'TRIPOLI' IN THE FEATHER PLATE 71 



my father's co-operation in his plan was one of the 

 causes of his leaving Danebury, as I shall show when 

 I have an opportunity of relating the particulars of the 

 rupture. 



From this point we must, I fear, come to the con- 

 sideration of some of the more doubtful actions in the 

 racing career of this nobleman, if we would arrive at a 

 true estimate of his character, and of his influence on 

 turf morality. In the memorable race at Newmarket 

 for the Feather Plate the last three miles of the 

 Beacon Course Tripoli was entered, and ridden by 

 Bob West, a lad in our stable, carrying 7 st. 10 Ib. 

 Here I have to correct the mistake before referred to, 

 made by the Admiral, who, in his book, gives the weight 

 as 7 st. 5 Ib. Tripoli made the running, and was beaten 

 a long way. This was done, as will be at once recog- 

 nised, to deceive the handicapper and the public at 

 large ; for these would naturally suppose, without know- 

 ing to the contrary, that the horse carried the weight of 

 the other two-year-olds about 3 st. 10 Ib. or 4 st. But 

 carrying the weight he did, his form as shown was 

 utterly untrue. Who would suppose that this high- 

 minded nobleman could have done a thing which com- 

 pelled the Jockey Club to look on it with disgust, and 

 in order to prevent a repetition of the offence, to substi- 

 tute fresh conditions for those he had violated? We 

 see this paragon of perfection, for the sake of conquest 

 and the achievement of an object wretched in itself, 

 practising the very thing which he sternly condemned in 

 others. 



On the point, I take the following from Admiral 

 Rous's work on horse-racing : ' The chief alterations 

 are the specification of feather-weights (Eule 3), which 

 in the olden time were considered to be 4 st. ; and 



