246 A Morning at Newmarket 



to have a tolerably even chance, for all appeared to be 

 going equally well, and none were being pushed ; but 

 though there was no cantering in, and indeed something 

 of a fight at the finish, the trainer was right. The eye 

 of long experience, especially in the case of a born 

 horseman, sees much. 



We have not yet found the horses of which we 

 are in search, however, but, cantering on by the side 

 of the tan, soon descry the familiar clothing and greet 

 then- trainer, who has something of excitement on his 

 face this morning, for, indeed, a couple of the choicest 

 two-year-olds in his stable are about to be tried. He 

 trained a Derby winner once — one of the best of Derby 

 winners — moreover, the very best, he will strenuously 

 maintain ; and he can give no better praise to anything 

 of which he is fond than declaring that it looks ' just 

 like the old horse.' If there is no very great resemblance 

 m make and shape between the ' old horse ' and the 

 descendant, he will find similarity of action, and it is. 

 his delight to stand behind a yearling in the stable, 

 rake aside its tail with his walking stick, and discover in 

 its hocks and thighs the looked-for likeness. 



' They've done here. We were just going through on 

 to the Limekilns,' he says ; and we pass through the 

 belt of trees — the long wood, indeed, for it is more 

 than a belt — to find ourselves on a broad expanse of 

 green turf sloping down from the wood to a road 

 something less than half a mile beyond, on the other 

 side of which many horses are walking about. We 

 are on the Limekilns. Scattered here and there are 

 little groups of men, mounted and afoot, a lady or. two 

 being in some cases with them, as a rule on horseback ; 

 and from right to left sheeted horses follow each other 



