SAM CHIFNEY. 95 



high, hopes to cheer him, he took to riding for Lord 

 Oxford with no little energy and success, and over 

 and over again discomfited Dick Carr and the other 

 leaders of the circuit,, by "waiting till they had ridden 

 each other to a standstill, and then pouncing on them 

 at the post/' His capital riding atoned to his uncle 

 for his impatience of stable discipline ; and his lord- 

 ship's French valet, after receiving many a gallant 

 heel-and-toe assault from him when he tried to put 

 him out of the still-room, was fain at last to make 

 peace with him on the same grounds. The Earl was 

 a man who went strictly on John Osborne's principle, 

 that " if a horse wants sweating, you may as well 

 sweat him for the brass" and his numerous victories 

 in 1800-1 so raised the reputation of Sam and Small- 

 man, that the Prince engaged the latter as his trainer, 

 and in 1802 again ranked among English turfites. 

 His new training quarters were fixed at Albury 

 Grange, near Winchester, and his stud consisted, 

 hunters and all, of about sixteen. Sam accompanied 

 his uncle thither, for a few weeks, and mounted the 

 magnificent "purple jacket with scarlet sleeves, and 

 gold-braid buttons, and black cap with gold tassel^ 

 of the Prince for the first time at the Stockbridge 

 Meeting of that year. Chifney senior was still one 

 of the turf- lions of the day, and hence there was no 

 little anxiety among the Hampshire yokels to see his 

 little son perform. Nothing could have been abler 

 than his riding, but he was beaten a short head on a 

 Fidget colt. This day was always pleasantly marked 

 in his mind as the real and long-wished-for begin- 

 ning of his riding career, and his favourite farm was 

 christened after the colt's sire. 



The brothers met next at the Grange, after a two- 

 years' separation, and it was settled that Sam should 

 return to Newmarket, and be attached to the stables 

 of Perren, who was then in considerable repute as a 

 trainer, and Will take his place as assistant to his 



