Horse Racing - Containing Information on Stabling, Training, Breeding and Other Aspects of Race Horse Preparation

I.—HORSE-RACING.

CHAPTER I.

GENERAL REMARKS ON HORSE-RACING.

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THE sole object for which horse-racing was originally established, and has since been supported by the powers that be, is, confessedly, the encouragement of the breed of English horses. No one can contend with a semblance of reason that in any other view it is capable of standing its ground as a national sport; for it is certainly alloyed with numberless objectionable concomitants; and it requires a strong inducement to those who wish well to the morals of the people to counterbalance these disadvantages. But while wars are inevitable attendants upon our fallen nature, well-mounted cavalry are essential to our existence as a nation; and unless a great encouragement is afforded to our horse-breeders, we shall speedily lose that pre-eminence in horse-flesh for which we have always been remarkable. It is quite true that while the exportation of horses is allowed, other nations participate in our advantageous position; but still, in case of a struggle near at home, that source of supply could be cut off, and we should neither export nor import them to any extent, if at all. But if it can be shown that a superior breed of horses is necessary or desirable for national defence as well as other purposes; if that breed is only likely to be maintained by extraordinary encouragement; and if racing alone provides that encouragement, and in its pristine purity—then, until some substitute is discovered, every patriotic Briton must lend his aid to its progress, or at all events avoid opposing its proceedings. Nevertheless, he may at the same time rigidly oppose the fraudulent actions and even gross robberies which are too common on the Turf, because there can be no real reason why the practice of running horses should be attended with more frauds or deceptions than exist in any other kind of competition. The causes of these attendant evils are plain enough, and to a great extent it rests with the public to encourage or remove them. This, however, is a subject which will be better considered as we go on in the examination of the details of horse-racing; and the only thing now necessary is to be thoroughly satisfied that the existence of our superior breed of horses depends upon the maintenance of the sport of horse-racing, leaving its purgation to a future time. In order, however, to enter fully into this question, two points must be assumed, which will be found fully supported by argument as we proceed. These are, first—that while to the highbred horse we look for the better class of our hunters and saddle and harness horses, it is to the Turf that is due their production in numbers sufficient to prevent them dwindling down, and if that encouragement were removed we should find the others not of sufficient power to prevent the thoroughbred horse from disappearing altogether. Secondly, that speed and stoutness can only be tested by competition, which must take the form of racing in some shape; for without this trial the horse-breeder could form no opinion as to the goodness of the stock from which to make his selection, because the external form is not sufficient for him, as every breeder knows, and with that guide alone he would be constantly liable to produce a showy but useless brute. If these two points are proved, it follows that racing in some shape must be maintained; and that it should be encouraged by the offer of Royal plates and other means, in order to tempt the wealthy and the noble of the land to devote their opportunities to produce this stock in the highest state of perfection and purity. The present grant for this purpose is, as far as any encouragement it is to the breed of horses, absurdly inadequate, for now that so much added money is given at every meeting, the grant for Royal plates is comparatively so small that if one first-class horse is entered others do not care to oppose him, the profit to be derived being out of all proportion to the risk run.

