202 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



pull. A time comes with the latter when he must do his 

 best in order to win, and then when the reins are gradually 

 slackened the rider gets relief. With a sluggish horse, 

 however, it is just the contrary. He will relax his efforts 

 the moment you stop urging him, and the nearer you are 

 to the winning-post, the more exertion you have to use. 

 What a tremendous strain this is on the jockey few out- 

 siders can realise. I once had a conversation with the 

 late Sir Andrew Clark on the subject, and he owned that 

 he could not understand it at all. The loss of weight in 

 even the short time that a six-furlong race takes is some- 

 times considerable, and shows clearly what an immense effort 

 has been made. But what Sir Andrew could not explain 

 was, how the weight is lost. There is no time to lose it 

 solely by perspiration, and my idea is that it goes con- 

 siderably in the breath, for on such occasions one often 

 has to pant hard. In an ordinary race not an ounce is 

 lost, but as much as a pound and even more may be 

 parted with in very hard races, unless one has been 

 wasting much. The greatest slug I ever rode was a 

 horse called " King George," and I never weighed out 

 for him without allowing an extra pound for what I 

 knew I should lose before I returned. He was a good 

 horse, and could both stay and go fast, but had to be 

 made to do his best. At one meeting I won on him over 

 1^ miles the first day, 2 miles the second day, and 2 

 miles the third day. His owner was greedy, and would 

 yet run him in another race on the last day, although he 

 ought to have been content with the three he had won. 

 We were badly in too, the weights all being in favour of 

 " Carnival," a very good horse. The distance was 1 \ 

 miles, and as the others were afraid of " King George," 



