EARLY TRIALS. 



135 



famous forerunner in that almost invincible East Ilsley stable, 

 then, as now, presided over by James Dover. 



On September 10, 1864, the Saturday before Doncaster, 

 Lord Lyon, then a yearling, was tried thus— three furlongs over 

 a severe course. 



Won by a head. 



That this was a tremendous performance for a yearling at 

 that time of year Jezabel's public form will show. She had 

 beaten a field of fourteen or fifteen in the Biennial at Bath, 

 and, ridden by Thomas, she had come in first for the Coventry 

 Stakes at Worcester, Lord Coventry's filly Prosperity, with 

 Jemmy Adams up, being second. 



It was on this occasion that Jezabel was the cause of as 

 much mischief and ill-feeling as could have been expected from 

 that ominous name ; for, to quote the words of the ' Racing 

 Calendar,' ' At the scale iVdams objected to the winner on the 

 ground of foul riding, and after hearing the case the Stewards 

 gave the following decision: "We are of opinion that the 

 rider of Jezabel cannoned against Prosperity, and prevented 

 her from winning by squeezing her against the rails. Pro- 

 sperity is therefore the winner of the Coventry Stakes. 



*' (Signed) H. Rous, 



" Stamford and Warrington. 



" (Acting for Lord Westmorland.) " ' 



No provincial stewards these, unversed in the law and 

 custom of racing, but two of the most conspicuous men then 

 on the turf, and a verdict from them might well have been 

 accepted as showing the entirely conclusive nature of the 

 evidence ; yet for some reason or another the public were not 

 satisfied. They took it into their heads that favouritism had been 



