HANDICAPPERS 



227 



expended from beginning to end upon the race. 

 In some years this has been exceeded, but in 

 1902, when St. Maclou gained a narrow victory, 

 the handicap was by no means a difficult one, and 

 rather less time was cut to waste in verifying the 

 records of the various performers. On an average 

 each horse in a handicap of the highest class may 

 be said to represent a reference to about fifteen 

 races ; that is to say, the races in which he has 

 himself taken part and those in which the exact 

 form of other horses which he has met is set out. 

 If the direct form of a horse tallies with the 

 indirect or collateral form, so much the better for 

 the handicapper ; if it does not, the greater reliance 

 must be placed upon the direct and most recent 

 form, but no stone must be left unturned in an 

 endeavour to account satisfactorily for the apparent 

 discrepancy. Occasionally, but fortunately not 

 very often, mere guesswork comes in ; but the 

 experienced handicapper will be much more likely 

 to be nearer the mark when reckoning thus than 

 any one would be who has not given the subject a 

 similar amount of attention. 



The selection of handicappers is for the most 

 part left for decision to the clerks of the various 

 courses, subject to the approval of their stewards 

 and the Jockey Club Stewards, which approval, 



Q 2 



