" DOGS ARE HONEST CREATURES." 87 



This reminds me of what a nobleman, a great 

 courser, once said when some one asked him why he 

 Avas so shy of betting on a race when he betted so 

 freely on his greyhounds ? " My dogs do not carry 

 jockeys," said his Lordship. 



Let us now look a little into the for and against 

 practice of trying a horse against a stop-watch. I can 

 mention one objection to trusting to it, which is this : 

 if we measure our horse's qualifications by such a test, 

 Ave must always run our race the same way, namely, 

 makino; best runnino- from end to end. Now this does 

 not suit many horses in a race : where we depend on 

 liis powers of finishing a race, any trial as to time 

 Avould be useless ; for though a horse might go a mile 

 to-day against time in nearly half the time he does it 

 to-morrow in a match, the time of doing the mile is 

 nothing, but the time or speed in which the last hun- 

 dred yards are done is everything. vSome horses have 

 most extraordinary powers in finishing a race, and, 

 can, Avhen tired, make a Avonderful effort for a few 

 strides : others, though quite willing, have scarcely 

 anything in them when called upon, and such horses 

 are generally beat upon the post. Very speedy horses, 

 if they are upon any terms with their opponent, when 

 a few strides from home, are almost sure of their race. 

 The fact is, their speed is so tremendous they are 

 never at their very best till the hands, Avhip, and spurs, 

 call it forth for half a dozen lengths ; and the rush 

 settles the business. The sloAver horse is not capable 

 of this increased speed, so cannot come, Avhen called 

 on, to the same extent. The objection I have pointed 

 out in no Avay, however, militates against the trial by 



time being practised ; for it is only one objection to 



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