those days, and noted ones too, 

 for amongst the number were Philip, King 

 of Macedon, and Hiero, King of Syracuse. 

 The first Olympic ode of Pindar, indeed, is 

 inscribed to the latter sovereign, in which 

 mention is made of his horse Phrenicus, on 

 which he was the winner of the Olympic 

 crown. Considerable obscurity, however, 

 hangs over most of the details of the 

 Olympic turf, and particularly as regards 



