TRAINERS AND TRAINING 43 



to try the more forward youngsters early in March 

 with a fair plater on the weight-for-age scale ; that 

 is to say, if my readers do not happen to be ac- 

 quainted with it, a three-year-old should give a 

 two-year-old in March 2st. 41b. over 5 furlongs. 

 A certain amount of discretion is allowable ; that 

 is to say, if you have good reason to form a very 

 high estimate of a two-year-old, the old horse may 

 be asked to concede him a little less ; but as early 

 as March the big two-year-olds from whom you 

 hope most will probably not be ready to try. Now 

 it is that you not seldom find your judgment to 

 have been wrong, as the good-actioned, free-going 

 youngster that seemed likely to distinguish himself 

 may distress you by beginning to sprawl when he 

 has gone half-way, the inference being that he does 

 not stay ; though you will probably search diligently 

 for an excuse, and at any rate determine to put the 

 matter to a later test. 



When horses do not run up to their trials the 

 explanation may be that the trial was wrong, 

 and this is most likely to happen when some of 

 the horses are ridden by jockeys and some by 

 stable boys. A racing nobleman of the last 

 generation — or perhaps I should say the last but 

 one — used to declare, or so I have read, that 

 there was not 31b. between the best jockey and 



