and were at the top of their speed before a quarter of the distance had been covered. The jockey of Little Duck, who was behind, did not trouble about the others, but judged his own pace for three-quarters of the course, and thus saved his animal's powers for the last moment, at which time he suddenly sat down and rode, passed the others, who had not an effort left in them, and won easily. The jockey of Little Duck simply put into practice the rule which I have specified. In a word, he knew how to keep something for a rainy day, which in this case was a reserve of energy to be used at the finish.

The greatest difficulty for a jockey who is leading, is to judge the pace, and to know how fast his horse ought to go.^[1] If he goes beyond this speed, he will take the wind out of his horse, and will be unable to make a last rush. If he keeps back, he will necessarily do so by taking too strong a hold of the reins, and will consequently tire the horse's loins and hocks. But it is the loins and hocks which win a race at the finish.

The best jockeys win at the last moment, and as near the winning-post as possible. Their perfect knowledge of pace enables them to judge if their opponents can keep up the speed at which they are going, and to feel if they can increase their own speed. At Chantilly, I saw Watts on Louis d'Or apply this principle in a very clever and lucky manner. It was a welter race, and all of them carried 12st. 8lb. Atalante was the favourite, and was certainly the best made to carry weight.

In this two-mile race, Watts let Louis d'Or go his own pace, and did not try to catch up the others. Although he was two hundred yards behind at the beginning, he did not increase his speed. The others having gone too fast, were obliged to