INTRODUCTION OF HANDICAPS.—With the great increase in the number of horses in training (of which the larger number have no pretensions to win a weight-for-age race; even when taking an allowance in weight against superior horses penalised for their victories), it was considered necessary to adopt some plan by which these inferior animals should have some chance of winning afforded them. For this purpose the handicap race was established, and to a certain extent it must be admitted that racing could not now be carried on without this class of contest, which must be looked upon as a necessary evil. But these proportions have of late years increased to a most undesirable extent, so much so that until recently the majority of racing programmes were composed of short distance handicaps intermixed with selling races, which also have grown rapidly of late years, and neither of which could it be pretended were of the slightest benefit to the cause that should rule paramount, viz., the improvement in the breed of horses. Indeed, these detrimental races assumed such proportions that they threatened to have seriously injurious effects on the well-being of the Turf. Fortunately, however, the evil was seen in time, and now by a rule of the Jockey Club, the governing body of the Turf, it is rendered imperative that no meeting shall be advertised in the Calendar (without which it would not be legal) unless the added money be not less than 300 sovs. per day, one-half of which should be added to a race or races of a mile and upwards. To the uninitiated it is perhaps necessary to explain that a handicap is a race in which the weights are apportioned to each horse entered as nearly as possible in accordance with the racing capabilities he has displayed in his career, It is a well proved fact that the penalty of a heavy weight will bring any good horse down to the level of the most inferior animal, and a handicap is a race in which it is attempted to so adjust the weights that each animal possesses an equal chance, in fact so that if no mistake has been made or deception practised all the competitors would finish exactly level. This is the theory of handicapping, but in practice this precise adjustment of the weights is from numerous causes utterly impossible, the chief of these being the deception practised on the handicapper (that is to say, the compiler of the weights), by running horses so that they do not do their best, and their true form being hidden, they escape more leniently, and are better handicapped than would be the case were it not for the cheat practised. At the present moment this is the bane of the Turf, to which it will be of serious consequence unless some means be adopted to check the evil. As the matter at present stands it would pay a man with a horse good enough to win the Derby to have him pulled for that race, and running him unfairly, get such a light weight upon him that he could, by winning one of the important Autumn handicaps at Newmarket, the Cesarewitch or the Cambridgeshire, secure with it a large sum in bets far exceeding the amount that could have been won on the Derby. This of course opens a great scope for fraud and chicanery, and reduces success in racing to the possession of the greatest cunning, for it may fairly be said that a public horse, by which we mean one that has been fairly run for all his engagements, has, except on few and rare occasions, no chance whatever of winning an important handicap. Fifty years ago such acts as these on the Turf would have been looked upon as a disgrace, and the perpetrator as simply a blackleg; but now, with constant repetition, the state of things has changed, and a man has but to run his horse fairly throughout his races to be looked upon with something approaching contempt for so badly managing what might have been in more clever hands an animal producing large profits instead of heavy losses. Unfortunately also it is not amongst the lower class of owners that we find this state of things, for it must be admitted that several members of the Jockey Club would come under the denomination of clever men, that is, clever in the art of so finessing and working their horses as to deceive the handicappers. We have now however amongst this body some men steadfast in the path of reform, and of the purgation of the Turf; and to these men we look to so regulate the law of handicapping that the charges of swindling, for it amounts to nothing else, shall be greatly reduced. To effect this desirable and imperatively necessary reform, a certain scale of handicapping in proportion to the age of a horse must be adopted. For instance, in the Cesarewitch it should be imperative that no four-years-old should carry less than 7 st. 7 lb., while we would raise the minimum weight in the handicap to 6 st.; five-years-old and upwards should at the same time not carry less than 7 st. 11 lb. In consequence of the great popularity of handicaps and the support they receive, the majority of weight-for-age races are looked upon with disfavour.

The DERBY, OAKS, and ST. LEGER, however, still retain their prestige, and are likely to do so, although compared with the immense sums now to be won on the more fashionable handicaps, but a small amount can be obtained by winning the most important race of the year, the Blue Riband of the Turf. A few years ago it was easy to back a yearling to win an immense stake for the Derby in which he was intended to compete a couple of years afterwards. Now, however, the case is very different; a few horses may find backers before the end of their two-year-old career, but the great majority of the bets are not recorded until the following season is fairly commenced, while for the Oaks no books are open until a few days prior to the decision of the race. Great as is the honour to straightforward sportsmen, the inducements for others to attempt success therein yearly becomes less, for year by year the amount to be won on a Derby becomes reduced. At one time the possession of a Derby favourite was to a trainer a positive infliction, for besides the usual staff of the establishment fighting men were to be hired and detectives always to be on the qui vive, to prevent injury to the horse, who being at a short price, and bad for the book of more than one heavy speculator, was the mark of many a tout whose time was devoted to devising means to cause him injury, and to carry them into effect to the profit of himself and his friend the bookmaker. Fortunately, however, this state of things has changed for the better, the Derby favourite is thought no more of than the City and Suburban horse, who if no mistake has been made in the elaborate plans for a coup is likely to prove the more profitable animal of the twain, while he himself is safe from injury seeing that in the multitude of horses backed there is safety to the one, and the bookmakers, credit be their due, are with very few exceptions content to obtain their livelihood legitimately by betting to their books, and not adopting nefarious means of increasing their certain and by no means small profits. Indeed at present the evil system of hocussing horses appears to have been almost entirely stamped out, the only noticeable case of recent years being in connection with BEND OR. This horse had won all his two-years-old races in such style as to stamp him much superior to any horse of his year, but despite this large sums were continually laid against him for the Derby at prices much exceeding the chance he possessed. An attempt to destroy his Derby chance by substituting turpentine balls for the tonic balls it was deemed advisable to give him was fortunately discovered before any lasting injury had been effected, and the biters were bitten, for Bend Or won the Derby of 1880.

