ME. JAMES MERRY. 103 



Goodwood Stakes, Chanticleer being the target against which 

 such heavy shots had been fired that, to quote from a writer in 

 Baihfs Magazine, " his winning was an extraordinary piece of luck, 

 as for weeks before he had been ' in the dead-meat market,' 

 although all connected with him were most sanguine, and 

 I'Anson was in a terrible state of mind ior what he could not 

 account. But to ' Lord Frederick,' who was then Mr. Merry's 

 commissioner, and had not at that time been raised to the 

 Peerage, the victory has been in a great measure attributed, 

 for by his advice the jockey was changed — whether rightfully or 

 not we do not presume to say. However, no sooner had Mar- 

 low's name been affixed to the telegraph for Chanticleer than it 

 seemed like the writing on the wall to the Assyrian monarch ; 

 the ' legs ' fell out in groups, and he was first favourite before 

 the weigher had completed his duties ; and the result was that 

 an ex-member of the Jockey Club, now an exile, has never 

 since recovered the blow." In the following year, 1849, 

 Chanticleer only won two races out of nine, and in 1850 

 he was put to the stud, where his success was as brilliant 

 as it had been on the turf; among his produce being Eller- 

 mire, dam of Ellington winner of the Derby in 1856 ; the mas- 

 sive Sunbeam, winner of the St. Leger in 1858 ; Ellen, the dam 

 of the celebrated Formosa, and other winners too numerous to 

 mention. 



The year 1857 saw Mr. Meny in a new light — as candidate for 

 the Parliamentary representation of the City of Glasgow. He 

 was, however, unsuccessful, and at the general election which fol- 

 lowed later in the same year he was scarcely more fortunate, for 

 although returned for the Falkirk Burghs, he was in the following 

 Jul}^ unseated on petition by his opponent, Mr. George Baird, 

 another millionaire iron-master. Mr. Merry, however, was com- 

 pensated for his political reverses by the brilliant success which 

 attended him on the turf. He had in the year 1852 begun to 

 turn his attention to the great two and three-year-old races, and in 

 that year he purchased from Lord John Scott the famous Hobbie 

 Noble, for whom he gave the then unprecedented sum of 6,500 

 guineas after the horse had won the New Stakes at Ascot and the 

 July at Newmarket in a canter. Many offers had before been 

 made to Lord John for his colt, but he had refused them all. 

 Hearing, however, that Mr. ^Merry was very anxious for him, 

 and had a great stake on for Epsom, Lord John waived his 

 objection, but on terms which made the purchase anything but 

 a desirable one. Hobbie was trained by Saunders at Hednesford, 

 and was for a long while first favourite for the Derby of 1852, 

 but within a few days of the race had to play second fiddle to 

 Little Harry. The Derby day of that year was perhaps the wettest 

 and the most sensational on record, for the course was fetlock deep, 

 and the issue was consequently left in the utmost uncertainty. 



