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ARAB HORSES FAIL IN RACING There seems to be an inclination in the United States to think favorably of the Arabian blood for senice in the field on the strength of a recent test of two Arabs in the United States of which the one was a bay mare and the other a halfbred gelding whose sire was a purebred Arabian Tlit conditions are said to have been conducted under circumstances which could scarcely be exceeded in severity in actual cavalry service under field con ¬ ditions and the two horses are stated to have covered 162 miles in thirtyone hours and nine minutes inculsive of all stops carying 200 pounds each This works out at the rate of eleven min ¬ utes and roughly thirtytwo seconds per mile Per ¬ sonally I do not doubt the usefulness of Arab over a long distance of ground but their merit has on several occasions been considerably discounted A notable instance was once afforded when a horse whose sire and dams sire were thoroughbred and whose granddam was an Arab smothered a purebred Arab over four miles at Newmarket in a match race for 500 a side half forfeit This was in 1877 when Lord Strathnairns gray horse Avowal by Confessor Rocket by Artillery dam an Ara ¬ bian mare defeated the Prince of Wales Arab hors Alep Odds of 9 to 4 were laid on Alep J Jone up but be Avas beaten In a trot Avowal winning by the handsome margin of thirty lengths Odds of 9 to 4 were laid on the loser but the result placed it beyond dispute that the horse which was three parts thoroughbred and only one part Arab was a long way better than the purebred Arabian As far as racing goes four miles is quite sufficient to shov that for speed over that distance the horse with English blood on top of the Arab foundation stood out by himself Similarly therefore army horses of thoroughbred descent in their three upper quarters and with Arab blood in their bottom quarter should be well worth the attention of the war department London Sportsman
