NEWMARKET IN THE OLDEN TIME. 91 



ease him in his running. "When horses are in their great distress in 

 running, they cannot bear that visible manner of pulling as looked 

 for by many of the sportsmen ; he should be enticed to ease himself an 

 inch a time, as his situation will allow. 



"This should be done as if you had a silken rein as fine as a hair, 

 and that you were afraid of breaking it. 



" This is the true way a horse should be held fast in his running. 



N.B. If the Jockey Club will be pleased to give me two hundred 

 guineas, I will make them a bridle as I believe never was, and I be- 

 lieve can never be, excelled for their light weights to hold their horses 

 from running away." 



His name was so inseparably connected with this 

 style of riding, that when Stubbs painted him on 

 Baronet he represented him sitting backward, as 

 was his wont, with an apparently slack rein. It was 

 the son who caused " the Chifney rush " to pass into 

 an English proverb ; but, although many affected to 

 consider him a pedant, Paganini had not more com- 

 plete mastery over a violin than the father acquired 

 over a horse's mouth, however hard and unformed. 

 This was strikingly proved in the case of Knowsley, 

 at Guildford, whither after being purchased by the 

 Prince out of Yorkshire for one thousand guineas, 

 he was sent to run for the King's Plate. This horse 

 had run away with every jockey as yet, and therefore 

 a large party of the Prince's friends came down ex- 

 pressly to see how Chifney would handle him. " Take 

 that silly gimcrack away, and bring me a plain snaffle" 

 was his remark when they handed him a tremendous 

 curb-bridle for inspection in the weighing-house; 

 and then sallying forth, snaffle in hand, he not only 

 went first past the judge with a slack rein, but re- 

 peated the feat on him shortly after at Winchester. 

 He was as great on idle horses as he was on pullers 

 of the Knowsley stamp; but perhaps one of his 

 greatest triumphs in mouth-touching was when he 

 rode Eagle. He had advised the Duke of Dorset 

 to buy the horse from Sir Frank Standish, and run 

 him for the King's Plate at Newmarket. When the 

 two emerged from the rubbing-house, Sir Frank rode 



