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HORSES INJURED BY PREMATURE RACING. ll is curious how differently we rate the age of a tlat-rai-e hoise and of a juniper Were Lutteur III. racing on the flat he would be described as an old one. while as it 1s he WPS tlie youngest of Ih-Brand National field, and the merit of his perform ance was considered to be enhanced by his yout . few other five-year-olds baring proved good enougi to win that greatest of all steeplechases. Moreover. I.utteur III. will lie expected to improve for sonic years to come, just as would be the ease with a hunter of the same age. There is no reason why a Hal race horse should not be in a similar riosition. except that in most cases his potentialities for a profitable career when he is aged have been dis counted by premature efforts when he was a two-year-old. I suppose we shall never see a thorough reform in this matter, but certainly if racing were stopped for a year or two. or we all liocauio Kip Van Winkles for that period, and then commenced four-year old racing with the now two-year-olds, and had live year-old runners for the classic races, it would be Ixtter for tie- breed of liorses and they weald last far longer on the turf. Instances are not wanting, as it is. of horses that have kept on improving on the flat up to eight years old anil even longer. Merman was one of them, for he was a very much better horse when eight years old than at any earlier PCI Hid of his career. He improved steadily each year from the time when he won Hie Cesarewiteh as a live-year old. He. however, was an extraordinarily sound and hardy horse, ami there are few like him in that respect. Great Voot also trained on through his wreath season on the turf and retired as sound as a bell in wind and limb, but in his case the dash had been taken out of him in Australia, where ho ran nineteen times ;ts a three-year-old. and India, where h - ran for three Viceroys Cups before he came to Knghind. It is practically certain that t lie improvement in matured horses would lie of general occurrence it they were not run off their legs iu fheii young days. It seems almost absurd to hear even a three year old described as an "old one" when trying Ino-year-olils. and at four years a racing career is as often as not closed. Yet until he is live years ohl a horse is not a horse, but a colt. That is to say. he has not got through his teething troubles, and the idea of ids being reaarded as a "back number" would be ridieci lous were it not in most cases well founded, so far as his ability to stand further training is concerned. ]"hc uuestion Is. perhaps, of merely academic inter est. for. as already stated, we are not hi the leas likely to lee any change ma Ie in our flat-racing conditions on the lines imWcated: but it may he that here we may note some advantage in the Flench policy of limiting st copied asos to entire horses. Lutteur III. did not run until he was a four-year old. — Vigilant, in London .Sportsman.