EVIL TENDENCIES OF BETTING. — Despite the fact, however, that intentional and planned injury to a horse, in consequence of the money laid against him for a particular race, is a thing rarely heard of in these days, it cannot be denied that betting exerts many evil influences, and, as already remarked, is taken advantage of by the betting-man: horses are frequently entered and made favourites for races solely for the purpose of enabling a clever class of men to lay against them, or milking, as the plan is denominated, and thus making sure of a large sum of money—not so great, it is true, as that which could be landed by success, but still sufficient to ensure a paying and almost certain return. In some cases two or three horses are entered by the same party, one of which is meant to run, and is kept back in the betting, whilst the others are never intended to win, but are used solely as a means of insuring such a sum as shall pay all expenses, and perhaps a little more, in case of the failure of the one intended to win. All this chicanery is no doubt very bad, but it is not solely attendant upon racing, for whenever betting is practised to any extent, there is sure to be some kind of over-reaching, whether on the stock-exchange, in the gambling-house, at the hop-markets, or on the turf; but this has nothing to do with the events upon which those bets are made. It might as well be alleged that the growth of hops was very immoral because when they were liable to duty they were made the groundwork of incessant gambling, as that horse-racing has that tendency. No doubt both are attended with evil; and if hops and horses could be dispensed with, perhaps there might be some little difficulty in supplying their places with equally uncertain and fluctuating materials; but while straw can be drawn out of a rick, or maggots can be raced over a plate, bets will be laid to any amount which will suit the ideas of the bystanders; and even the total destruction of horses and hops would fail in rooting out this propensity to gamble.

REFORM OF THE TURF.—With the enormous increase in racing, which has now become one of the most important trades of the country—many thousands deriving from it their living, in addition to the tens of thousands to whom it is a source of pleasure—in the value of stakes, and in the amount of betting upon them the inducement to the perpetration of fraud is of course greatly increased, and many reforms were rendered necessary. Some of these have been effected since Mr. W. S. Craven has been in office as Steward of the Jockey Club, but many more remain unfulfilled, but before then, betting men had been brought within legitimate bounds. That as long as the Turf lasts betting will be an accompaniment to it may be deemed certain, even though with the greatly increased value of stakes—2,000 sovs. are now given in added money to one race at Manchester—Lord George Bentinck’s aphorism that no man could make race horses pay unless he betted, may be put down as a statement that, true at the time, has by force of altered circumstances become incorrect. A few years ago one of the most certain sources of big incomes amongst the betting fraternity was the keeping of betting houses, the speculations of some of which became of such magnitude that they quite governed the state of odds, so that if there were a great run upon any particular horse, the commission agent, as he called himself, could throw his thousands into the market, and for the great part of the money obtain an outside price, which money would cause the animal backed to become a good favourite, with the result that the unfortunate clients whose money had been used were returned the shorter price, the commission agent standing to win a large sum with no chance of losing, and this although he professed to charge but a small commission on the profits, if any. In other cases the betting agent would, so to speak, have the animal in his pocket, that is, he would know that a share of the plunder would cause his owner not to run him, in which case the unfortunate backers would have a most liberal price paid them, to their great jubilation, until the horse, having fulfilled his destiny, was struck out of the race. This brought a great profit to the leeches, many of whom made large fortunes, for their modes of procedure were far from being limited to the instances quoted. Fortunately, however, the attention of the Government was called to the game being played, the betting-houses were broken up and such stringent laws made that after a temporary sojourn in Scotland, until the law was made to embrace that part of the kingdom, Messrs. the Commission Agents flitted across the water to Boulogne and other places, where for a time all went well with them. Again, however, the law of the land inflicted a blow upon them, and this a crushing one, for it being seen that their means of obtaining patronage, wherever they might be located, were certain so long as their advertisements appeared in the lower class of sporting papers, a law was passed suppressing these advertisements altogether, and the hitherto good game was played out, although it is worthy of notice that of late very suggestive advertisements are again constantly appearing. The time will however doubtless come when the law will assert itself, and Messrs. the Commission Agents will drop out of existence.

