274 KINGSCLERE 



is brought into constant play in the ascent and 

 descent of the hills. A^ain, there is much more 

 elasticity in the turf of old down land than there is 

 in that of flat and more or less artificially preserved 

 pasture. What with the large number of horses 

 that are kept in continual work at Newmarket, and 

 the unceasing rolling and bush-harrowing which 

 have become necessary to the ground, all " the life " 

 is taken out of it. Down-land, I may remark, is 

 very expensive to keep in order, because all tracks 

 have to be put in by hand with " rammers " and other 

 appliances. In my own practice I seldom or never 

 resort to rolling the gallops after Christmas. They 

 are all put in order at the end of the racing season, 

 and, the spring frosts breaking up the surface again, 

 they remain good going the whole of the ensuing 

 summer. Otherwise, if you defer the operation of 

 rolling the gallops until, say, February, and then 

 get the March winds upon them, you have a hard 

 surface, which remains so for the rest of the season. 

 The proper management of the Downs for training 

 purposes requires careful attention on the part even 

 of a trainer like myself, who has lived upon them all 

 his professional life. 



'It has been said of me that my heart and soul 

 are in my work, and that I am never happier than 

 when I am engaged in it. Well, I am not going to 

 deny that that is somewhere near the truth ; but I 

 may observe also that I derive a very great deal of 

 pleasure from my employment beyond that which 

 naturally belongs to bringing on the horses under 



