The Life of a Racehorse. 77 



three years and six months old* Racehorse breeders do not, however, approve of foals dropping 

 so long before the mares can get into the grass paddocks. 



At the end of the three-year-old season, the winners of the great events, if colts, are 

 often put to the stud, and the severe weeding of second and third-class horses already alluded 

 to takes place. After four years old very few horses of a high class remain on the turf; in 

 fact, a very good horse is almost driven from the course at or after four years old by the 

 penalties of weight, under the system of handicapping, which, abused and condemned by 

 leading turf authorities, but tolerated as a necessity, is really the foundation of modern English 

 racing. 



The Queen's Plates are open to all horses of three years old and upwards, except geldings, 

 weights being for three-year-olds from 7 stone to 8 stone 3 pounds ; for four years old, 8 stone 

 7 pounds ; five and six years old, from 9 stone 12 pounds to 10 stone 4 pounds. 



The Royal Plates in England and Scotland are awarded on the theory of encouraging 

 horses equal to long distances at heavy weights. In 1872 the distance run was in one instance 

 more than three miles ; in four instances three miles ; in the rest about two miles. In three in- 

 stances the winner walked over ; in ten, two competed ; in five, three competed ; in eight, four 

 competed ; in two, five competed ; in four, six competed ; in one, seven competed. One horse won 

 five plates, one four, and two horses each three ; that is to say, four horses took fifteen plates, 

 most of them winning with ridiculous ease — Corisande by fifty lengths. 



The value of a mare at the stud who has won one of the great three-year-old races, when 

 the time comes that age and heavy handicapping drive her from the turf, is infinitely less 

 than that of a horse. In the first place, she can only produce one foal in a year ; when 

 twins occur they rarely turn out well. In the next place, experience has shown that mares, 

 almost unconquered on the turf, have frequently been, by the effects of training or 

 some other cause, so much exhausted as to be almost valueless for breeding purposes. Thus, 

 Queen of Trumps, winner of the Oaks and St. Leger, never threw a racehorse. Fille 

 de I'Air, who was only second as a racer to Blair Athol, was put to Gladiateur, their union 

 produced one colt, called Eole, a wretched brute. That training has something to do with this is 

 confirmed by the fact that a mare which has been in training for three years will rarely breed 

 at all until a year has been passed in cooling her down on soft food. It will be observed from 

 statistics at page 69 how large a per-centage of thoroughbred mares are barren. 



A close parallel may be found between the careers of the alumni of our two great universities 

 and of the thoroughbred foals training for the turf. A considerable number of undergraduates 

 take no degree at all — a great many merely obtain a simple pass. Out of those who do go 

 out in honours, the majority are only famous in university circles for a year. Out of the 

 annual double-first-class men, senior wranglers, and Smith's prizemen, the majority subside 

 into country clergymen or undistinguished members of the bar, members of Parliament who 

 thin the House when they rise, or county magistrates who bore their less learned neighbours ; 

 a few become famous orators. Chancellors of Exchequer, Prime Ministers, Lord Chief Justices, 

 and Bishops. Nevertheless, the undistinguished out of their own social circle help to leaven the 

 mass, and give a tone to the education of the well-to-do classes of this country. So, too, 



* In 1873, for the Caesarewitch there were seventy-nine subsc.ibers, and thirty came to the post, including Maiie Stuart, 

 winner of the Oaks and St. Leger of that year, a three-year-old, carrying 8 stone 5 pounds. The winner was K ing Lud, a four- 

 year old, carrying 7 stone 5 pounds, against whom the odds laid a week before the race were 60 to i, and on the day of the race 

 20 to 1— a fine example of the uncertainty of turf predictions. The distance was 2 miles 2 furlongs 2S yards. It was run in 

 4 minutes loj seconds by Benson's chronograph. 



