TRIAL OF ' WEATHERGAGE ' 243 



Joe Miller was sent to Mr. Parr's place, Benhams, in 

 order to try Weatkergage for the Cesarewitch. In this 

 case the difficulty was not as to the weights, but as to 

 the distance at which the trial was to be made. Mr. 

 Parr wanted to try the two a mile and three-quarters, for 

 a race that had to be run two miles and a quarter. With 

 such practice I was totally at variance; and as Mr. 

 Parker, the owner of Joe Miller, who was present, sided 

 with me, Mr. Parr had to give way. We tried them at 

 even weights the whole course, and Weathergage won as 

 easily as he did the race itself. Mr. Parr assured me 

 repeatedly before the trial that the farther his horse went, 

 the better he was. To which I naturally replied, ' If so, 

 let us see it ;' and the event, I must say, bore out his 

 statement in a most conclusive way. Why he should 

 have objected to try the longer course was a thing I could 

 neither divine then, nor since. One must be the right 

 way, and any other the wrong way, of doing anything ; 

 and what reason could be given for adopting the wrong 

 and discarding the right, is beyond my discerning powers. 

 Yet in trials this is too often done, with disastrous 

 results. 



I do not know that I have anything else worthy of 

 especial record in regard to my dealings with Mr. Merry's 

 horses. But of that gentleman himself I may perhaps 

 say a few words, and also jot down my recollections of 

 the peculiarities of some rather eccentric personages in 

 his employment. To the present generation Mr. Merry 

 was known only as a racing-man ; but much of his early 

 life was passed in two pursuits of diverse character, viz., 

 in the lucrative business of an iron-master, and the not 

 unremunerative recreation of cock-fighting. I am told 

 by one likely to know, and therefore am ready to believe, 

 that at one time he possessed more game fowls than any 



