HANDICAPPERS 



219 



which he ran at Carlisle, refusing at the very self- 

 same simple flight of hurdles at which he had 

 thrown it up three years before, though he had 

 never seen the racecourse meanwhile. 



There are no fixed rules laid down by the 

 Jockey Club regarding the handicapping of horses, 

 but it seems to me that most experts on the 

 subject would agree with the following short code — 

 namely, that horses which have never run should 

 carry the top weight on the weight-for-age scale ; 

 that horses which have only run once should have 

 slight concession in the matter of weight, the class 

 in which they run being, of course, taken into 

 consideration ; that after two races a considerable 

 concession may be made if they appear to be ridden 

 fairly out, but that not until they have run in at 

 least three races can they be treated on their merits 

 and take what seems their rightful place in a handi- 

 cap. Foreign horses, more especially those hailing 

 from America and Australia, whose proper form it 

 is impossible to gauge through any line, should be 

 weighted more or less as having never run ; for if 

 an attempt be made to handicap them on what 

 appears to be their capacity when they first arrive 

 in this country (and are incapable of showing their 

 true form), the handicapper will repent of his 

 lenient treatment the moment they are thoroughly 



