PREFACE. vii 



suggests ; and, lastly, to offer a few suggestions for reform 

 of turf proceedings, which, in his humble opinion, would be 

 of considerable benefit to this chief of our national sports. 

 To treat the subject comprehensively is his desire. It will 

 be found, therefore, that his suggestions are not confined to 

 the technical and ordinary affairs of the every-day routine 

 of a training-stable. He has endeavoured to the best of 

 his ability to examine other matters which are certainly not 

 inferior in interest. Thus, he attempts to show under what 

 circumstances some horses vanquish or are vanquished in 

 their public engagements. He has added, so far as memory 

 serves him, many memorable sayings, and the accounts of 

 notable doings of the most successful men and conspicuous 

 characters on the turf; as well as of others who have left 

 it for their long home, who, whilst here, were known for 

 their parsimony or their extravagance, as makers or as 

 spenders of fortunes, with other anecdotes which have 

 occurred to him as having some public interest. 



This then, being the scope of the work, the author ventures 

 to launch it before the world, leaving it as it stands with 

 all its shortcomings and inadvertencies to the lenient con- 

 sideration which may be asked for a book that has no 

 other pretence than to advance the results of practical 

 knowledge, and to supply what may be a possible need. 

 That all should have been said that may be said on the 

 various matters discussed, is impossible. The writer must 

 be content in the knowledge of having done the best in his 

 power to lay before the public the results of the experience 



