46 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



a cathedral, and countless peaceful farm-yard groups, 

 but he has more than kept up his title of " Master of 

 the Horse" by his forthcoming " Illustrations of the 

 Race," in which it is plain to see that Teddington, 

 The Dutchman, and West Australian have been among 

 his principal models ; as were Sweetmeat, Alarm, and 

 The Baron in his Stable series. 



But to resume. The luck of jockeys, who number 

 about 180 in Great Britain, professing to ride all 

 weights from 8st. 71bs. to 4st., is very variable. Till 

 the great light weights Wells and Fordham arose, Nat 

 had for a long series of years kept at the head of 

 the winning list, and in 1849 he won no less than 

 101 races, out of 306 ; and bore a hand in three dead- 

 heats to boot ; while Frank Butler in his last four 

 seasons won, excluding walks-over, 143 out of 384. 

 The foreigners might well say, when they went to 

 Newmarket, " This Misterre Butler and Misterre 

 Flatman they do win all the money." Fordham's 

 1856 season, however, has never been surpassed, as 

 he won 107 and divided three out of his 353 

 mounts. It is not, however, the jockey who has the 

 most winnings, who is, as it were, considered the 

 lucky jockey of the season. Looking merely at the 

 seniors in ' ' the pigskin/' it was Job Marson's season 

 in 1851, Butler's in 185.2-53, Alfred Day's in 1854, 

 and Bartholemew's in 1855. But for his accident, 

 " Ben," who is one of the biggest limbed of the pro- 

 fession, would have been again at the head of the poll 

 in '56, as up to that point he had won 31 races out of 

 66. Nothing is generally more fatal to a young jockey 

 than to quarrel with his early employer, and to get 

 turned adrift for splitting about a trial, or a horse 

 " not being meant this journey ;" the cold-shoulder 

 is at once given him everywhere, as being a lad of 

 no really sound principles, and unclean lips, and he 

 has to hang for the remainder of his days, shabby and 

 forlorn, among the " outer ring," or adopt the tout 



