distended with excitement, giving up their best effort out of 

 exclusively a natural desire to conquer. No prizes for them 

 if they win ; no fortunes go with the victory ; winner or loser 

 they go back to the stalls, conqueror and vanquished treated 

 alike — the only sport in the world where two combatants 

 struggle with all their might without individual glory save 

 the appreciation in which the public holds them. 



But I am digressing and discussing an impossible condi- 

 tion instead of confining myself to a word as to the progress 

 of the sport — a sport which is at once a great and an important 

 industry and a most popular recreation. In our early days 

 it was but natural that it should hold a minor place, for the 

 molding of a nation was work that compelled man's best 

 effort and man's whole time. But no sooner had the country 

 put on its swaddling clothes than the thoroughbred was im- 

 ported, and every year since then it has grown and has 

 gathered popularity until it stands at the very top of all our 

 recreations. 



Later in this book it will be my privilege to discuss this 

 growth and the reasons therefor and also to point out the 

 great practical value of the thoroughbred blood in improving 

 the breed of horses. The Jockey Club — the governing body 

 of the turf in the East — has inaugurated a Bureau of Breed- 

 ing, which will do much to illustrate this to the public of the 

 Empire State, and I have reason to believe that our National 

 Government, through the Department of Agriculture, may 

 move along a similar line. 



Before concluding this introduction I desire to say that 

 for the inspiration for this book I am indebted to that princely 

 sportsman, the late Leonard W. Jerome. Sitting on the 

 veranda of the old club house at Jerome Park one autumn 

 evening after the races, Mr. Jerome and his friend, the elder 

 August Belmont, than whom no better friend the turf ever 

 had, were speaking of the deplorable fact that the only 

 records of the turf up to that time were in the fugitive form 

 of newspaper articles. I chanced along and Mr. Jerome 

 urged that I take up the work. To him, therefore, I am 

 indebted for the inspiration of this book, and to him and to 

 my best and truest friend, George C. Bennett, of Memphis, 

 this work is dedicated by 



THE AUTHOR. 



