12 THE HORSE. 



riage horse, or for that matter, a dray horse, for the Derby or 

 St. Leger, lie would be laughed at for his pains, but there would 

 be no obstacle to his doing so. 



In England, however, there is another class of races, con- 

 fined, for the most part, to inferior race-courses in the provinces, 

 and to hunt-meetings, at which prizes are given to be run for 

 by hunters not thoroughbred, and by other horses of inferior 

 blood, known in common parlance, as Cocktail Stakes. 



These prizes had their origin, for the most part, in the desire 

 to elevate the style, character, action and blood, in various sec- 

 tions of the country, among animals not thoroughbred ; and it is 

 a frequent condition attached to these, that the horses entered 

 must have been hunted so many times in the season, with such 

 or such a pack of hounds. 



As these races became popular, as the sweepstakes increased 

 in value, and as the reputation gained by the winners began to 

 add sensibly to their value, it became an object to introduce 

 horses quite thoroughbred, or as nearly thoroughbred as possible, 

 under the guise of hunters, to compete with the half and three- 

 quarter bred nags, over which they had an incalculable advan- 

 tage ; the rather that these hunters' stakes are for the most part 

 heat races, and that coming-ayain is especially the point in 

 which blood tells the most. 



To this end, dangerous, headstrong, runaway, thoroughbred 

 weeds would be sent out the requisite number of times in the sea- 

 son with a light stable-boy on their backs, to see the hounds throw 

 offj^nter across a few fields, pull up and return to their stables. 

 Th^iunting season at an end, they would receive the huntsman's 

 certificate in due form, that they had been hunted so many times, 

 as might be necessary to qualify ; would be put into training, 

 and would, of course, win the stakes at their ease, against great 

 weight-carrying half-breds. 



This state of things it was necessary to prevent, as it was 

 entirely frustrating the end for which these races were instituted ; 

 and in order to do this, it was judged advisable to determine a 

 certain standard of purity of blood, beyond which a horse should 

 not be allowed to start in a cocktail race ; or, in other Avords, 

 beyond which he should be deemed thoroughhred, in so far as 

 contests with horses of avowedly inferior strain are concerned. 



