492 ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



the people formed a lane no broader than this table, 

 so that when the dead-heaters were racing up the 

 straight the jockey's feet knocked off the hats of some 

 people. That's a long time ago, and John Osborne was 

 riding then as a lad." 



" Do you think horses stay as well as they did fifty 

 or sixty years ago? " 



" I certainly think not. Horses are finer-bred now, 

 and owners go more in for short races. Since I can tell, 

 they went in for long distances scarcely anything but 

 four miles. They thought nothing of running a horse 

 in four heats in one day. I have seen horses run four 

 four-mile heats in one day, with intervals of half an hour 

 between. Of course they didn't go the pace they do 

 nowadays. They used to take it easy the first part of 

 the four miles, and then run the last mile at a terrific 

 pace. I am now talking of about sixty years ago. I 

 have seen them walk a part of the race in these heats, 

 but that was only a rare occurrence." 

 " But that wasn't racing? " 



" No, not exactly. I think the modern system of 

 coming right through is better, decidedly. Horses are 

 now more bred for short courses than formerly ; owners 

 won't run them long ones. It is certain that horses of 

 the present day are not so hard as half a century, or 

 more, ago. That arises from the pace of the present 

 day, when the majority of races are over five furlongs 

 up to a mile. Trainers think now that if a horse gallops 

 five furlongs it is enough for one day's work. In my 

 opinion racehorses are deteriorating in stamina. I 

 certainly think horses of the present day will run a mile 

 quicker than those of sixty years ago. 



" Vedette was one of the best horses John Osborne 

 ever rode : he was a very good horse, a fine mover, and 



