WEIGHT-FOR-AGE STAKES AND HANDICAPS. 85 



most probably not be nearly so good at five years old 

 "as he was at four, unless in a handicap. 



I am quite clear that in nine cases out of ten the 

 winning qualifications of race-horses are not found out 

 at the proper time. I do not mean that such is the 

 case with such an owner as Lord George Bentinck, who 

 thoroughly understands and is fond of racing ; but I 

 am clear that with most men the fact is as I represent 

 it. They find out what their horses can and cannot 

 do in the course of time ; but paying entries, travelling 

 expenses of a horse, boy and trainer, and then the 

 jock, is rather an expensive mode of finding out in 

 what sort of race a horse should be placed to get a 

 fair chance of winning. A public trainer could not 

 adopt a better for every horse in his stables, and 

 very few owners indeed know how to do it. 



Nothing can be fairer or more proper than weight- 

 for-age races, as they encourage men to breed a fine 

 class of race-horse. If a stone and a half were taken 

 off the weights to be carried for the Derby, Leger, 

 and other great stakes, it would shortly do up racing, 

 or at least we should be getting into a set of weedy 

 animals unworthy the name of race-horses. Still the 

 fixed weights must always preclude a field coming in 

 even within hail of each other ; for among the starters 

 there are always many who at the weight have as much 

 chance of winning as if they ran with a patent safety 

 cab at their heels. There can be no doubt that if we 

 wish to see a good race, a handicap is that race : still I 

 should be sorry to see these more general than they are, 

 as they would tend to discourage the owners of good 

 horses, and induce others to keep bad ones in training ; 

 for if horses are really and judgmatically handicapped 

 in accordance with the true spirit of the thing, the 



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