THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 32* 



" You made but one mistake, sir," said his trainer ; 

 ' and that was a fatal one. Had you recollected what I 

 told you, and pulled back, or, I should rather say, eased, 

 1 your'horse a little within 200 yards from home, you could 

 not have lost the race. Depend on it, you have the best 

 horse of the field, but you were beaten by being outridden 

 'y my Lord and Mr. Burrell, as I feared you would be, 

 if it came to a race, which it did. I never saw finer riding 

 at Newmarket than what my Lord showed us to-day. He 

 took a pull at his horse not a hundred yards from home, 

 and won his race by so doing, for the other horse had the 

 best of it up to that time. Only think what a thing a 

 pull must be to a horse at the end of two miles, with 

 thirteen stone on his back, and in such a fast-run race 

 as this ! " 



"I certainly lost the race," replied our hero, "by 

 omitting the pull within the distance, according to your 

 directions ; but the fact was, my horse appeared to me to 

 be running over his horses, pulling so very hard, that, 

 thinking I had the race in hand, I was unwilling to pull 

 him back, from fear of putting him out of his stroke, or 

 causing him to change his leg." 



" Well, sir," resumed the trainer, " the mischief is done 

 now, and it cannot be undone. I told you, your horse 

 was well, and that he would run a good horse ; but mind 

 this in future do not only not forget the pull at the 

 proper time and place, but likewise that some horses pull 

 hardest when they are most beaten. Your horse, how- 

 ever, was not beaten ; all he wanted was a moment's ease, 

 when he would have come again, and headed his horses in 

 style." 



It is in the nature of emulation to know no bounds. 

 Our hero was by no means satisfied with his own per- 

 formance ; and excited a little by the remarks of some of 

 the party with whom he dined after the race, that his 

 horse could have won the Welter if he had had a better 

 jockey on his back, resolved on attempting to redeem his 

 credit. Sending for his trainer, then, he thus addressed 

 him : 



" I should like to run the race over again whicli I lost 

 to-day ; I think I can beat both those horses by a different 

 system of riding. I wish you would see the trainer of 

 each as soon as possible, and propose a match same 

 weight and distance for 500 guineas a side. Try the 



21 



