MORE ABOUT STABLES AND TRAINERS. 35 



Watches are all very well, but I tliink not many 

 trials have been timed with an egg-boiler, yet such was 

 the case on one gallop. 



It appears that from a house overlooking the race- 

 course Mr. O'Brien saw a couple of horses just about 

 to break off for a ^^ go/' 



Not having his watch handy, he seized an egg- 

 boiler, and as the harses started set it going. He laid 

 it flat as they passed the post. 



Then he got his watch, turned up the egg-boiler 

 again, and timed the sand as it ran out. Result : he 

 got the correct time almost to a tick, but I never 

 heard whether it did him much good. At all events, 

 it was ingenious, and shows Mr. O'Brien is not short of 

 resource. As a judge of horses, especially young stock, 

 Mr. O'Brien has not many equals, and he has made 

 some clever and profitable deals in his time. His 

 judgment is seldom at fault, and he Las been the 

 founder of his own fortunes. 



Two fortunes he narrowly missed landing. One 

 when Trenton just missed the Melbourne Cup, 

 and the other when he sold Carbine, although at the 

 time that was a good deal. He has, however, landed 

 some big wagers, and 1 trust it will be a long time 

 before he will be short of a '^ merry monk," as the 

 useful sum of £500 is generally called. 



Mr. James Monaghan is another Randwick trainer^ 

 whose stables I have visited. I saw the great 



