UPON TRAINERS. 205 



cherished a profound dislike and jealousy. Speaking of the 

 Duke of WeUington Napoleon said, 'In attack he is almost 

 my equal ; in prudence and patience he is decidedly my 

 superior.' It is from no disposition to undervalue the present 

 that we pronounce Robson, James Edwards of Newmarket, and 

 James Croft of Middleham, to have been fully the equals and, 

 perhaps, the superiors of any trainer now living, in prudence 

 and patience. The preparation of Filho da Puta for the St. 

 Leger of 181 5 by James Croft, and of Bay Middleton for the 

 Derby of 1836 by James Edwards, were, at any rate, manifesta- 

 tions of skill, temper, and patience to which, in the more 

 hurried rush of modern times, it would not be easy to show a 

 parallel. 



Between 1810 and 1835 there were, in addition to Robson, 

 Edwards and Croft, two other trainers deserving of special 

 remark. The first was ' old Tommy Sykes,' as he was habitually 

 called, who lived at Norton, near Malton, and occupied the 

 house and stables now in the possession of Charles Lund. 

 Tommy Sykes was nothing more than a rough training groom 

 of the old-fashioned type, and had also the reputation of being 

 under John Gully's thumb ; but he was identified with all the 

 early triumphs of the horses which belonged to Mr. R.ichard 

 Watt of Bishop Burton, near Beverley, by whose successes, 

 chiefly for the Doncaster St. Leger, the foundation of Gully's 

 fortunes was laid. Writing of the latter in 1832, just after he 

 had been elected to Parliament by Pontefract, ]\Ir. Charles 

 Greville says : ' About the same time Gully connected himself 

 with Mr. Richard Watt of Yorkshire by betting for him ; and 

 this being at a time when Watt's stable carried all before it, he 

 won large sums of money by Watt's horses.' The secret of the 

 success obtained by Altisidora, Barefoot, Memnon, and Rock- 

 ingham, who won the St. Leger in 1813, 1823, 1825, and 1833 

 ^to say nothing of the mighty Blacklock, who, to Mr. Watt's 

 inexpressible disgust, was beaten by Ebor for the same race 

 in 181 7 — was that their owner superintended their training 

 no less than their breeding with acute and watchful eyes. 



