THE POSITION OF THE TURF 23 



than anything else, and the elements of sport are gradually 

 eliminated. 



Then we have the professional owner, who deals chiefly 

 in selling platers. His object is money-making pure and 

 simple, and he works just as hard at racing as the trades- 

 man does at his shop. He certainly helps to keep the 

 game alive, and if he did not exist the Selling Plates would 

 soon come to an end. These races were originally estab- 

 lished in order that the owners of big studs might have 

 a chance of getting rid of horses which they did not think 

 good enough to keep. This at least was the idea, and 

 for many years Selling Plates were few and far between. 

 Now owning platers is a business which calls for any 

 amount of brain power, and so many men are engaged in 

 it that at a huge majority of meetings there are two 

 Selling Plates on every programme. Naturally the clerks 

 of courses encourage such racing because of the surplus 

 which so often accrues to the race fund from the sale of 

 winners, but it may be pointed out that Selling Plates have 

 been responsible for a class of owner which was practically 

 non-existent not much more than half a century ago. 



