176 



Trocke, Tom McCraitli, the Beasleys, the CuUens, and scores of others 

 of old and present time who bred, reared, trained, and rode their own 

 horses to victory. Hurrah for those fellows ! 



The foregoing rhapsody must not be interpreted to mean that I am 

 oblivious of the fact that owners, possessing great wealth, are not es- 

 sential to our sjDort, for surely they are, and for so many reasons, palpable 

 to everyone, I need not explain them. I only wish we had more ivorhnen 

 among them. 



A man like Mr. Blundell Maple, who, to prevent his being sold out of 

 the country, has given £15,000 for Common, a horse whose greatness at 

 present exists principally in having the mixed blood of Isonomy and 

 Thistle in his veins, and Mr. Robert Vyner, who has refused to sell 

 Minting for £21,000,''' which was offered privately for him by a foreigner 

 quite recently, are also the sort of men who are not alone celebrities of 

 our Turf, but are absolutely patriots. 



In the Irish Racing Calendar for 1891 (Vol. 102), which Mr. Thomas 

 Brindley has brought out in a most careful and comprehensive style, 

 is given a tabular return of horses which ran in Ireland for the last 

 forty-two years ; and also a table showing the number of races and 

 their value within same period. From these I have compiled the 

 following analysis : — 



Table Showing Ages of Horses which have been Raced in 

 Ireland since 1850. 



Number and Value of Races run in Ireland since 1850. 



No. of Races. 



1850 273 



. .1850-59 318 



t£ 1860-69 330 



241870-79 434 



> 1880-89 491 



< ^1850-89 393 



1890 638 



1891 606 



Value. 

 £15,537 

 18,739 

 20,008 

 30,666 

 28,042t 

 24,364 

 39,524 

 39,144 



* When Mr. Vyner refused this sum, he was asked to name the price he 

 would take for his horse, hut he decJined. — The Author. 

 t Punchestown stopped in 1882. 



