170 KINGSCLERE 



seldom if ever permitted to go loose in a good 

 gallop ; consequently, they pass from the ring to the 

 trainer full of soft, unhealthy fat, instead of being 

 covered with hard muscle. Again, there are owners, 

 and trainers as well, who are anxious to discover 

 whether they have secured a gem ; or they want to 

 know something about the yearling before the first 

 Tuesday in January, when entries have to be made 

 or minor forfeits declared for stakes already closed. 

 Therefore, yearlings in the condition described — 

 with their long coats, and, in short, with every- 

 thing against them — are put into active work over 

 heavy ground. I believe that hundreds of horses 

 are permanently ruined by such pernicious premature 

 training. As to the time for the declaration of 

 minor forfeits, I consider it most ridiculous that 

 January and February should be selected for the 

 purpose. April would be a much more suitable 

 month. If we could gradually alter our dates, the 

 age of the horse from January i to March i, and 

 our two-year-old racing from March 25 to May 1, 

 we should, I feel sure, be taking an important step 

 in the right direction, and sounder, stouter, and 

 better animals would be the result. Far too much 

 encouragement is given to two-year-old racing by 

 adding such large sums of money to the stakes. It 

 would be better for the sport and more conducive to 

 the improvement of blood stock if a large proportion 

 of these enormous sums were given to competitions 

 for older horses, and therefore for races of greater 

 length than five or six furlongs. I do not, of course, 



