UPON TRAINERS, 203 



State, he appeared as a private gentleman and an inmate in Lord 

 Sherborne's family, with the Duke of Dorset, then Lord Sackvilie, 

 for his jockey. During the last ten years of his Majesty's hfe, 

 racing appeared to interest him more than ever, and, by the en- 

 couragement he then gave to Ascot and Goodwood, he contributed 

 towards making them the most fashionable and agreeable meet- 

 ings in the world. Perhaps the day on which his three favourite 

 liorses, Fleur-de-Lis, Zinganee, and The Colonel, came in first, 

 second, and third for the Cup at the latter place, was one of the 

 proudest of his life. 



It is not a little remarkable that this last sentence should 

 have been allowed to stand in edition afier edition of ' The 

 Chase, the Turf and the Road,' by ' Nimrod,' which the great 

 house of Mr. John Murray has published since 1840. Every- 

 one who was alive in 1830 and took an interest in the Turf 

 during that year could hardly have failed to be aware that the 

 Goodwood Cup won by Fleur-de-Lis was run upon August T2th, 

 and that George IV. died upon June 26. The three horses in 

 question belonged to the ' Sailor King,' Wilham IV., who, when 

 asked by his trainer, William Edwards, what animals were 

 to be sent to Goodwood, characteristically replied, ' Take the 

 whole fleet ; I suppose some of them will win.' 



It will be inferred, then, that ' Nimrod's ' remarks upon the 

 physiology of the Turf do not seem to us deserving of much 

 attention. Moreover we entertain little doubt that Robert 

 Robson, who retired from the active pursuit of his profession 

 in 1828, would have taken exception to ' Nimrod's' words that 

 * in order to avail ourselves of the racehorse's full power and 

 capacity, we must take him out of the hands of nature and 

 place him in those of art.' It is notorious that Robson made 

 it his practice to train in conformity with the laws of nature ; 

 that he abhorred hot stables ; that he aimed always to bring 

 his horses full of flesh to the post ; and finally that he set his 

 face resolutely against excessive sweating. So long as Robson 

 lasted, the fourth Duke of Grafton was almost invincible at 

 Newmarket, Ascot, and Epsom ; but when Robson ceased to 

 train his Grace's horses, 'the Grafton scarlet' was no longer 



