62 FAMOUS RACINCI MEN. 



made his first appearance on the coiu'se, in the character of an 

 owner of race-horses. For seven seasons he continued to patronise 

 the game ardently, amongst other successes winning the Derby in 

 1788, with Sir Thomas, until the notorious Escape scandal, in 1791, 

 caused him abruptly to sever his connection with the turf — an 

 event that was keenly regretted by lovers of the sport throughout 

 the kingdom. The facts were briefly these : On the 20th of 

 October, 1791, a horse named Escape, the property of the Prince, 

 ran at Newmai'ket in a race for which it was first favomite, but 

 finished absolutely last. On the following day, with 6 to 1 betted 

 against him. Escape won easily a race in which two of the horses 

 which had distanced him on the previous day also ran. In both 

 cases Sam Chifney had ridden Escape, and a rumour at once 

 spread that the jockey, with or without the connivance of his 

 master, had "pulled" the horse for the first race, and had thereby 

 netted several hundreds of pounds. The matter was brought be- 

 fore the Jockey Club, Sir Charles Bunbury, and ^Messrs. Ralph 

 Dutton and Thomas Panton being the stewards appointed to in- 

 vestigate the affiiir. They were not satisfied with Chifhey's ex- 

 planation, and Sir Charles Bunbury went so far as to say, that if 

 Chifney were suffered to ride the Prince's horses no gentleman 

 would start against him. It was a bitter pill to swallow ; but 

 the Prince behaved like a man, and gave up his favourite amuse- 

 ment rather than sacrifice his servant. His Royal Highness told 

 ( 'hifney he should not be likely to keep horses again. " But if ever 

 I do," he added, " Sam Chifney, you shall train and manage them. 

 .You shall have your two hundred guineas a-year all the same. 

 I cannot give it you for your life, I can only give it for 

 my own. You have been an honest and good servant to me." 

 Early in 1792 the Prince's stud was brought to the hammer, 

 but though he ceased to run horses of his own, he did not by 

 any means lose his zest for the sport. Newmarket Heath, indeed, 

 he had sworn never to visit again, and he kept his word, for from 

 that time till his death he only once viewed its white, ghost-like 

 posts and venerable Rubbing-Houses, as he swept along the London 

 Road, after sleeping all night at the Palace, in ]\[r. Douglas's 

 time, on his return from a visit to Holkham. But he enjoyed 

 the pastime on other courses, and especially at Brighton. The well- 

 known Tom Raikes, in his diary, has left us a grnphic picture 

 of Brighton on a race morning when the Prince was in his meri- 

 dian, and the ground was covered with " tandems, beautiful women, 

 and light hussars." " In those days," writes the diarist, " the Prince 

 made Brighton and Lewes Races the gayest scene of the year in 

 England. The Pavilion was full of guests, and the Steyne was 

 crowded with all the rank and fashion from London. The 'legs' 

 and bettors, who had arrived in shoals, used all to assemble on the 

 Steyne at an eai-ly hour, to commence their operations on the 

 first day, and the buzz was tremendous, till Lord Foley and JNIellish, 



