MR. JAMES MERRY. 105 



a mirror, his muscle as developed as that of Heenan at the battle 

 of Famborough ; and when he galloped past the Stand he hardly 

 seemed to touch the ground." Small wonder then that he won 

 almost in a canter. Never was there a more popular victory, and 

 Mr. Merry netted £'40,000 in bets besides the stakes, which amounted 

 to £6,200. distance rode the winner, and received £1,000 for 

 the cool and able manner in which he steered Thormanby through 

 a field of thirty to the goal. Thormanby's triumph was celebrated 

 with becoming rejoicings at Russley, the poor of the parish being 

 regaled with a dinner, and amused with rustic games ; whilst every 

 labouring man in the three adjoining villages had half-a-crowu 

 given him to drink the health of the horse and owner. In 1861 

 Mr. Merry was within an ace of winning the Blue Riband for 

 the second time with Dundee, an even better horse than Thor- 

 manby; but the gallant son of Lord of the Isles went wrong in 

 his fore legs a week before the race, and though by careful manage- 

 ment he was brought to the post, he broke down in the last fev; 

 strides, and on two legs struggled in second, a short head behind 

 Kettledrum, the winner of the fastest Derby then recorded. 

 Another grand horse of Mr. Merry's was Buckstone, who, though 

 he could only get third in the Derby to Caractacus and third in 

 the St. Leger to The Marquis, was a finer horse than either of 

 his conquerers, as he proved indeed in the following year in his 

 dead-heat with Tim Whifiler for the Ascot Cup, and in his sensa- 

 tional match against Lord Glasgow's Knowsley for 500 guineas a 

 side, the winning of which was but an exercise canter to him. 

 In 1864 Scottish Chief, who could only secure the barren honours 

 of a place in the Derby, was backed for money enough to sink a ship, 

 for indeed by that time the yellow jacket had become so popular 

 with the public that whenever Mr. Merry had a fsiirly good horse 

 in any of the weight^for-age races, they piled their money on 

 him with almost insane infatuation, and the animal was sure to 

 be made so hot a favourite, and backed so heavily, that it used to be 

 said Mr. Merry's victory would break the ring ; and there is no doubt 

 that more than once his horses did carry so much money that a 

 financial catastrophe would have followed their winning, whilst it is 

 almost equally certain that on these occasions, in spite of all the 

 vigilance of owner and trainer, the favourites were " got at " in some 

 manner, notably in the case of Macgregor and Sunshine. The former, 

 who had won the Two Thousand in 1870 in the hollowest manner 

 ever seen, was made a tremendously hot favourite for the Derby — 

 the hottest on record probably. All the world piled their money on 

 him. The colt went on faultlessly, and at starting 9 to 4 was 

 laid on him, but to the intense surprise of owner, trainer, and 

 jockey, he could not move, and the marvellous galloper finished 

 fourth behind the three worst horses, probably, that ever 

 monopolized the Derby " situations." It was a 1,000 to 1 he 

 was poisoned for the day, and the bookmakers must have won 



