50 CONDITION. 
Again, the Coranna Colt, just before his intended trial, being, 
as I thought, fit to run and if anything rather too light, broke 
his thigh, and was at once destroyed. To my astonishment 
when he was opened, he was found to be a mass of fat; clear 
evidence that he was not more than half prepared. Yet, as I 
have said, his outward appearance betokened that he was 
thorcughly trained, and if anything, rather overdone. The 
natural and immediate inference to my mind was that when 
beaten in their respective trials, Sz Gales and One Act may 
have been in the same condition ; and I concluded that had 
the Coranna Colt been tried he would as assuredly have been 
defeated. These results plainly indicate how absolutely neces- 
sary time and work are in preparing a horse to run a long 
distance. The practical part of training, the knowledge gained 
by experience, enables the trainer to give an opinion on the 
condition of the horses under his charge before any one else ; 
yet, from the many anomalies attending the process, some of 
which have been explained, even he may be deceived. One 
horse may look fit, when in reality he is big and short of work ; 
another that is absolutely fit, looks just the reverse, or as 
some would style it, overtrained. 
These difficulties staring him in the face, it behoves the 
trainer to be ever on the alert; to watch the condition of each 
horse from the first canter to the last gallop; and how exact 
and continuous this watchfulness must be will be explained 
when we come to treat of Preparation. 
