THE TURF 103 



on the bed of death ; and so strong was 

 the { ruling passion ' in this awful hour 

 and his majesty was well aware his hour 

 was come that an express was sent to him 

 after every race. 



The late Duke of York was equally de- 

 voted to the turf: and, in 1816, we find 

 his royal highness a winner of the Derby, 

 with Prince Leopold, and, in 1822, with 

 Moses ; the former bred by Lord Durham, 

 the latter by himself. His racing career 

 may be said to have commenced at Ascot, 

 where he established the Oatland stakes, 

 which at one period were more than equal in 

 value to the Derby, being a hundred-guinea 

 subscription. Indeed, we have reason to 

 believe, that when they were won by his 

 late majesty's Baronet beating eighteen of 

 the picked horses in England, his own 

 Escape amongst the lot there was more 

 money depending than had ever been 

 before, excepting on two occasions. His 

 majesty won seventeen thousand pounds by 

 the race, and would have won still more 

 had Escape been the winner. We wish we 

 could add to this trifling sketch a long list of 

 his royal highness's winnings ; but the Duke 



