32 FLAT-RAGING EXPLAINED. 



afraid only too frequently — for which a horse has no 

 special merit or fitness. For this kind of thing in 

 these days there is really no excuse. It may have 

 been justified in the old days on the grounds of ex- 

 pediency, when £50 plates with four-mile heats ex- 

 isted; but now, thanks to the new rules, there are 

 not only large stakes to be raced for in plenty, but a 

 choice of distance is made to accommodate every 

 class of horse. 



I have seen many horses confined to five furlong 

 races that probably should have been raced over 

 longer distances; but this, it is to be hoped, by the 

 well-timed action of the Jockey Club, will be altered 

 in the future. There is no reason why horses, pre- 

 sumably stayers only at five furlongs, should not 

 race equally well over longer distances. 



In judging horses' staying powers, it should always 

 be remembered, those that apparently do not get 

 beyond five furlongs are not limited to this distance 

 by failure of muscular power, but from the vacua- 

 tion of air from the lungs. As a rule, horses that 

 stop at five or six furlongs have small lung capacity, 

 and frequently the only chance of getting them to 

 cover the distance at one "burst" is at high speed 

 from the beginning to the end. 



These horses, however, can be made to cover 

 longer distances without difficulty if, instead of the 



