THREE- YEA R- OLDS. 167 



rather less to spare, in the Champion Stakes of 1S78, a year 

 during which she only twice suffered defeat. 



Charibert must have been beaten off, a circumstance which 

 may account for the friendless price of 25 to i at which he 

 started for the Two Thousand ; but a curious fact in connection 

 with this memorable trial is, that neither owner nor trainer 

 seems to have any distinct recollection of the exact position 

 Charibert occupied therein. 



Let us seek once more the Southern Downs, and see how 

 such an acknowledged master of the art of trying, and indeed 

 of the w^hole business of racing, as Mr. Robert Peck, got at the 

 truth, before some of the splendid and lucrative successes of 

 the three-year-olds under his care at Russley. 



Doncaster, the property of Mr. James Merry, w^hose trainer 

 R. Peck then was, was in 1873 first tried with and proved him- 

 self i5^1bs. better than Peto, four years, a speedy horse over a 

 mile (the distance of the trial), who had beaten a large field 

 of horses at Northampton ; and in a subsequent essay at home, 

 Doncaster at 7 lbs. over a mile and a half beat Freeman, four 

 years, by a length and a half, just after the latter had won the 

 Great Northern Handicap at York, carrying 7 st. 



This looks good enough, and touts must have been rare or 

 stupid at Russley in those days ; for Doncaster started for 

 the Derby, which he won easily, at the forlorn outside price of 



45 to I. 



In that same year Marie Stuart, who had won the Oaks, 

 w^as tried just before the Leger with Freeman at even weights, 

 and she beat him very easily indeed by three lengths. Free- 

 man was taken to Doncaster, and wnth 8 st. 5 lbs. ran second 

 for the Great Yorkshire Handicap in a large field, which by the 

 way included Kingcraft, to whom Freeman was giving i lb. 

 Marie Stuart on the following day won the Leger, beating her 

 stable companion Doncaster by a head, thus showing clearly 

 that a three-year-old in the month of September may be nearly, 

 if not quite, as good as at any time during its career. 



Before the Derby of 1876 Forerunner was tried to be 14 lbs. 



