183 



which has to be paid by either the jockeys or their employers, we may 

 put each mount down at £6. That gives us, say, for round numbers, 

 £9,800 as the sum paid to and for professional riders, and is calculated 

 only at the statutable fees. 



It is to be observed that the foregoing figures deal only with horses 

 which have actually raced. There has been nothing said about those 

 which did 7iot race, but which have had to be fed and cared for all the 

 same, and in many instances trained. Neither have I dealt with the 

 foals or yearlings. To treat with either the non-starters or the 

 youngsters in a calculation such as this is a very difficult undertaking, 

 because there is no basis to start from in the shape of a return. Any 

 calculation that can be made must, therefore, be approximate even to 

 a greater degree than if the numbers were given. 



I shall, however, despite the difficulties, attempt the task. 



To begin : — The number of racehorses, including those from two- 

 year-old upwards, which did not start in Ireland in 1891, I can't be far 

 wrong in putting down at half that of the horses which did start. 

 That gives us just 550. Many of them were two-year-olds, and others 

 v/hich, having to be laid by, would not cost as much to keep as if they 

 were older or in training. On the other hand there were many which 

 were kept in training, but from one cause or other were not started for 

 a race. Taking them all round, let us put the 550 non-starters at 203. 

 a week to keep ; that would be to £550 a week, or £28,600 for the year. 



Considering the fact that seventy-nine horses started as two-year- 

 olds, we may reasonably conclude that at least treble that number of 

 foals bad to ba hred—i.e., that one out of three foals bred for racing 

 start as two-year-olds. (I don't think one in six do so ; but never 

 mind.) That would give us, say, for round numbers, 250 foals reared in 

 1889. Say half of them died or were useless before they were fit to be 

 trained, that would leave 125 to go into a trainer's hands at, say, 

 eighteen months old. These 125 youngsters would have cost, including 

 service of the dam, at least £50 apiece up to that time. This totals 

 £6,250 as the cost of our two-year-olds before they had begun the 

 rudiments of their education. Thus we had, in 1891, 675 horses which 

 did not start — costing to keep £34,850. 



We shall dive still deeper into the mysteries of racing, and see what 

 further good the grand old sport does by reason of the circulation of 

 money. 



In Mr. Brindley's little " white book " I see chronicled ninety-five 

 different race-meetings as having taken place in 1891. Some few of 

 these were comparatively small local affairs of one day. On the other 

 hand a great many were important meetings with two days, 

 while we have Cork, Baldoyle, Fairyhouse, Leopardstown, and old 

 Punchestown, not to speak of the Curragh, of very first class 

 importance. 



Now what was the amount of money spent by the public attending 

 these race rhmions, totally irrespective of the cost of racing the 



