LORD DARLINGTON AND MR. THORNHILL. 137 



six strides he lost sight of Sam altogether, and then 

 found him, as if by magic, at his girths. Jem Bland, 

 who stood to win along with Halliday some 60,000, 

 and whose well-known slogan of " Whool lay agin 

 Shey-lay-lee ?" had pierced the ears of the Ring for 

 months previous, was never the same man again. 

 Stevens, the sporting fishmonger, was also left la- 

 menting over the 20,000 which had suddenly faded 

 into thin air, and both the Chifneys were hard hit. 

 Shillelah was a big, leggy, brown horse, excessively 

 speedy, but not powerful, and withal very delicate 

 and difficult to train. He was made second favourite 

 for the St. Leger at starting, and it was after this 

 memorable Touchstone triumph, in which he assisted 

 by running eighth, that Sam bade adieu to the 

 saddle in Yorkshire. 



But we must now leave the pink and black stripes, 

 and have a peep at Sam in the white body and red 

 sleeves of Mr. Thornhill. His engagement to Perren's 

 stable had given him several mounts for The Squire 

 of Biddlesworth previous to 1818, but it was not till 

 the Derby-day of that year that the two were espe- 

 cially identified in the public mind. Such was Mr. 

 Thornhill' s opinion of his talent, that he had christ- 

 ened his Derby colt of that year " SAM/' in his 

 honour. This son of Scud was a low, lengthy, and 

 plain sort of horse, with a sour countenance, and a 

 delicate constitution ; and ten days before the race 

 he went so much amiss, that Mr. Thornhill thought 

 seriously of hedging the greater part of the 15,000 

 which depended on the result. Owing to the fretful- 

 ness of Prince Paul, the first favourite, the horses 

 only got off at the tenth attempt, and then Chifney 

 quietly waited till Prince Paul had run himself out, 

 disposed of Raby, and won cleverly by three parts of 

 a length. Raby, against whom 50 to 1 was laid at 

 starting, was in the same stable, and the property of 

 Lord Darlington, who had given up his first claim on 



