132 MR. PA&KER 



upon them as equal at 21 Ib. She once tried to give him 

 24 Ib., and was defeated a length after a good race, two 

 miles and a quarter. 



Tame Deer was afterwards sold to Mr. Hellish (an 

 assumed name of Mr. Edward Smith, many years turf 

 correspondent of Bell's Life), who bought him, I believe, 

 on the strength of what he was told or saw of the race 

 for the Northampton Cup, referred to above. When he 

 became the property of his new owner, like most horses 

 that fall into the hands of sanguine people possessed of 

 not much racing knowledge, it was soon discovered that 

 the horse had improved 21 Ib., and that there was no horse 

 like him. So enthusiastic were his supporters that the 

 world would have come to think there must be some 

 truth in this wild report, if it had not been for the irony 

 of facts. In 1857, at Wolverhampton, Fisherman gave 

 him 20 Ib. and a good beating. In 1860 Petra beat him 

 for the Chester Cup and the Steward's Cup, for which 

 latter he (Tame Deer) was favourite at 5 to 2. Besides, 

 I beat him myself with St. Giles, for the Northampton- 

 shire Stakes. But no one could then or can now get 

 over the fact that, when I had him, he beat Fisherman 

 at 3 Ib. ; and afterwards, when said to be so much better, 

 Fisherman gave him 20 Ib., and beat him a thing which 

 One Act could always do, and Fisherman, no doubt, was 

 7 Ib. or 10 Ib. better than she was, which would make 

 public running and private trials tally. 



I may here refer to Bird on the Wing, because, though 

 never Mr. Parker's property, she was run in his name, 

 She belonged to a good-hearted and very nice fellow, a 

 Mr. Dalton, steward of Arthur's Club. How he became 

 possessed of her I don't know ; but, as she was his as 

 a two-year-old, I should think most likely he bought her 

 as a yearling of the breeder, Mr. E. Wright, of Eichmond, 



