208 SAM DARLING'S REMINISCENCES 



now, just back me up." Neither he nor any one 

 else did so however. When I arrived in the year- 

 lings' paddock at Doncaster, the then owner said 

 he did not see why his boxes should be ventilated ; 

 they always had done well enough in the past, 

 and he refused to carry out the trainers' wishes. 

 However, I did advise some of the breeders, personal 

 friends of mine, to knock a hole in the roof of each 

 box, and ventilate it at their own expense, and I 

 am pleased to say most of the boxes are better 

 now in consequence. The trainers' risk of taking 

 coughing yearlings home is now lessened. I've 

 known bad cases from Doncaster interfere seriously 

 with the Autumn prospects of the stable, even 

 when the yearlings were isolated. 



I advocated some years ago the thorough disin- 

 fection of railway horse-boxes before they were 

 used again ; this is now done on some of the lines, 

 but not always under the supervision of a re- 

 sponsible foreman. 



I am in favour of the walk-up start, but to put 

 this into practice it would be necessary to be 



starting extra firm with the jockeys, and the 

 ^**® starter to be very quick to see any 

 jockey anticipating him pulling the lever. 



It stands to reason, great ungainly horses can- 

 not leave the tapes from a stand nearly so quickly 

 as a small and active one. When they endeavour 



