72 LORD GEORGE BENTINCK 



feather, like catch weights, were not called into the 

 scales until it was discovered, in 1841, that Tripoli ' 

 (Lord George's horse) ' carried 7 st. 5 Ib. in the Feather 

 Plate last three miles B. C.' Lord George's brilliant 

 talent, usually so effectively displayed, was not shown 

 to advantage over this affair; for the flimsy trick was 

 seen through, and his worthy intentions frustrated by 

 his own folly. The light- weighted Tripoli won the 

 Somersetshire Stakes at Bath the following year, carry- 

 ing a real feather not a 7 st. 10 Ib. one ; but to his 

 lordship's unutterable disgust the public had the 

 money, as whenever he wanted to back him, at what- 

 ever price, there was always someone before him offer- 

 ing to take it, or a less price ; though after all he only 

 won by a head, beating my brother-in-law Wm. Sadler's 

 mare, Bellissima, which I rode, carrying 7 st. 13 Ib. 



There is no doubt that many of his lordship's horses, 

 with his knowledge, ran unprepared, for the purpose of 

 deceiving, not only the world at large, but his friends 

 also, in order that on a future and fixed occasion he 

 might reap alone the full reward of this policy. Indeed, 

 he was frank enough to say, perhaps not altogether with- 

 out reason : ' If you wish to have anything made public 

 write it to your friend in confidence everyone will soon 

 hear of it.' To prove his predilection for this curious 

 method, it is only needful to refer to the in-and-out 

 running of a few of his horses. Gaper, for instance, the 

 sensational Derby favourite of 1843, in the previous year 

 ran last in his first race and first in his last race, not- 

 withstanding that in the latter ran Cotherstone himself, 

 who afterwards won the Derby. Who can reconcile this 

 difference? Again, Miss Elis, in 1844, as a two-year-old, 

 ran five races, and was beaten in every one of them 

 though to save appearances she won a little match, 



