172 MEN OF MY TIME 



and the Oaks, the Ham and the Gratwicke. The 200 

 Sovereign Stakes, P.P., one for colts, and the other for 

 fillies, was another favourite, as also the Lavant and 

 Molecomb and Eacing Stakes ; and, in short, the rest of 

 the best things at Goodwood, all of which, or nearly the 

 whole, I think he won, and many of them more than 

 once, except the two first named, and these he might 

 have carried off if Wapiti had remained sound. Wahab 

 won the Buckingham Stakes, 300 sovereigns each, at 

 Newmarket, beating Lord Exeter's Abydos, after running 

 a dead-heat for it, and he also won this race another 

 year with Free Will. Most of his best races he won 

 with his two- and three-year-olds. He did little in 

 handicaps, though he won the Goodwood Stakes with 

 Franchise, and the Cesarewitch with Wit's End, and 

 many other minor events. Besides the races enumerated 

 above, he usually entered for the Produce Stakes, which 

 in those days were always the best races at Stockbridge, 

 Bibury, Winchester, Bath, and other provincial meetings. 

 He won most of them, up to the time he gave up racing. 

 I do not think anyone for so many years consecatively 

 won so many races of the like value with so small a 

 stud. 



But if successful on the turf, Mr. Wreford was fated 

 to be unfortunate in his private affairs, through no fault 

 of his own. His son caused him a great deal of trouble. 

 He betted contrary to his father's wishes, and lost large 

 sums. He also played cards, of which he was very fond, 

 though he did not understand them, and more than 

 once came to grief in doing so. As an instance of his 

 folly in this way, it may be stated that he used to play 

 with Mr. George Payne, who, in turf phraseology, could 

 1 carry him.' His father paid his debts for him once or 

 twice in fact, until he could do so no longer, and this 



