so THE RACING WORLD 



get the animal to the post absolutely to his liking. 

 Very probably the horse has been beaten by a 

 combination of misfortunes — a bad start, getting 

 shut in, bumped, or being badly ridden ; and 

 if it ought to have won, his disappointment is 

 the more intense, as the handicapper will put 

 him up for a creditable performance. And 

 perhaps, though the handicapper has not noticed, 

 the trainer, critically watching the race, has seen 

 one or more animals figuring in the rear who he 

 knows cannot possibly have been " out." Handi- 

 cappers thus have a very heavy responsibility, 

 but for every reason the temptation to run " a 

 bye " must be resisted. 



I presume that I am expected to say a few 

 words about the much-discussed gate. I accepted 

 it loyally and have done my best, though certainly 

 I claim no credit for that, seeing that it was 

 the only way to win races ; but the more I see 

 of the gate the less I like it. Perhaps I am a 

 little embittered by failures for which there can 

 be no sort of doubt the gate has been responsible 

 — and this is, I am sure, the general experience. 

 Young horses, at least as a general rule, can be 

 trained to it, but some of them afterwards most 

 assuredly share the sentiment I have just expressed 

 — the more they see of it the less they like it, 



