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A MIRROR OF THE TURF.
A MIRROR
OF THE TURF
OR
THE MACHINERY OF HORSE-RACING REVEALED
SHOWING
THE SPORT OF KINGS AS IT IS TO-DAY.
Shakespeare.
BY
LOUIS HENRY CURZON,
AUTHOR OF "THE BLUE RIBBON OF THE TURF."
LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, Ld.
1892.
[All rights reserved.]
CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS,
CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.
AN
EXERCISE GALLOP TO BEGIN WITH.
The details of the "Sport of Kings" embraced in the following pages,do not claim to be a consecutive history of the turf, nor are theyintended for the instruction of professional racing men. The authormakes no pretensions to teach trainers how to train horses, or jockeyshow to ride them, and in no sense, except that it is offered for theirperusal, is the work intended for those who make the "business" ofthe turf the work of their lives; the book has been written for otherpersons and other purposes.
It is necessary to state this much plainly, because when a paper or anarticle pertaining to the "great national sport" appears in a reviewor magazine, it is at once stigmatised by the sporting journals ascontaining only "pipers' news," and in the view of the critics it maybe so; but such articles are not written to instruct the critics, butto inform the public.
Histories and other works dealing with horse-racing have at intervalsbeen published, while at the present time there are three dailyjournals as well as a dozen weekly papers exclusively devoted to whathas been called "the great game," and other sports. In addition tothese, nearly all the daily[Pg vi] newspapers contain full accounts of therace meetings, and also publish weekly commentaries on the sport atconsiderable length, the reading of which tends to excite interest andprovoke inquiry regarding the incidence of "the turf."
"Pray, Mr. Curzon," said once upon a time a worthy lady to the writer,"what kind of horses are these which I notice are being milked onthe turf, and what becomes of the milk?" The ignorance of that mostrespectable female, and h