48 A CRUEL RACE. 



persuaded that, without it, neither a horse, foxhound, 

 greyhound, nor stag can run up to their best form, 

 neither can a man run, row, or fight without sufficient 

 leanness in the ribs. Flesh here can be of no use, and 

 therefore can be only a needless incumbrance. But I 

 do not argue for this in either the two, three, or four- 

 year-old, considering as I do that, unless violent sweats 

 were resorted to, the colt would be jaded to death be- 

 fore such leanness were effected. Undoubtedly, then, 

 the great art in training young horses is to get their 

 muscles firm and bulky, and their wind clear ; more 

 than this is overtraining at this age, and moreover 

 would be quite superfluous for horses that only have 

 to run over two-year-old courses, which should never 

 be exceeded ; and how men can be found ' penny wise 

 and pound foolish ' enough to run two-year-olds in the 

 50Z. Plate last three miles of the B. C. at Newmarket, 

 Houghton, &c., I cannot imagine. I know of no sight 

 more disgusting than that presented by the little lads 

 and the two-year-olds during the last mile of this race, 

 rolling about like a ship in a storm, from sheer distress ! 

 It is too much to ask of the most furnished two-year- 

 old, and it is very easy to understand why animals that 

 have run in this race invariably show so little speed 

 afterwards. 



It would be bad enough if it were limited to two- 

 year-olds only ; but to admit all ages makes it doubly 

 bad, since ' the cutting down work ' is the only me- 

 thod of taking due advantage of their pull in the 

 weights. 



