2 78 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



course of four or five months it will be announced 

 in the training reports that " Sweatmore, the 

 trainer, took his horses to the North-East 

 Division of the Southside Downs, where Petty 

 Larceny, Burglar, Area Sneak, Impostor, and 

 Conspirator did good work." That announce- 

 ment indicates the beginning of the end, and by- 

 and-by Conspirator is entered for one or two 

 petty races in which he is supposed to make a 

 fair struggle for victory, carrying a tolerably 

 liberal weight, but particular care is taken by his 

 trainer that he shall not attract much attention. 

 In due time the horse makes his appearance in 

 a struggle of importance, in which he is weighted 

 more favourably than was expected ; but for all 

 that, his time has not yet come — the astute 

 gentleman who pulls the strings in the stable 

 can wait a long time should he think a victory 

 can be won in the end. Nothing is ever gained in 

 horse-racing by being in a great hurry, and the 

 horse hitherto has been entered simply to find 

 out the handicappers' estimate of him. 



"Seven stone five; not bad that for a five-year- 

 old which three years ago was thought to have 

 the makings of a fair horse about him," says the 

 trainer ; " but we must get him in at less than 

 that by at least half a stone." 



Just so. Nothing, it has been said, is denied 

 to persons who know how to wait. " Conspirator 

 ran very badly," is the verdict of the turf critic, 

 " never once giving his supporters a ray of hope, 

 although evidently backed to win a considerable 

 sum of money ; it is not easy to understand why 

 such a horse is in training." 



For the next two races in which he is entered 



