some years, and the way this mare—which at home was only up to about fifty-pound selling form-made our best Walers gallop, goes far to prove that the only reason English horses get beaten by Walers in India, is that those sent out are but the very dregs of English racing stables. Perhaps the greater soundness of the Waler may have something to say to his success. I believe that blood stock are bred in the Colonies more with a view to obtain stoutness, than they are at home; besides this, Australia has more or less a tropical climate. We have yet to see how even a second class English race horse-not a selling plater, but one worth say £1,000-would fare with our Walers. Possibly one as good or better could be imported from Australia for a similar sum. There is hardly scope enough in India to make such a large investment in one horse pay, which few out here could afford to do, even if so inclined. At the prices which are given in India-£500 or £600-for a Kingcraft or a Satellite, and a couple of thousand rupees for a second rater, more value for one's money can be got by investing in Walers, and consequently they are the only horses, with an occasional exile from England, that are kept for races for "all horses."

When the Waler colt Kingcraft, 3 years, 5 st. 13 lbs., won the Governor-General's Cup (January, 1873), 2 miles in 3 m. 41 s., almost everyone said that he was the best horse ever imported, while some few wondered at his owner not sending him to run in England. To estimate approximately the chance he might have had there, even in Handicaps over his own best distance, let us take the only "line" at our disposal, namely "time." Chivalrous,

4 years, 7 st., won the Great Ebor Handicap (August, 1874) 2 miles, in 3 m. 31 s. Both Chivalrous and Kingcraft respectively won these races with great ease.

In hack selling races-winner to be sold for from Rs. 200 to 500-when not beyond mile, country-breds sometimes hold their own; those that do so having almost always a strong dash of English blood, from which they generally derive their turn of speed, as well as some of their inherited infirmities, which doom them to running for such minor events. A useful horse for such races-winner to be sold for Rs. 500 or Rs. 600— ought to be able to do with 10 st. up, mile, in 53 to 53 s., or mile in 1 m. 21 s., or 1 m. 22 s. on an ordinary

race course.

Since the time of Meg Merrilis,-which won the Governor-General's Cup in 1858, and again in the following year-Shamrock, the black mare Gypsy, Deception, and M. T. late Mermaid, late Jessie, have been nearly the only country-breds that could stay as well as gallop. Gypsy beat the Earl and Silvertail, who were both quite first class Arabs, at the Calcutta Meeting of 1871, doing the mile in 1 m. 52 s., carrying 8 st. 8 lbs., but by maiden allowances and penalties, the Arab's were actually giving her 8 lbs. At weight for age and class the Arabs might probably have beaten her, and would certainly have done so under these conditions, for two miles.

As a rule Arabs will always beat country-breds for any distance from a mile and a quarter upwards, at their class allowance, though the latter have the legs of the former for shorter races.

For galloway and pony races, Arabs are undoubtedly

the best, though now and then a Waler may be found good enough to run in these classes, but a country-bred never. The multum in parvo style, which is here wanted, is the very thing that is found almost impossible to breed in India. The chesnut 13-2 Kattywar Robin was the best country-bred pony or galloway I have seen, but even he was never within a stone of his stable companion King David, the Arab pony, though they were exactly the same height. Robin looked quite threequarters Arab, as did that little wonder Orion.

Though there are many instances of 13-2 ponies running successfully among galloways (14 hands and under) at the usual allowances of 4 lbs. the half inch, it is rare indeed to meet with a pony lower than that which can do so.

At most meetings, the following classes are those for which races are generally made, with the distances usually run :

In discussing the "form" of horses, I have been obliged to bring in the subject of timing, as it is so universally used and regarded out here. I am quite aware how fallible a test it is, and how much it varies according to the state of the course and the way in which a race is run. The great majority of Indian courses are so level,

and the "going" so very much the same on all, that there cannot be the same objection to timing in this country as in England, where every course varies in severity, while rain may fall at any time and make the track heavy. Nevertheless, in races where several horses start, and in which the running is certain to be cut out by some of them, the timing of similar horses is singularly close, on the same courses, considering how variable the English climate is. For instance, take that of the great three-year old races, from year to year.

We find timing is a perfectly reliable test in pedestrianism, and can pronounce with certainty that a man, who can do his 100 yards under 10 seconds, or his mile under 4 m. 20 s. on level ground, is undoubtedly a first class runner; and so would be a horse which could, with weight for age and class, do his mile in 1 m. 44 s., or two miles in 3 m. 42 s., on the Calcutta Course for instance, if he'll but try in public; for herein lies the source of nine-tenths of the disappointments timing leads to. The "going" on most Indian race courses, except at Bangalore, Secunderabad, Poonah, and Dehra Doon, is very similar, being almost quite level, and pretty hard. As it is impossible to get all horses to run the same in public as in private, I would strongly advise the young turfite, to limit the use of the stop watch to public performances, and to regulating the pace of training gallops. If one wishes to test the powers of a young one, it should be done, not by "putting him against the watch," but by trying him with some horse that has recently run well in public, and is at the time of the trial in racing condition. Then, if the young one beats

the trial horse, and does the distance in really good time, it is all the more to his credit. No exact information as to a horse's form can be obtained by timing his gallops when he takes them alone: for not one horse in ten will run the same by himself, as in company, and it would only lead to disappointment to allow for an error that, for all the owner knows, may be either for, or against his horse's powers.

I believe that, even with the greatest care and under the most favourable circumstances, the time test alone cannot be relied upon, with a smaller margin for error than 10 lbs. in 1 mile, which, allowing for difference in horses, and for the different way races are run, we may assume would be equivalent to from 20 to 30 yards in that distance, or from 1 to 2 seconds, which doesn't say very much for timing, beyond affording an approximate idea of a horse's powers.

On a heavy course a horse will take, to do a mile, 4 or 5 seconds longer than on a light one.

Another thing to be considered is, that we must allow at least half a second for the timer's own individual error: while there is still more to be allowed for the way horses get off whether from a flying start, or from a walk.

It does not at all follow that because a horse cannot be got to do good time in private, he is, on that account, a moderate animal; for many-and particularly stayers -require the stimulus of company to make them extend themselves.

When timing in private, the trainer should be most careful to observe how his horses finish, for one who