TRAINING AND BREEDING. 



425 



would be bred, good for a short distance at a high speed in their youth, and 

 good for nothing else ; that even the best were unable to stand the strain, as 

 was evidenced by the unparalleled mortality of young four-year-olds who can rarely 

 be said yet to be mature ; that if a man is prevented from killing his own salmon 

 and partridge at certain seasons, or from overworking his own children before 

 they are grown up, there is just as much reason for interfering with private 

 rights for the public good in the matter of thoroughbreds. 



These arguments were, however, neglected. The large amount of capital 

 invested in various racing companies exercised too strong an influence. " Gate- 

 money " began to alter 

 the Turf in much 

 the same way as we 

 have seen it alter foot- 

 ball, a " game " which 

 a few men are now 

 paid for playing while 

 thousands "take 

 their exercise " by 

 looking on. Unfor- 

 tunately, the parallel is 

 not complete. A few 

 good horses will not 

 suit the Companies. 

 They much prefer "Mango" (.834) fy Emiiiu*-> 



a lot of racing with 



any kind of horse at all. They encourage breeders to race their youngsters before 

 the gristle has fairly hardened into bone, and to breed from them while they are still 

 little better than babies. When, on the other hand, breeders get a youngster so un- 

 doubtedly worth trying at the stud as the son of La Flec/ie, and of another Ascot Cup 

 winner (surely an unparalleled parentage), they refuse to allow such famous blood to be 

 handed on to posterity (as in the case of Strotigbaw), apparently owing to the success 

 that has unfortunately attended the gelding of "difficult" animals like Osbech, 

 Epsom Lad, or O 'Donovan Rossa. It should be noted, too, that far more mares are 

 put to the stud now at the age of three, and even two years old, than was ever the 

 case before, surely just as dangerous a proceeding as the use of immature sires, and 