Recently the Rules of Racing were thoroughly revised by the Jockey Club assisted by Sir Henry Hawkins, now a member of that body, one of the most important alterations being that which rendered it compulsory that all intended meetings should be advertised in the Calendar, and that no meeting should be held at which at the least 300 sovs. per day were not given in added money. This was a splendid move in the right direction, as it quietly knocked on the head a number of wretchedly small plating race meetings that had gradually been growing in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, and which, usually promoted or patronized by a publican, were nothing but scenes of the grossest robbery, of no profit or benefit to any but the promoters and the welchers by whom they were so well patronized. The Jockey Club have now been spurred into making some efforts to purge the Turf of its impurities, the passing of the Race Course Licensing Bill showing them clearly that if they remained dormant and utterly careless as to what was going on in their particular province, Parliament was not disposed to connive at their criminal negligence, but would take out of their hands the power to act. Seeing this, they bestirred themselves to a certain extent, and good has resulted. In one thing, however, they are sadly negligent; for although the law of the land has rendered ready-money betting a penal offence, it is permitted to take place ad libitum on the private property of the Jockey Club, Newmarket Heath, which of course, under such circumstances, becomes the resort of the scum of the populace, for where the carcase is there will the vultures be gathered together. By this most salutary law for the repression of ready-money betting, the Legislature has conferred an immense boon on the respectable portion of the racing community; but the Jockey Club, by their laches in permitting it to be broken, are undoing the good effected, and moreover actually encouraging the managers of race meetings to go on in their evil ways, in which they are only following the example set them. The action of the Jockey Club in increasing the value of plates necessary to be run for had scotched the snake which Mr. Anderson’s Act was intended to kill. But the Bill was too local in its enactments, for necessary though it had become to adopt severe repressive measures with some of these metropolitan meetings, they were not worse than those of their class in the neighbourhood of other large centres, and would have been better had the Racecourse Licensing Bill been extended to the whole country. This may be effected in time, to the well-being of the Turf. In one respect, however, a mistake has been made, which is in making the magistrates of the county the licensing body. Of course amongst them is many a good sportsman, qualified to judge as to the desirability of granting the licence; but perhaps he sits next to a bigot who, narrow in views and small of heart, considers anything with which he is not connected to be in opposition to all laws, human and divine, and first of all would he repress racing, of which he knows nothing, which however does not prevent him from forming and fulminating extreme views. These are not the men who should have the power to promote or injure sport, and the Jockey Club should be the licensing body, and moreover should not have the power of granting the licence without the payment of a tax. The question of jockeys and the laws relating to them have of late been a fruitful theme of discussion at Jockey Club meetings, with the result that as the law now stands no jockey after having once ridden a winner can ride again without a licence from the Jockey Club. This is a move forward, but it is a pity that the proposal that no jockey should be allowed to bet had not also been carried; it will, however, doubtless soon become law, as several of those who voted against the measure did so under a misconception, the question having been too hurriedly brought forward. A lightweight jockey has many temptations. Petted and made a fool of, and companion, by the person whose servant he is, probably utterly devoid of education; success turns his head and he goes to the bad, or becomes so inflated with his own conceit that he will brook no control, and all must be subservient to him, a position we must confess well filled by more than one member of the Jockey Club. These facts are well known, and one or two notorious cases have been brought to the attention of the stewards of the Jockey Club, who will doubtless shortly pass a law putting a stop to this iniquitous state of things, but they must also decide to warn off all courses where Racing Rules are in effect any person found guilty of betting for a jockey, or they will find their law of none effect. It is absurd to profess to feel that the jockeys are ill-used in this matter; they are merely kept from abusing their trust. If they are not allowed to bet they cannot forestall their employers, and there will be no inducement for them to commit robberies, which some of them have been committing of late in the most barefaced manner.

