112 THE RACING WORLD 



wait on fast courses, such as Epsom and Brigh- 

 ton for example, at least you can't unless you 

 wait in front — that is the only chance of taking 

 a steady. The new seat is, for one thing, how- 

 ever, good for the boys, because they can't keep 

 sticking their heels into a horse all the way. 

 Horses get very sick of that. 



As for the time to make your effort — to 

 win your race, your horse tells you. If he 

 sighs, leave him, don't ride him for two or 

 three strides and he will get a breath ; then 

 you can take hold of him and send him along 

 again. It eases a horse to change his legs, and 

 in long-distance races you can help him by mak- 

 ing him do so ; but in five-furlong races there 

 isn't time, and it may be that if he changes 

 near to the winning-post and so loses a little bit 

 it will make just the difference between winning 

 and being beaten a head. In heavy ground 

 horses generally change their legs of their own 

 accord. These are trifles, or comparative trifles 

 — for a head one way or the other is a trifle 

 except that it makes all the difference at the 

 finish — in which experienced jockeys naturally 

 have a pull over the boys. 



Getting the rails is usually a good thing, 

 because on the rails is the shortest way home. 



