I20 CENTURY OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



publicly pull his nose, and that his own overbearing 

 manners would make the feat specially delightful to 

 his associates. The result was that he went out with 

 Colonel Anson as his second, who managed that he 

 should give the word to fire. This he did in such a 

 way as to put the Squire off his aim, and he only hit 

 his adversary's hat, who had fired into the air. It is 

 pleasing to record that afterwards, when Lord George's 

 horses were trained at Danebury, the former adver- 

 saries became friends. But what will strike modern 

 racing men as the most curious part of the affair is 

 that Lord George Bentinck should have disputed the 

 verdict of the judge six months after the event, while 

 if, as he stated, the Jockey Club considered it a 

 robbery, the Squire would have been warned off 

 instead of continuing his connection with the Turf 

 until a short time of his death, though latterly he 

 could only afford to bet in small sums. 



Unfortunately for the Squire, he was not such a 

 good judge of a racehorse as he was of a hound, and 

 though he had some good horses in training during 

 his career, he lost over the game. If it had not been 

 for a stroke of bad luck, he might have won the 

 Derby in 1855, with Rifleman, who had been made a 

 warm favourite, but on the Monday the pen had to 

 be put through the colt's name owing to his suffering 

 from rheumatism in the feet. In the St. Leger 

 Rifleman was easily beaten by an outsider, Saucebox. 

 I may note that Rifleman was not the only candidate 

 for Derby honours that the Squire possessed. In 



