82 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



case to the higher tribunal of the Jockey Club, as 

 may be deemed right. 



The starter officiates at one end of the course, 

 the judge at the other. 



A judge on a racecourse is entrusted with 

 very onerous duties, and, seeing the value of the 

 interests with which he is entrusted, ought to 

 be a man of rare integrity ; and so far as can 

 be known, racing judges to-day are men of 

 honour in their calling. Not only the integrity 

 of the judge, but his powers of observation are 

 of the utmost importance, when it is considered 

 that hundreds of thousands of pounds sometimes 

 change hands on his fiat — a fiat, be it understood, 

 from which, as a rule, there is no appeal. A race 

 is sometimes so nearly what is known as a " dead 

 heat," that persons express dissatisfaction with 

 the decision of the judge and assert that the 

 second horse undoubtedly earned the verdict of 

 victor. So close upon some occasions is the 

 contest, that the leading jockeys themselves are 

 unable to say which animal has won till its 

 number has been hoisted on the indication board. 

 Where a numerous field of horses compete in 

 a short race, half-a-dozen of the number may 

 gallop so evenly that it is sometimes very difficult 

 for the judge to say which of them has arrived first 

 at the winning-post. A novice in the judge's box 

 during an important race would be a misfortune, 

 the verdict of that official being, in almost every 

 instance, final, even in the case, upon occasion, 

 of an obvious blunder ; and, as is well known, 

 blunders have more than once been made by 

 racing judges ; because of the winning horse 

 having escaped his notice, the race has in con- 



