EACE-HOESES.] 



THE HOESE. AND 



[eace-horses. 



netting, ia all, seven thousand eight hundred 

 and ninety-four pounds. 



She subsequently fell to the stud ; and, in 

 1857, produced Thormanby. 



BEADSMAN. 



This beautiful horse was the winner of the 

 Derby in 1858, and was bred by Sir Joseph 

 Hawley, baronet. He was got by Weatherbit, 

 out of Mendicant. He was a black-brown 

 horse, standing fifteen hands two and a-half 

 inches high. He had a beautiful blood-like 

 head, with a fine full eye ; rather long ears, 

 well set on ; a bending neck gracefully joining 

 to his head ; great depth of girth, rather light 

 in his back ribs, good loins and back, muscular 

 quarters and thighs ; large arms, rather small 

 in tlie bone, but strong tendons. He very 

 much resembled his dam, the winner of the 

 Oaks in 1846. 



GOVERNESS. 



This mare was bred by Mr. Gratwicke, and 

 got by Chatham out of a Laurel mare, the dam 

 of Oxonian, Ehedycina (winner of the Oaks in 

 1850), Student, Instructress, &c. She was a fine 

 strapping animal, standing rather more than 

 sixteen hands and an inch ; and a good even, 

 coloured chestnut, without any white, except a 

 blaze in her face; and, for so large a mare, 

 had a good head; powerful and muscular all 

 over, and possessed of a wonderful stride. 



The Derbies of 18G0, '61, '62, '63, '64, 'G5, 

 and ^66, were won successively by Thormanby, 

 Kettledrum, Caractacus, Macaroni, Blair- 

 Athol, Gladiateur, and Lord Lyon. 



Such are a few of the racing celebrities ^ve 

 have chosen, to illustrate the runningr of the 

 present century ; and it now becomes a duty 

 briefly to discuss the humanity of the question 

 as to whether the modern system of racing 

 short distances, is preferable to the old system 

 of lieats, and long distances. Morally, this is, 

 perhaps, the most interesting portion of our 

 subject, and demands the attention of every 

 man possessed of such sentiments as are incul- 

 cated by the gradual development of civilisation. 



In Ohservations on Breeding for the Turf, 



by Mr. N. H. Smith, we find this subject 



touched upon. "The style of racing now," 



observes that gentleman, "is totally difierent 



84 



from that of former days. At present they 

 run, except at country races, with light weights 

 and short distances, where speed only can 

 excel. Formerly they ran with high weights 

 and long distances, where bottom or stoutness 

 was equally necessary ; and hence it may be 

 presumed, that tlie horse possessing qualities 

 which might have brought him into distinction 

 then, would not be calculated to obtain now 

 an equal fame at Newmarket. It is, therefore, 

 very natural to suppose, that this difference in 

 our style of racing, may, in a certain degree, 

 have altered the character of our racing stock. 

 By a reference to former sporting publications, 

 it appears that the horses were then smaller — 

 most likely shorter in the leg — and, no doubt 

 capable of carrying weights and running in 

 better than the present racers, which most 

 probably are, generally speaking, longer in the 

 leg, with less substance. It must be allowed 

 that the horse that can go a good distance 

 the best with high weights, is, for all general 

 purposes, and particularly for giving a value 

 to any intermediate breed between the racer 

 and draught-horse, the best sort of horse to 

 resort to as a stallion ; but there is something 

 inhuman in the former practice of running 

 four-mile heats with twelve stone weights, 

 which must reduce the speed of the best 

 horse in the world to a pace to which a race- 

 horse ought never to be reduced. It is not 

 racing, but a severe trial of constitutional 

 strength, of the most distressing nature to the 

 poor animal, and better calculated to gratify 

 butchers and hawkers, than the tastes and 

 feelings of gentlemen." 



Independent of whatever cruelty might have 

 been exemplified in the length of the former 

 racing-course, there is yet another cruelty which, 

 in the excitement of this sport, is apt to escape 

 general notice. We allude to that which is 

 inflicted by the jockey upon the sides of the 

 animal he rides, by means of spur and whip, 

 urging him on to the utmost of his speed, 

 or rather beyond his utmost, when the animal 

 is literally ready to drop. It ought to be 

 considered an established maxim on the turf, 

 that the efforts of a horse to win a race, are 

 limited only by his physical powers. It is, we 

 believe, generally admitted that the horse 

 enters into the spirit of the race as thoroughly 

 as does his rider ; and, without whip or spur, 



