THE WEAK GO TO THE WALL. 121 



proper physic, exercise, work, and sweating are all 

 the means that can be employed to bring a race-horse 

 into the highest or rather best condition his consti- 

 tution is capable of: but it is in properly ad- 

 ministering and adapting all and each of these to 

 each jmrticular horse where the head of the trainer is 

 required ; and in doing this is shown the difference 

 between the mere practical trainer and the man who 

 has discrimination enough to watch his treatment as 

 it affects these different horses, and vary it accord- 

 ingly — that is, if he will give himself the trouble to 

 think about the subject. This requires a degree of 

 integrity and devotion to the interest of his employer 

 that every man is not disposed to show, and ingenuity 

 and mind that few men in such situations possess. 

 This leads me to make a few remarks on large and 

 first-rate racing or training estabUshments. These 

 are no places to send a third or fourth rate race-horse 

 to: first-rate trainers hate even second-rate horses: 

 they feel they will do them no credit: their whole 

 and sole attention is devoted to the pets or flyers of 

 their stables; while the inferior horses (who by the 

 by require the greatest attention to their training 

 in order as much as possible to make superior 

 condition make amends as far as it will go for 

 their want of speed or stoutness) are turned over 

 to the head-lad, and may think themselves fortunate 

 if they engross much of his attention: consequently, 

 bad as they may be, they are rendered worse from 

 their not being brought out in their best form. A 

 very little from being qtiite right Avill bring a first- 

 rater to the level of a second : what then will being 

 veri/ far from up to his mark bring an inferior horse 