RACING IS DIVIDED into Flat-racing, Hurdle-racing and Steeple-chasing, in addition to which, though scarcely coming under the same category, is TROTTING, and of these the two first-named have marvellously increased in importance of recent years, during which hurdle-racing, quite a hybrid sport, has crept into existence, and now obtained a most sturdy growth. Of little moment until quite lately, hurdle-racing is now become a most important feature of the sport, 500 sovs., 800 sovs., and 1,000 sovs. being annually added to each of three races over hurdles. Flat-racing has assumed most gigantic proportions, so enormous that last year the value of the stakes run for in Great Britain and Ireland amounted to 380,699 sovs., and that during the same year the yearlings sold by public auction for racing purposes realized over 85,000 guineas, although prices as a rule were low in consequence of the stagnation of the Money Market. Steeple-chasing appears to be going out of fashion, despite the large sums given in added money, but it will always exist as a more or less important feature of our sport. The comparatively little support accorded to steeple-chasing is doubtless due in a great measure to the prominent position taken by Hunters’ Stakes. At one time these races were confined almost exclusively to hunt-meetings, but now the racing hunter is seen almost everywhere, very few meetings being held without a race of this sort, and as the animals that contest these races are the same that a few years ago recruited the ranks of the steeple-chaser, we have not far to seek ere finding a valid reason for the decadence of the latter branch of sport. Hunters’ races are now most popular and well supported; there are, generally speaking, good entries for them and plenty of betting. To show the class of animals engaged in them, who would almost without exception be out of place in the field despite their hunting certificates, it may be mentioned that three animals have been running in these races for each of whom 1,200 guineas was refused, while another was sold for considerably over 1,000 guineas.

CHAPTER II.

THE THOROUGH-BRED RACE-HORSE.

SECT. 1.—DEFINITION OF THE THOROUGH-BRED HORSE.

THIS is not quite so simple as is generally supposed, for though the thoroughbred horse is said to be of pure Eastern blood, this is not really the case when traced back to the earliest times of which we have any account. In the pedigree of Eclipse the breed of nearly a dozen mares is unknown; and the same amount of impure blood, or nearly so, will be found in every horse of his date—that is to say, if they are as far removed from the primary roots of all our best stocks. Hence, this definition will not suffice, since it is clearly not applicable to a horse whose blood runs in almost every breed of the present day; and not only to him, but to others as well. The only criterion, therefore, which will hold good as a definition, is the appearance in the Stud Book, where every horse or mare considered thorough-bred is registered; and, by common consent, this is accepted as the test of pure breeding. All horses, therefore, which are the produce of mares therein described, and by horses also to be found in its pages, are called thorough-bred; and all others are commonly designated as half bred, whether composed of half pure blood, or three-quarters, or seven-eighths, or any other proportion. Many of our half-bred stallions are very nearly pure, but nothing can now wash out the stain which formerly was considered easily eradicated by a few crosses of Eastern blood.

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SECT. 2.—ORIGIN OF THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE.

We are indebted to the Stuarts for the first great improvement made in the breed of our horses, James I. and Charles I. and Queen Anne having introduced the Arabian blood, and Charles II. laying the foundation of our present breeds by importing several mares (called Royal Mares, from their master), to which may be traced the celebrated horses of the last century, and some of our best modern breeds. Numerous Eastern horses were also imported at various times, including the following, all of which are named in the Stud Book:—

ARABIANS.

Duke of Ancaster’s

Alcock’s

Basset’s

Duke of Beaufort’s White and Grey

Bell’s

Bethell’s

Blackett’s

Blair’s

Bolingbroke’s Bay

Bright’s Roan

Lord Brooke’s

Burlton

Bunbury

Chesterfield

Clements’

Clifton

Coomb

Conyers

Croft’s Bloody Buttocks

Cullen

Curwen’s Chestnut

Cyprus

Damascus

Lord D’Arcy’s Chestnut

Darley

Duke of Devonshire’s Chestnut

Eaton

General Evans’s

Ferrers

Fletcher’s

Sir E. Gascoigne’s

Gibson’s.

