4I 6 RACE RIDING. 



the pace was bad, may be worth a good deal of weight before 

 the winning-post is passed. It is evident that it is no use 

 giving one's field the slip, if one is not prepared to take 

 advantage of it by going ahead at a strong pace. 



It sometimes happens that the riders of the two best horses 

 wait too long on each other, and thus allow their field a start 

 which cannot be recovered in time. Or they may make the 

 mistake of riding against each other, without thinking of the 

 remainder of the field. 



As a rule, in a match, if one's opponent be on a " cur," one 

 should try to jump off with the lead, and cut out the running 

 at once, whatever sort of a horse one may be on, provided he 

 be but " game " ; for nothing makes a rogue shut up so soon 

 as being collared. 



Inexperienced riders are often deluded into waiting when 

 they ought to go on, by a jockey pretending to flog, when in 

 reality he is but whipping his boot. This dodge is, of course, 

 only " tried on " by the rider of the speedier horse of the two, 

 in the hope of inducing the man on the stayer to slacken 

 speed, from the idea that he has the race in hand, and that 

 there is no use in hurrying. If a man perceives his opponent 

 pursuing these tactics, he should of course keep on at his own 

 pace or increase his speed, supposing that there is no other 

 horse formidable in the race. 



There are numberless instances of races won and lost by 

 what some might call strategy but which others, less chari- 

 table, might stigmatise by another name. A case in point 

 occurred many years ago in the Liverpool Cup. The rider of 

 the leading horse the subsequent winner suffered from the 

 infirmity of deafness. The rider of the horse immediately 

 behind the leader, seeing that he had nothing else to beat, 

 holloaed at the top of his voice : " Pull out of my way you 

 are beaten ! " So great was the reputation of the formidable 

 jockey behind him, that had our deaf friend heard him, there 



