2o6 WEIGHTS AND DISTANCES. 



or Doncaster, would attract a larger concourse, and create 

 more interest, than the sight of twenty or thirty useless brutes 

 running all over the course with children on their backs for a 

 ;^ioo scramble. 



When the riders are men and accomplished jockeys, if the 

 horses be beaten the owners are satisfied and the public are 

 content ; for it is known that the best horse has won, and that 

 the defeat is not due to the ignorance of the rider. And if 

 this be so, is it not a reason why all true lovers of the race- 

 horse should take some steps to see jockeys more often in the 

 saddle } Probably the best method of procedure would be 

 to petition the Jockey Club to take the revision of the light- 

 weight scale into consideration, with a view to bring about so 

 desirable a revolution. 



I have named in Chapter XVII. the incident of a trial at 

 Welbeck Abbey ; and I may here mention that the Duke of 

 Portland's idea of racing was much at variance with the prac- 

 tice in vogue now. He disliked a short race, and was never 

 known to give orders to wait. But when he had a horse that 

 was a jade, he used to say facetiously to my father, " John 

 Day, I suppose you had better make play ' behind.' " In 

 contrast to this, we see, in the present day, two noblemen 

 making a match, the shortest of allowable courses for three- 

 year-olds, with some 6 st. on them ; in fact, shortly after- 

 wards, one of these tiny jockeys is seen riding 8 st. lo lbs., 

 absolutely being preferred before the old jockey who usually 

 rode for the stable. It is impossible to tell what risk owners 

 run in putting up liliputians on saddles insecurely fixed on 

 mountains of saddle cloth, unsafe for the boy, and dangerous 

 for the horse. Moreover, to prevent the heavy saddle from 

 slipping round, or getting back on the horse's flank, or 

 the saddle-cloths from falling off, the girths and surcingale 



