COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 127 



well. He gave me several croppers, and if I rode 

 up to look at a fence he always insisted on jumping 

 it standing. One night, riding home in the dark 

 through Cottesbrook Park, opening a handgate I 

 could not reach the latch, and said " Stand up ! " 

 and he immediately jumped it. He took the second 

 prize at Islington, 1866, ridden by Tom Firr. The 

 day of the Waterloo run he had been out to exercise 

 in the morning, but " Man of the Age " on coming 

 out proved to be lame ; " Rainbow " was sent on in 

 his place. During the run Dick Roake brought him 

 up to me at the brook beyond Glooston Wood and 

 I rode him all the rest of the day, and back to the 

 kennel, arriving there at ten minutes past ten. He 

 was sold at Tattersall's in 1869, and Mr. Rennie 

 bought him for ^400. He afterwards became the 

 property of Mr. Toynbee, who sold him to Mr. 

 Townshend of Caldecote. 



A few days before the sale at Tattersall's a very 

 smart stout man with a white waistcoat came to 

 Brixworth to see the horses. My stud groom, 

 John Pye, had his coat off and was rubbing a horse's 

 legs. The stout man said " Here ! young man, 

 here's half a sovereign for you ; can you tell me 

 anything about these horses?" John put the half- 

 sovereign in his pocket and said, " I think I can," 

 but still continued to rub the horse's legs. When he 

 had finished he went into the house, put his coat on, 

 and said, " Now, I shall be happy to attend to you ". 

 The stout man turned out to be Mr. Rennie's groom. 

 After the sale John gave him back the half-sovereign, 



