90 FAMOUS EACING MEN. 



piirchased the colt. Robert Hill, his lordship's trainer, from the 

 first moment he set eyes on Voltigeur, fell in love with him, and it is 

 probable that never in the annals of man and beast did any human 

 being entertain snch an affection for a horse as Robert Hill did for 

 the son of Voltaire. Everywhere the enthusiastic Yorkshireman 

 trumpeted the fame of his idol; the canny "tykes" caught the 

 infection, and so energetically backed him for the Derby that a more 

 popular candidate for that race never left the north. " The 

 tenantry," says that lively writer, " Argus," " on his lordship's 

 estates, backed him to a man, and his domestics had anticipated 

 their wages for months to come about him. Ladies'-maids could not 

 sleep for dreaming of his success, and as, for a wonder, John Scott 

 had no ' crack ' that year, there was nothing to divide the affections 

 of the Yorkshiremen with him. His arrival in London, accompanied 

 by the famous Tubal Cain of Aske, was like that of a foreign sovereign, 

 for a special train of North Riding farmers accompanied him, and an 

 equally large body of his London backers greeted him and cheered him 

 as the four posters whhled him on to Epsom." P^ew of those who 

 witnessed the Derby of 1850 will have forgotten the deafening 

 roar that went up from a myriad Yorkshire throats, when it was 

 known that Lord Zetland's horse had conquered Mr. Hill's Pitsford, 

 the hero of the Two Thousand, and carried the "red spots" of 

 the earl triumphantly first past the post. For the St. Leger it 

 need hardly be said that Voltigeur was made a tremendous 

 favourite, and, indeed so great a certainty was it thought for him, 

 that only eight animals faced the starter, and the seven were looked 

 upon as a somewhat ragged lot, Bolingbroke being the only one 

 who was thought to have even an outside chance. But to the 

 horror and dismay of the Yorkshiremen, within a hundi'ed yards 

 of the goal, when all the other horses were hopelessly beaten, one 

 unknown, despised outsider was seen to creep up, stick gallantly 

 to the girths of Voltigeur and refuse to be shaken off. Neck and 

 neck they came on together, and neck and neck they passed the 

 judge's box. There wa& a moment of terrible suspense, and then 

 it was known that an Irish horse, named Russborough, the rankest 

 of outsiders, had made a dead-heat with the mighty Voltigeur. 

 Amid intense excitement the dead-heat was run off. But Job 

 Marson was not to be caught napping a second time, and Voltigeur 

 added one more name to the then very short list of double-event 

 winners. But the culminating triumph of that eventful week was 

 yet to come. In the previous year, 1849, liord Eglinton's Flying 

 Dutchman had rivalled the achievements of Voltigeur and carried 

 off both the Derby and the St Leger, and on the Friday after 

 the Leger these two great champions of the northern and southern 

 stables met to contend for the Doncaster Cup. Never has there 

 been such a " Coop Day " before or since. The excitement was 

 indescribable, and so high did party spirit run that fights innumer- 

 able took place over the merits of " Volti " and " The Dutchman." 



