THE RUNNING OF SMALL AND LARGE HORSES. 119 



Some years after doing all this, Joe Miller retired from the 

 turf as sound as the day he was foaled. To set against this 

 experience are the instances of Rataplan and Fisherman, both 

 large horses that achieved wonders. But they are the only 

 two of the kind that I can remember to have run so often 

 and so well over a distance of ground. 



Little horses as a rule seldom improve much after their 

 second year ; some I think are never better than as two-year- 

 olds at half a mile. Parole and Heroine are, I think, instances 

 of this. The latter won very easily the yearling race at 

 Shrewsbury in 1856 (the first on record, if I am not mistaken), 

 and the former a small race at Brighton as two-year-olds ; 

 but though Heroine was a winner afterwards, they neither of 

 them did anything later really worthy of notice. Large horses, 

 on the other hand, improve often when much older, and even 

 until they are aged. Crncifix, a long, leggy and slender 

 mare, was good, it should be remarked, as a yearling, and also 

 later. But Wild Dayrell when tried as a yearling so con- 

 spicuously failed that he v/as sold ; whilst both See Saw and 

 The Earl at the same age were positively wretched, and 

 indeed did not improve much as two-year-olds till late in 

 the year. These three were not only large but heavy 

 horses, which may make the difference in the two cases, and 

 account for the badness of the colts as yearlings and the 

 goodness of the filly at that age. " What's in a name } " 

 The then Lady Grosvenor thought there was much in one, 

 for she said to Lord G. Bentinck, "You have an admirable 

 mare, but I don't like her name." To which he replied, 

 "When she is beat, Lady Grosvenor, I will change it." But 

 as she never was, she retained it ; and after running was 

 known by her famous title at the stud. The inference from 

 this is that small horses are at their best as two-year-olds, 



