66 ASHGILL. 



mare was sound however, and had done a rattling 

 good preparation, but of course the usual sinister 

 rumours got afloat and were believed by some, 

 greatly to their loss. 



The party was in a capital position to try the 

 mare for they had in their stable Cherry Brandy, 

 not a high-class racehorse but a famous time- 

 teller, and one of the most reliable trial horses they 

 had at Ashgill. Lord Glasgow had been short 

 of trying tackle, and wanting to get the measure 

 of Brother to Bird on the Wing who was entered 

 for the Two Thousand, he borrowed Cherry 

 Brandy from Osborne for the purpose. His 

 Lordship's unnamed one easily beat the old horse, 

 and some three or four days after his return to 

 Ashgill Manganese was tried. They set her to 

 give Cherry Brandy 7lbs. more than Lord Glas- 

 gow's colt had done, and she won her trial hand- 

 somely ; and was backed for the One Thousand. 



Mincepie was a hot favourite. Her two-year- 

 old races had been won in grand style, she 

 had wintered well, had won a good trial, and 

 John L)ay thought nothing could beat her. With 

 the Northern party equally confident, and with 

 men like Jackson of Oran, who then had a few 

 horses in training at Ashgill, amongst the 

 supporters of Mr. King's filly, it may readily be 

 imagined what the betting was like. Danebury 

 and Yorkshire were fairly on their mettle, both 

 were in the humour, and the heavy betting on 



