Bibliothèque mondiale du cheval

« A Portion of the following work, which the Author has here endeavoured to blend, with a very large amount of new matter, into a Turf manual, recently appeared, under two distinct titles, in The Sporting Review . It has been his wish to make it as little as possible a mere invoice of men, horses, or races; and hence, even at the risk of disturbing the context, he has often gladly turned aside to pick up "a bit of character" by the way. With the secret lore of veterinary surgeons and book-makers he has not presumed to meddle. He has simply written of the Turf as he has known it for some years past, not through the feverish medium of the betting, but as its leading features have been brought to his mind by an occasional stroll on to a racecourse on a crack afternoon, through the boxes at TattersalPs, or among the paddocks of a stud-farm. Although he has taken the utmost pains to avoid them, by seeking the best available means of information, he cannot but fear that, having to deal with times and scenes in so many of which he bore no part, he may have fallen into error on some few points of detail; and he pleads guilty to having converted a very celebrated chestnut hunter into a "grey" one. Having thus taken his "preliminary canter," it only remains for him to thank those who have so kinily favoured him with their advice and aid during its "preparation," and to start his little volume on its race for life. » Présentation de l’éditeur (1856)