Godolphin

Gregory’s

Gresley Bay Roan

Grosvenor

Hall’s

Hampton Ct. Chestnut and One-eyed Grey

Harpur’s

Honeywood

Khalan

Leedes

Lexington

Litton Chestnut

Lonsdale Grey and Bay

Lord Lovaine’s

Markham’s Grey

Milward’s

Lord Morton’s

Newcomb Bay

Sir M. Newton’s Bay

Duke of Northumberland’s Chestnut, Golden, Bay, Grey, and Brown

Oglethorpe

Ossory

Lord Oxford’s Dun and Bloody-Shouldered

Oxlade’s

Panton’s

Parker’s

Pembroke

Lord Algernon Percy’s Grey

Philippo’s

Pulleine’s Chestnut

Radcliffe’s

Ld. Rockingham’s

Rutland

Saanah

Sir C. Sedley’s

Sir John Sebright’s

General Smith’s

Somerset

Stanyan’s

Sir R. Sutton’s Grey

Thompson’s Grey

Vernon

Ward’s

Wilkinson’s Bay

Williams’s Woodstock

Wilson’s Chestnut

Witham Grey

Sir W. Wynn’s Bay

BARBS.

Burton

Lord Carlisle’s

Chillaby

Cole’s

Compton’s

Croft’s Bay

Curwen’s Bay

Curzon’s Grey

Dodsworth

Fairfax

Fenwick

Godolphin Grey

Gower Dun

Greyhound

Halifax Roan

Sir J. Harper’s

Humpton Ct. Cripple

Hutton’s Grey and Bay

King William’s Blk. No-tongued

Admiral Keppel’s

Layton

Lowther (White-legged)

Lord March’s

Duke of Marlborough’s Little Mountain

Massey Black

Sir W. Morgan’s Grey and Black

Moonah (Queen Anne’s)

Morocco

Orford

Panton Grey

Pelham

Duke of Rutland’s Black

Shafto’s

St. Victor’s

Taffolet

Tarran’s

Thoulouse

Lord Townshend’s Brown

Vernon

Walpole

Wolseley

TURKS.

Akaster

Belgrade

Brownlow

Byerly

Lord Carlisle’s

D’Arcy’s Yellow and White.

Devonshire

Fawkener’s

Sir E. Hale’s

Helmsley

Holderness

Lister or Straddling

Mulso Bay

Newcastle

Paget

Philipson’s

Philips’s Brown

Pigot

Place’s White

Duke of Richmond’s

Capt. Rouksby’s

Rutland Grey

Selaby

Stamford

Strickland’s

Sutton

Wastell’s

Wilkinson’s

PERSIANS.

Lord Burlington’s

Howe’s

The King’s (1769)

Com. Matthws’s

BUT THE CHIEF ROOTS of our best horses may be considered the three following Eastern horses:—First, the Byerly Turk, of whom nothing more is known than that he was Captain Byerly’s charger in Ireland in 1689; secondly, the Darley Arabian, imported by Mr. Darley, of Yorkshire, very early in the eighteenth century, supposed about 1702; and the Godolphin Arabian (not to be confounded with the Godolphin Grey Barb) imported a few years later, and first used as a sire in 1731, in consequence of the failure of Hobgoblin, to whom he acted in the ignoble capacity of teaser.

From the two Arabians and the Turk above-mentioned are derived all our best breeds, in whose pedigrees their names will invariably be found mixed up with more or less of the descendants of the other Eastern horses and mares given in the previous list. In examining pedigree-tables it is customary to trace the descent chiefly through the male line, and hence various horses are considered to be descendants of one or other of these three horses, when they really own more of the blood of one or both of the other two. Thus Eclipse is generally said to be a descendant of the Darley Arabian—and so he was—being a son of Marske, who was son of Squirt, who was a grandson of the Darley Arab, through Bartlett’s Childers; but then Eclipse was out of Spilletta, who was by Regulus, son of Godolphin, and consequently he was composed of one-eighth Godolphin and one-sixteenth Darley Arabian blood.

It has been contended by some persons who have