My Racing Adventures 



Saturday night's beer in view), their performance 

 is smart enough. They give a cleanly exhibition. 

 And there are others not so splendidly gifted. 

 Here we meet with trouble ; we do not ask for 

 it; it comes with the flowing tide, and we are 

 obliged to make the best of the situation. Some 

 horses do not like jumping. I heard of a big 

 stallion who was sent a gallop over hurdles the 

 other day ; he cleared one or two, and tried 

 to worry the rest. No persuasion was success- 

 ful in getting him to go straight, so that the 

 task was abandoned as hopeless. That was 

 an exceptional case, of course, but it serves to 

 indicate that a jockey's programme, when the 

 morning's " schooling " begins, does not represent 

 a bed of roses. Bouquets are not thrown at him 

 if he escapes mutilation. Cheers do not reward 

 him when he comes up smiling after a knock-out. 



" Are you going on ? " a trainer asked a lad 

 who had fallen three times in one gallop over 

 fences. " No," answered the urchin, " I am not 

 going on " — he was more frightened than hurt — 

 " I am going off; and if you dare to accompany 

 me I shall start in the opposite direction." He 

 was an Irish rider. 



A story is told about an eminent jockey who, 

 during the course of a long " schooling " gallop, 



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