62 THE RACE-HORSE. 



horse, however, has ever been considered the swift- 

 est beast of the forest, may be gathered from the 

 frequent allusions to his fleetness bj inspired as 

 well as by heathen writers. Thus, the chariot- 

 horses of Oenomaus, King of Elis, were said to be 

 begotten by the w^nds, emblematical of their pro- 

 digious swiftness ; and Homer represents the steeds 

 of Achilles to be the produce of Zephyrus (the 

 west wind, said to be the swiftest of any) and Po- 

 darge, whose name signifies speed. Nor is Virgil 

 far behind the rest in his encomium on the fleetness 

 of his colt, which he makes to challeno^e the verv 

 whirlwind itself. As it is speed, however, that 

 wqns the race, it is most essential to the race-horse 

 provided it be accompanied by stoutness ; and un- 

 less we wish to fly through the air like Pacolet on 

 his w^ooden horse, we may be contented with the 

 speed of the present English race-horse. Perhaps 

 the following is a fair specimen, and as it is of a 

 late date, the same uncertainty does not attach to 

 it that hangs over the unsupported traditions of 

 our earlier racing days. In 1832, Theodore, the 

 property of the Honourable Edward Petre, and 

 winner of the Doncaster St. Leger Stakes, ran the 

 distance, being one mile seven furlongs, or two miles, 

 all but one-eighth part of a mile, in three minutes 

 and twenty-three seconds, carrying 8 stone 6 pounds. 

 He was trained by the late Mr. Croft, who also 

 trained the second and third horses in the same race. 



Expenses of a Breeding Racing-Stud. — Some 

 persons must be breeders of race-horses, but whe- 



