THREE- YEAR-OLDS. 



153 



consistent upholder of weight for age as an adequate test, 

 adhered to it resolutely, we believe, as a rule in his Derby as 

 well as in other trials. The present writer well remembers his 

 astonishment at being told by Sir Joseph that a trial at 18 lbs. 

 with Gopsall, a very indifferent four-year-old belonging to the 

 late Lord Anglesey, would tell the truth about any Derby horse. 

 We presume he intended the young one to win rather more 

 than cleverly. Very likely Sir Joseph was right ; he had at any 

 rate the strong argument of repeated success in his favour. 



The actual record of some of his trials, now published as 

 we beUeve for the first time, will be read with interest not only 

 by those who were racing in the palmy days of the cherry and 

 black, but also by those who think that instruction may be 

 gleaned from a peep behind the scenes whether ancient or 

 modern ; while it is more profitable to all to show how the 

 Derby or other great racing problem has actually been solved 

 beforehand, than to theorise or dogmatise as to the weights at 

 which trials should be conducted. 



Here, then, is the trial of The Palmer for the Derby of 

 1867, and in this horse Sir Joseph had such confidence that 

 at a dinner party at Sir F. Johnstone's in the winter 1866-67 

 he betted Mr. Chaplin 40,000/. that The Palmer beat Hermit. 



May 20, 1867. — 07ie mile and a half. 



Won by three lengths ; same between second, third and 

 fourth. In this case it appears that Sir Joseph had no old ones 

 to try with, and was obliged to put the three-year-olds together 

 as best he could ; and as none of them had run in public that 

 year, we must suppose that he handicapped them on their two- 

 year-old form. Arapeile was his Oaks mare, and he seems to 



