STARTERS AND STARTING 155 



well away that time, did they ? " or I shall read 

 in one of the papers, in a report possibly written 

 by some scribe who has lost his money, that I have 

 no idea of starting horses and ought to be keeping 

 a greengrocer's shop. 



I then write a report for the Stewards, saying at 

 what time the race was started, the number of 

 starters, and adding any remark, such as that 

 certain animals for one reason or another were not 

 well away ; the idea being to indicate anything 

 that might have happened to put any of the field 

 out of the race. I may as well quote the Rule, 

 which runs : " The starter shall report to the 

 Stewards the time at which each race was started, 

 and shall also report by whom, or by what cause 

 any delay was occasioned." 



Certain quick-witted jockeys are, of course, 

 always ready to try little devices which will give 

 them an advantage, and they exhibit quite a 

 genius for noting the moment when the starter is 

 about toipuU his lever ; it need scarcely be said that 

 some of them have occasionally made mistakes in 

 this respect, and, thinking that the webbing was 

 about to fly up, have jumped into it ; and for this 

 reason it would of course be an excellent thing 

 if some of the suggested improvements could be 

 introduced. No doubt before long electricity will 



