356 TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS. 



masters of the business before they are out of their 

 teens, in either capacity, and often in both ; whilst from 

 the kindness of gentlemen engaging them, and of 

 their employers in so highly educating them for the 

 station in life which they occupy with so much grace 

 and ability, they give presage of still greater know- 

 ledge and skill. We have trainers, undoubtedly men of 

 eminence, whose antecedents verily gave little promise 

 of the astounding wisdom which they have displayed. 

 We see this phenomenon in all trades ; but in my 

 own profession we see masters of the art created out 

 of barbers, packmen and piemen — Stebbing, Parr and 

 Petitt to wit, and others whose only acquirement was 

 the utter absence of all knowledge whatever of a horse 

 and its needs in any shape or form. ISTevertheless, 

 success however gained is genius, and talent in any 

 form will be recognised without regard to antecedents, 

 whether on the racecourse or in the Senate. The 

 latter, indeed, wants debating power ; and it is to be 

 regretted that up to the present time no member 

 of the racing profession in its two branches has ac- 

 ceded to the wishes of some powerful constituency 

 in order to represent the interests of a much-neglected 

 body, and to figure side by side with the self-sacri- 

 ficing Mr. Arch, the friend of everyone but himself, 

 or the elegant Mr. Bradlaugh, the champion of the 

 people's right to believe in nothing at all. For one 

 thing, trainers and jockeys have money, the one 

 powerful source of success without argument. They 



