122 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



whether Fleur-de-lis, or The Colonel, or Zinganee, or 

 all started, and to ride which he liked. He accord- 

 ingly choose Zinganee ! but the horse was so light, 

 and wasted on the day, that he was quite unable to 

 make a shadow of a fight, and was a bad last to 

 Lucetta. His royal owner was then on his death- 

 bed, and had he ever risen from it, there is no doubt 

 that he would have given the Chifneys their price, 

 3,500 guineas, for Priam, after the Derby, and made 

 a last St. Leger effort. Still, ill as he was, he felt 

 so anxious about the result, that he sent Jack Rat- 

 ford specially over to Epsom, charging him to come 

 back express with the news, the instant the horses 

 had passed the post. The love of the sport was with 

 him to the very last ; and, as far as royalty is con- 

 cerned, with him it seems to have died. Hence, 

 despite all his faults, real turfites can never think 

 of him but with deep pleasure, and wish that in 

 these more degenerate days of light-weights and 

 handicaps, they could see fewer money-grubbing 

 propensities among our chiefs at the Corner, and 

 more frequent glimpses of the genuine racing spirit 

 which pervaded their sires on those Heath afternoons 

 of old, when 



" The Royal heart of Wales was there, 

 Still rushing to the front." 



The Duke of York, Colonel Hellish, and Beau 

 Brummell," whom a few still remember to have seen 

 together on the Heath about the commencement of 

 the present century, were each an epitome in them- 

 selves. Brummell used often to be a guest along 

 with the Duke of York when the Duke of Rutland 

 kept court at Cheveley Park during the race meet- 

 ings, and had a bed-room sacred to him both there 

 and at Belvoir. He generally dressed for the course 

 in a tight green shooting-coat, leathers, and top- 

 boots, and was rather a carriage man than one 

 of the regular ^Newmarket Cavalry, with whom he 



