Related article: backers, as used to be the case
many years ago, wheui a horse
was simply led out of one door
through another, and then taken
out and Buy Volmax galloped in the opposite
direction.
Still, there is such a thing as
throwing dust in the face of ob-
servers. Some years ago an
owner was desirous of trying a
certain two-year-old of his, and
it was arranged with the trainer
that the trial should come on on
a certain day. When he went
down overnight the trainer met
him with the announcement,
** We must not try our horses to-
morrow." *« Why not ? " asked
the owner. " We shall be
watched, sir," replied the otlff,
** and the old horse's white fare-
leg will enable anyone to spot
him." The old horse was of
course the schoolmaster, wbose
form was known, and agaissl
whom the two-year-old was to
gallop. " We will chance that,
and try them, and I will be down
at the stables early," replied the
owner. And so he was, Volmax Albuterol very eaiiy,
for when the trainer arrived he
found that the old horse's wbHe
foreleg had been painted bay, ^
the two-year-old rejoiced ia a
beautiful white stocking. Such, at
least, is the story.
To return, however, to the
class of what may be termed Turf
informants. Racing men of aa
older generation will remember
there was a " Lockett's Circuto,"
and the author thereof was ex-
ceedingly keen about racing. He
took a genuine interest in hb
small four-page publication, aad
gave his readers the very bes<
information he could obtain. The
late Mr. Bradley, too, who issued
" Judex's Opinion," was another
most conscientious Turf adviser.
Wherever racehorses were to be
seen, there he was taking notK d
them, and others might be cited.
They could not, of course, coo-
mand success, but they certainly
did their best to deserve it. Ntf
must one rank in the categoryot
tipsters the accredited represents
tives of the daily and weekly
papers, who do no more than a
this public form express ihof
opinion of the chances of the
horses engaged in the diflfefi*^
races. They may of course be
right, or they may be wrong,ffld
very often they are misled noo
the fact that people who, in the
racing parlance, laiow somclhiflfr
refrain from communicating it to
members of the Press lest the
information should gain dm*
publicity than they desire.
W.C.A.B,
i«99'T
371
"Our Van."
Linooln. — If we go racing in
March we must not be surprised
if now and again we have a rough
time of it. The rough time is,
perhaps, more the rule than the
exception at the Volmax Tablets Lincoln Spring
meeting, so-called, of course, to
distinguish it from the autumn
meeting, since there is almost
invariably a far stronger touch of
winter about it than spring. Last
year we had an open winter, and
Mark Tapley would have derived
no satisfaction from enjoying him-
self, but on the 1897 anniversary
there was blowing one of those
March winds that endeavours to
cram inside of twenty-four hours
the typical attributes of the whole
of the windy month. As to the
dust which is a king's ransom, at
this valuation there was enough
flying about on that occasion to
redeem from captivity every
monarch that had ever been made
prisoner since it became the
fashion to treat monarchs in that
manner. This year, another
terrible time was experienced,
and the finest attributes of the
British character had every op-
portunity for being brought into
high relief. The cold was bitter
on the first day, more bitter on
the second, and still more bitter
on the third. How the jockeys
stood it, in their apology for
clothing, what time men in furs
prayed for the end to come, is not
to be explained, save on the score
of condition. No one could have
been surprised had pneumonia
attacked some of them.
Just as one condones some
three weeks of consecutive days'
racing at the very end of the
season, one puts up with six days
in succession at the commence-
ment ; though it is decidedly irk-
some to have to reach Lincoln
from elsewhere on Sunday in
order to be on hand in good time
on Monday. Many enthusiasts
hke to be on the spot, so that they
may witness the early morning
gallops. One had to be very fond
indeed of this sort of thing to be out
early at Lincoln this year. Most
people were satisfied to hear what
the professional touts had to say
about it. Under more favourable
conditions, watching the morning
gallops would have been a very
pleasurable occupation. The ar-
rival list was large, and the field
for the Lincolnshire Handicap
promised to be one of the best
that had ever contested the race
This promise was borne out,
though nothing as good as several
horses that have run in the race,
was on view. We doubt whether
more good racers have ever been
seen together on the occasion.
The race should have been a very
close affair, but as a matter of
fact, it was a one-horse race.
General Peace taking the lead at
half a mile, and keeping it, with
the greatest ease, to the end.
What the others did is neither
here nor there, such was the
pulling up when the winner was
seen to be uncatchable. Nun
Nicer, for instance, could certainly
have been third, and very possibly
second. General Peace by no
means won out of his turn, and
though his connections must have
won a large stake, it should not
be forgotten that they suffered
severe disappointments on the two
occasions when General Peace
was beaten by a head only, with
the money down.
The Brocklesby gave us a
record inasmuch as Hulcot, the
winner, was the fourth in succes-
sion that John Watson has trained.
Three of these. Jest, Gay Lothair
372
BAILY S MAGAZINE.
[May
and Hulcot, have been for Mr.
Leopold de Rothschild, the fourth,
Amurath, being for Mr. Raphael.
Hulcot is by Crafton, and whether
or no he proves to be above
the ordinary run of Brocklesby
winners, his engagements give
him no chance of attaining the