The Modern Racer. 99 



modifications do exist in our modern racer, and that no 

 unfaithful picture has been drawn. The modern racer 

 does not show the fine points and attributes which were 

 formerly seen in horses of an older date, imprinted upon 

 them by their Arabian ancestry. In other words, the 

 English thorough-bred horse has failed to hand down to 

 his descendants the primal characteristics of the pure 

 Arabian, or, indeed, retained the modified points which 

 were observable formerly. Can this be flattering to our 

 countrymen .'' Now the question will naturally arise, 

 Why have not these points been preserved and per- 

 petuated .'' Is it not owing to one grand cause, or — to 

 speak, perhaps, more correctly — accounted for by one 

 simple fact, he is not really thoroughbred ; he is not 

 of pure race .'' 



In going through the pedigrees of the modern horses 

 whose history has been sketched in the second chapter, 

 reference should be made to the three tables of pedigrees 

 which have been fully drawn out, and it will be seen 

 that every individual inherits the flaws which are shown 

 to have existed in Matchem, Eclipse, and Herod, and, 

 in addition, the multiplication of these deficiencies ; for, 

 although good blood is accumulated in certain horses, 

 by the in-breeding to certain families containing the 

 blood of the Darley Arabian, inasmuch as his blood has 

 only descended to modern horses (even in direct descent) 

 through half-bred horses, with the accumulation of good 

 strains, the number of stains which were in the pedigrees 

 of these half-bred ancestors has also increased. If this 

 be the case with the best and more carefully bred among 



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