GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 17 



sums of money, young and perfectly untried animals which 

 have cost very little to keep and nothing at all to train. The 

 only difficulty is to make the public, or even a small section of 

 it, share the apparent belief of the owner and induce them to 

 pay for the yearling colts in proportion to their credulity. 



If Sir Tatton had been obliged to put all his colts into train- 

 ing, instead of disposing of them to the highest bidder, even for 

 a mere song, as was toward the end the case, he would, I am 

 convinced, in spite of his eccentric obstinacy, soon have changed 

 his mind and principle of breeding. I could continue the sub- 

 ject, and make similar remarks with regard to some studs of 

 the present day largely breeding for sale from untried mares. 

 It is thus not surprising to see such breeders on speculation 

 amongst the foremost champions of that theory. Any attempt 

 to get from the same men — who invariably have a large stock 

 of rublDish on hand for sale to the unwary stranger- — one of 

 those mares with racing performances (of which, as I explained 

 before, they keep a small number), will be met with the de- 

 mand of an absurd price or the stereotyped " not for sale." 

 Should, however, an exception be made and a reasonable sum 

 asked, it is ten to one that there is something wrong about the 

 mare. 



On the other hand, it is evident that in England latterly 

 a wholesome reaction has commenced to prevail ; not so in 

 France, where the thoroughbred is at present in danger of 

 suffering from the pernicious wholesale production from un- 

 tried mares in studs breeding for .sale. 



In support of the assertions of those fanatics who ridicule 

 individual racing form as not hereditary, and look for the 

 probability of propagation of such qualities in the breed only, 

 without taking into account the propagating individual, Poca- 

 hontas ("the clam of Stockwell, Rataplan, King Tom, etc.) is 

 frequently quoted as the irrefutable proof of the correctness of 

 their theory. They copy from one another, and rely on the 

 public taking as little trouble as themselves to refer to the 

 Racing Calendar for the old mare's performances. For the 

 benefit of those who not only look for examples to prove their 

 2 



