Dexter was foaled in 1858, was not broken-in until he was four years old, and until then had never eaten grain of any kind. He did not trot a race until he was six years old, and was king of the trotting track until 1868, since which date I have no record of him. In 1867, when nine years old, he trotted one mile in 2 m. 17¼ s., and in the same year he won two heats against Lady Thorn, for two-mile heats, the fastest of which was done in 4 m. 51 s.
American Girl was foaled in 1862. She appeared on the track in 1867; and I find she was still running in 1874, when twelve years old, and in that year did a mile in 2 m. 16¾ s., and in all probability she is still trotting.
Dexter never trotted until he was six years old; Dutchman never trotted until he was six, [108] ]and underwent no training until he was seven years of age; Goldsmith Maid and Lady Thorn were eight years old before they were introduced to the trotting track.
Now having enumerated these facts (taken from the celebrities of the American trotting turf), which apply equally to hunting as to racing, may I ask, is it common sense to gallop a colt when a yearling, to train and race him as a two-year-old, and get him screwed and useless except for breeding purposes when he is three or four years old, thus doing away with a long course of excellence and utility? How many colts ever see a race-course after they are three or four years old, whilst those that are able to gallop at five or six years of age are looked upon as wonders? Look at such horses as Flying Childers, Eclipse, Matchem, Goldfinder, Gimcrack, Pot-8-os, Bay Malton, Glencoe, Bay Middleton, St. Albans, Blair Athol, Favonius, &c. &c., who never ran as two-year-olds. Again, look at Macgregor, who won the 2,000 guineas in 1870; and Doncaster, who [109] ]won the Derby and came in second for the St. Leger in 1873, won the Goodwood Cup in 1874, and the Ascot Cup and Alexandra Plate in 1875, and was sold for 14,000l., the highest price ever paid for a stud horse; both these horses never ran as two-year-olds.
On the other hand, look at The Rake, Lady Elizabeth, Queen’s Messenger, Pall Mall, Almoner, Sir William Wallace, and a host of other horses, who were not able to stand the shocks of training. Kingcraft, although he won the Derby in 1870, came out badly afterwards, which is generally attributed to his having run so much as a two-year-old, plainly showing that however great his speed was, he was unable to withstand early training, and thus a good horse was spoilt.
We first begin to train them as yearlings, and run them so much as two-year-olds that many become roarers, like Prince Charlie, Belladrum, and Liddington; or rupture their suspensory ligaments, like Student, Crucifix, and Dundee; rupture blood-vessels, like The [110] ]Rake, Hermit, and Atlantic; whilst others fall down dead whilst at exercise, like Orinoco and Aquilo.
Racing now-a-days is a money-making business, carried on under the cloak of improving the breed of our horses, which in reality is quite a secondary consideration, money-making being the chief object. I do not say this out of spite, for I am very much attached to racing: in fact it is, in my opinion, the sport par excellence of all others. But I must own I should like to see more attention paid to the improvement of stock than to the accumulation of the almighty dollar. So long as we run two-year-olds, so long will the stamina of our horses diminish, and our two-year-olds run a few times and, as a rule, disappear for ever.
[111]
]CHAPTER VI.
BREAKING TO HARNESS.
DOUBLE VERSUS SINGLE HARNESS—FOUR WHEELS VERSUS TWO—BREAKING TO DOUBLE HARNESS—BREAKING TO SINGLE HARNESS—BREAKING THE CART COLT TO HARNESS—BLINKERS—LADIES’ EYES.