and the scars to prove it. Staying on board your

racehorse, of course, is just the beginning. If you

can manage that, then you have to guide your

horse into position about eight feet (roughly 2.5

metres) behind the horse in front in order to

save energy for that final dash to the finishing

post. When the horses are flagging, if you have

tucked into the slipstream of the horse and rider

in front, your horse may have been able to keep

up using less effort than the leader. He might

still have some gas in his tank. You then have to

judge the right moment to make a break for the

line, popping out of the slipstream and urging

your horse to use up his extra energy reserves

to gallop into the lead.

Below: A school of fish swim together for protection.
The bigger, stronger fish swim at the front and the
smaller, weaker fish follow in the slipstream.

Slipstreaming during a horse race can reduce

drag to such an extent that a horse can put in a

time which, when averaged over the whole race,

is 2% faster. That might not sound much, but it

can mean the difference between winning and

coming fourth or fifth.

It’s a safe bet, then, that Her Majesty understands

all about slipstreaming!

NATURAL SLIPSTREAMERS    33