CHANCES FOR THE DERBY NOT QUITE ANNUAL/ 01 



then it would be difficult to prevent his shortly getting 

 out : and again, boys are seldom put up on such 

 horses as I instance. We cannot make other horses 

 follow, it is true : so much the better ; they would be 

 welcome to go what pace they liked ; but if they 

 cannot stop our horse, it is all that is wanted, and we 

 are making the running that suits him, while we are 

 making the pace throughout such as does not suit the 

 others. There can be no doubt but flyers stand a 

 chance for the Derby ; my useful nag does not. I 

 must here quote a schoolboy reminiscence : " .Gutta 

 cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo." My nag 

 cannot win a great stake perhaps ; sed, sa3pe currendo, 

 he picks up the crumbs that fall from the rich man's 

 table. These put together make at all events a penny- 

 roll. The flyer has a chance for the big loaf, it is 

 true, but a hungry man would feel rather faint in 

 waiting ten years for it. The Derby and Leger are 

 fine takes-lip I allow ; but if we look at the number 

 of flyers that are bred, entered, and trained for them, 

 I should say that with ordinary luck they would fall 

 to each nominator's share about once in a century. 

 Some have won them several times ; so some have 

 made money by gambling : a good many more have 

 been ruined, and perhaps as many have committed 

 suicide from, as ever made their fortune by it. Of 

 course when I speak of a useful horse, I do not mean 

 a slow one ; but, as speaking comparatively, I mean 

 he would be slow if put by the side of (we will say) 

 Semiseria, or any other goer, in a half-mile race. 

 Fast for two or three miles as to the time it takes 

 to do the distance in, and fast in finishing, are two 

 quite opposite qualifications. My useful horse must 

 be fast, or he cannot cut down his horses so as to 



