CHAPTERS FROM TURF HISTORY 



sire, had had — with the brilUant assistance of 

 Robinson, his jockey — the presumption to assert 

 equaUty with the hero of the North Country. 

 Before the excitement had died down it was decided 

 to take issue again. The dead heat was to be 

 run off. Hill, the trainer of the favourite, was 

 by this time quite unnerved. He allowed Voltigeur 

 to be led towards his stable, there to be rubbed 

 down and to rest before renewing the contest with 

 his doughty Irish rival, who, of the two, was the 

 better trained. Fortunately, some shrewd sports- 

 men interested in the fortunes of the Zetland stable 

 realized that if suffered to stand still for two hours 

 the horse would then be unable to raise a gallop ; 

 but the trainer would not heed their remonstrances. 

 At that critical moment John Scott was seen 

 talking to Sir William Milner. At once an appeal 

 was addressed to the oracle of Whitewall. " If," 

 said he, " you put Voltigeur into a stable and 

 allow him to get stiff you might as well shoot 

 him through the head. You must keep him walk- 

 ing the whole time till he runs for the deciding 

 heat. That is what I did with Charles XII." * 

 Such authority could not be questioned. Roma 

 locuta est. After these words of sagacity and 

 ripe experience, Voltigeur was led about until 

 the supreme moment arrived for the deciding 

 encounter. 



Soon after five o'clock, when the other races 

 on the card were over, the two heroes of the day 

 were seen approaching the enclosure. A whisper 

 went round that Russborough would set a severe 



' Charles XII ran a dead heat for the St. Lager with Euclid in 

 2839, and won the deciding heat. 



53 



