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the late Matthew Dawson considered it to be demonstrable 

 that within the experience of living persons the size of the 

 racehorse has increased in this country. 



Stamina, or staying power, is greater in the Eastern horse 

 than in the breeds indigenous to any other country, and no 

 doubt this quality, where it is shown to exist — as in our cup 

 horses — is derived from their Arab ancestors. In recent 

 times, however, speed rather than stamina seems to have 

 been the desideratum of the racehorse-owner ; and though 

 the breeder may be doing his best to breed a combination of 

 the two qualities (which would be absolute perfection), his 

 hopes are often frustrated, not from any failure in breeding, 

 but because the horse he has bred goes into a stable where 

 long-distance racing is looked upon as a thing of the past, 

 and where a speedy miler is more thought of than a cup 

 horse. Of all the changes which have gradually come about 

 in the sport there is none more marked than this sacrifice 

 of all other qualities to speed. With not more than one 

 racehorse in every ten is the attempt made to develop a 

 stayer ; the other nine are trained and tried over the short 

 course, and if found fast enough to win five-furlong races 

 are entered for such and backed accordingly. As it is 

 some of the few stayers we have, had to " find themselves 

 out," or, in other words, by some accidental display of form 

 to reveal the fact that they were likely to stay, and on the 

 strength of that form have been given a chance. That many 

 of the well-known five- and six-furlong horses would stay if 

 they had been trained with that object in the first instance 

 I have little doubt ; but the constant practice, begun in their 

 yearling days, of being jumped off at speed and pushed along 

 as hard as they can go over a short course, induces them to 

 cease to persevere directly they feel distressed, and nothing 

 but a very exceptional horse can travel at its top speed for 

 much more than half a mile. Yet numbers of sprint — i.e. 

 five-furlong — horses have turned out to be high-class hurdle- 

 racers when five or six years old. Numerous instances could 

 be cited, beginning with Chandos, perhaps as good a hurdle- 

 racer as ever carried silk, and it must be borne in mind that 

 no hurdle-race is run over less than two miles of ground, and 

 that there are eight hurdles to be jumped on the journey. 



