'BIRD ON THE WING' 133 



Yorkshire. In her first race as a two-year-old Bird on the 

 Wing was evidently thought much of, as she was favourite 

 at 2 to 1, but was unplaced. This was in the Prince of 

 Wales's Stakes, at York, won by Mr. Merry's Filly by 

 Ithuriel, afterwards called Sally, who started at 6 to 1. 

 This led to Mr. Milner laying Mr. Merry the heavy 

 wager of 5,000 that Bird on the Wing beat Sally in 

 the next year's Oaks. Afterwards she appears to have 

 run quite as badly in several races, but finished up by 

 winning a little race at Northallerton Autumn Meeting, 

 beating three others, with odds of 7 to 4 on her. 



Early the next year she came to me through Mr. 

 Parker ; and her doings whilst in my hands are of special 

 interest, as exhibiting the eccentricities, to use a mild 

 term, of your fashionable jockey. She was a nice clever 

 mare, rather small ; and, if she had a fault in shape, 

 stood rather upright on her pasterns. We tried her just 

 before the Oaks, and she beat Joe Miller a mile and a 

 half at even weights, and two others ; which made her 

 look to have a good chance for that event. Sam Bogers 

 rode her in it, and, as was evident to many, lost the race. 

 As the prevalent belief was that he did this purposely, 

 he was mobbed on his return to the weighing-stand, and 

 with difficulty got safely into the enclosure. He told me 

 he had lost the race by not making use enough of the 

 mare. But, as my instructions to him were to make a 

 good pace the whole of the way, he could give no satis- 

 factory reason why he should not have made the best 

 of her. 



The story then pretty freely circulated, but with what 

 truth I am unable to say, was to the effect that Frank 

 Butler had, in the winter, taken a very large bet that he 

 won both the Derby and Oaks that year. He had won 

 the first on Daniel O'Rourke, beating such good horses 



