BREEDING 275 



of picking up what he wants. He probably knows little or 

 nothing about horses, and very possibly has decided to 

 employ a young trainer who has yet to make his mark ; and, 

 though he may have the form at his finger-ends, and even 

 possess a superficial acquaintance with the stud book, curbs 

 and spavins are mysteries of which he has no knowledge, 

 and a good-topped horse will probably fill his eye, while if 

 he looks further, it will be without the aid of that practical 

 experience which is a sine qua non for a successful purchaser 

 of any kind of horseflesh. 



His next proceeding is to go to Doncaster or Newmarket 

 in a sale week, and then, if he is determined to invest a 

 certain amount, the rest of the business practically lies with 

 his trainer, probably a painstaking and conscientious man, 

 who does his best to ensure success. He looks over the 

 yearlings, makes his choice, and advises his new patron that 

 one is worth 2,000, another 1,000, and a third 500 guineas, 

 as the case may be. The two lay their plans accordingly, 

 and the trainer bids on a fixed limit. No. I tops their 

 limit, and they lose it ; No. 2 does ditto, or else does not 

 secure a bid of half the amount, and the trainer being 

 suspicious that there may be something wrong which he 

 has not noticed, ceases bidding. Owner and young trainer 

 are both a little ruffled by this time, and by some misunder- 

 standing they miss the one they had set at 500 guineas, and 

 find that all their plans have come undone. A hurried 

 consultation and hasty reference to the catalogue ensue, and 

 when the sale is over probably a couple have been purchased, 

 about which they have made no inquiries and which they 

 had probably not looked over at all. The speculation, which 

 it is purely, may turn out a good one ; but the probability 

 is that the animals bought are totally different from what 

 was originally wanted, and very likely are not worth their 

 keep. 



This is no imaginative scene, for it is to be witnessed at 

 every big sale, almost in exact counterpart. In such cases 

 it is difficult to blame the trainer if his zeal slightly over- 

 powers his discretion. He is anxious to fill his boxes, and 

 no doubt very desirous of winning races for his new patron, 



