THE TURF. 
upon base metal. Besides, what are called stakes for 
horses not thorough-bred have been the cause of much 
villany on the turf, by reason of the owners of full-bred 
horses producing false pedigrees with them, to enable 
them to start, when of course they are almost sure to 
win. Perhaps the most successful, and, at the same 
time, the most impudent case occurred in 1825, when 
a Mr. W took about the country a horse which 
he called " Tom Paine," by Prime Minister, not 
thorough-bred, and won several large stakes with him ; 
whereas this said Tom Paine was proved to be Tybalt, 
by Thunderbolt, and out of Lord Grosvenor's Meteora, 
by Meteor, the best mare in England of her day ! But, 
besides all this, we doubt a good result, as regards the 
horse and his uses, from these stakes. In the first 
place, a really half-bred horse will rarely endure severe 
training ; and, if he does, his constitution and temper 
are all but sure to be ruined by it. Secondly, however 
good he may be as a half-bred racer, he cannot transmit 
his base blood to posterity. Again, regular trainers 
dislike having to do with half-bred horses, and seldom 
give them fair play, i. e., seldom trouble themselves to 
go out of the usual course with them in their work, 
which must be done to bring them well to the post. 
Finally, these stakes are also the very hot-bed of 
wrangles ; and the system lately adopted of produce- 
stakes for half-bred horses opens a still wider door for 
villany and fraud. We wish we could see the turf 
confined to pure blood. 
236 
