ii8 HINTS ON PURCHASING. 



hands and an inch, and Venison was still less. Venison's 

 performances were etxtraordinary. He was beaten only twice 

 at three years old, by Bay Middleton and by Touchstone — who 

 was a year older — and it should be remembered he travelled over 

 1300 miles on foot, running long distance heats in twelve races, 

 including many Queen's Plates. We may well ask what he 

 might not have achieved in these days of railway locomotion. 

 In the same year, Elis was sent in a van to Doncaster with 

 The Drummer. They were the two first horses conveyed in 

 this way to a race-meeting ; and I believe the van was the 

 first made for such a purpose, and was, as may be imagined, 

 a heavy aff'air in comparison even with the improvements on 

 it which were in general use until the cheaper and more 

 expeditious railway horse-box superseded them. 



More particularly to illustrate the durability of small horses 

 over big ones, I may mention that y^^7l/z7/^r was not specially 

 prepared to run a long distance on one or two occasions only, 

 but was so trained over and over again. His first race as a 

 three-year-old was for the Metropolitan (two and a quarter 

 miles), which but for an accident he would have won : for he 

 beat the winner, Stilton, and forty-one other horses, in the 

 easiest possible way just afterwards for the Chester Cup. 

 He was then prepared and run for the Derby and Ascot Cup 

 (Emperor's Prize), winning the latter, two and a half miles, 

 never having been headed from start to finish ; a proof of the 

 method to make running, it may be observed, which may 

 be of service to us later by way of illustration. And besides 

 being prepared for other races, he was made use of to try 

 Weathergage and Hobbie Noble; the former winning the 

 Csesarewitch and the latter running second for the Cam- 

 bridgeshire, and indeed would have won it, as those who 

 saw the race know, had he not been ridden to a standstill. 



