A SEARCH FOR A YEARLING 231 



and enthusiasm, are the Yorkshiremen themselves. 

 Epsom and Ascot have their numbers, perhaps greater 

 than any other race-meetings can boast of, from the 

 humble coster to royalty itself ; but as a county foremost 

 in sport and all that relates to racing we must place 

 Yorkshire. Here it is the trainer has the hardest week's 

 work of the year. Horses to exercise, sales to attend, 

 then the racing itself, and afterwards a search for the 

 best-looking yearling, or, at any rate, those that are 

 worth searching for, bring a long and hard day's work to 

 a close. It was on such an excursion, the search for a 

 treasure of the kind, that I was bent, on the Wednesday 

 evening of the St. Leger of 1853, when I was led to 

 inspect the Sheffield Lane, Mr. Johnstone's, yearlings. 

 Here I found a colt that I knew not whether to admire 

 most for his fine shape and quality, or his breeding being 

 by Touchstone out of Fair Helen, by Pantaloon ; a bright 

 bay with white legs and a star on his forehead. In shape 

 he resembled his sire, but without his appearance of 

 power. He was lengthy and deep in his fore-ribs, but 

 light over his loins, and stood a little upright on his fore- 

 legs. But taken altogether, he filled the eye and bore 

 scrutiny. At the fall of the hammer to my last nod for 

 350, he became Mr. Merry's, for whom I bought him. 



I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Merry long before 

 this, having been of some service to him in trying the 

 high-priced Hobbie Noble for the Cambridgeshire an 

 event to which I shall recur presently. I have now to 

 do with Lord of the Isles, as this handsome colt was 

 subsequently called. He went to Woodyates, and was 

 trained there with the rest of my horses ; proving to be 

 nice tempered, though showing much courage and deter- 

 mination during the process of breaking. A child might 

 afterwards have ridden him. Being a light shelly sort 



