346 THE SPORT OF KINGS 



course should not be chosen so that people can 

 have some chance of seeing the larger portion of 

 the race, including the finish, and in order that 

 this should be accomplished there should be a 

 flagged course. 



I now come to another portion of the subject, 

 and that not altogether a pleasant one. At present 

 there is no rule to prevent any one, no matter who 

 he is, from running a horse or riding one in a 

 point-to-point race provided he is qualified by 

 being a member of the hunt under whose auspices 

 it takes place, or a farmer resident within the 

 district of the hunt. Yet I am sorry to say that I 

 have seen more ramps at point-to-point meetings, 

 and more contraventions of the spirit which under- 

 lies all racing law, and without which no racing 

 would long be possible, than I have done in a com- 

 paratively wide and long experience in the racing 

 world. It may be argued that the monetary 

 interest is not large enough to tempt men to go 

 wrong, that there is little betting, and that there- 

 fore every man who runs his horse in the point- 

 to-point races held by his hunt must go straight. 

 Those who believe in such arguments as these may 

 be referred to local flower and poultry shows for 

 examples to the contrary of their belief. I re- 

 member on one occasion when a match was the 

 result of a point-to-point race, the owner of one 

 horse expressing himself certain that but for 

 accident he could have won. The match was 

 to be run over four miles of country, and the 

 winner of the previous race was the non-favourite, 

 bookmakers asking for and obtaining odds of 6 to 

 4. And the non-favourite came in alone, for the 

 favourite, as well mannered a horse as ever wore 



