112 THE BREEDS OF LIV E-STOCK 
tributed in large part, no doubt, to the fact that the destiny 
of the Thoroughbred has been cast with men who had un- 
limited resources on which to draw. 
Time and altered customs have wrought important 
changes in the system under which these horses are raced, 
with some corresponding modification in type. Whereas, 
up to 1880 these races had been in four-mile heats, the 
custom now is to run dashes, carry less weight, and start 
as two-year-olds, a custom, which, like the horse, has 
come to us from England. The wisdom of the present 
course is doubted by some who hold the stamina and 
weight-carrying ability of the old four-milers in higher 
esteem than the great flights of extreme speed for a few 
furlongs, shown by our modern sprinters. Conflicting 
opinions are expressed, too, with regard to the probability 
of these twentieth-century horses being capable of lower- 
ing the distance-records of a century ago. Those who 
know, however, are reluctant to admit that the Thorough- 
bred of to-day is a degenerate in any sense, and, in support 
of their view, they maintain that in olden times the horses 
ran but a few races a year, with no handicaps, and they 
were especially trained for each race. Against this, the 
modern horse is credited with being kept in racing form 
nine months in the year, running many races in a single 
season, and these closely contested because of the number 
of contestants and the method of adjusting handicaps. 
The three classic events run in England are the Derby, 
the St. Leger and the Oaks. The first Derby was run 
May 4, 1780, for a stake valued at fifty guineas, open to 
three-year-olds, colts to carry eight stone, fillies seven 
stone eleven pounds, over a distance of one mile. It was 
won by Diomed. The first and only American-bred horse 
to win the English Derby was Iroquois, a line descendant of 
