LORD DERBY, GEORGE IV., AND RACING, ETC. 1 57 



love of racehorses and racing, being his ruHng passion. 

 He first appeared on the Turf in 1784, when he was but 

 twenty-two years old. Then his stud was limited, his 

 only horse of any merit, being Merry Traveller. In two 

 years, however, he had twenty-five animals in training at 

 Newmarket. Up to 1791 his horses had won one hundred 

 and ninety races, and between iSoo and 1807, they won one 

 hundred and twenty-nine stakes. In the death of George 

 the Fourth, 1830, the Turf lost one of its most ardent 

 lovers and supporters. 



The year 1831 was made eventful by the death of 

 Blacklock, the winner of many races, who was sired by 

 Whitelock, whose sire was Hambletonian, and in 1832 

 the Turf lost the most famous jockey of his day, Frank 

 Buckle, who died in his sixty-ninth year. 



The sport of horse-racing, now become a national 

 characteristic, deeply rooted in the affections of English 

 people, was surely increasing its hold upon all classes, as 

 was proved by the large and distinguished company who 

 never missed the Newmarket meetings. But variety seems 

 ever a necessity to humanity, and matches between racers 

 were not the only contests which gratified the public 

 passion for sport. Mail-coaches were matched against 

 each other, one of the most interesting of which races 

 was when the London mail, horsed by Mr Land with 

 four fine greys, raced and won the Plymouth mail, horsed 

 by Mr Phillips, with four blacks, for five hundred guineas. 

 The date of this race was 1802. 



In April 1801, Captain Newland rode a match for 

 a heavy wager, to ride one hundred and forty miles in 

 eight successive hours on hackneys. He rode the distance 

 easily in seven hours and thirty-four minutes. 



