LOUD DARLINGTON AND MR. THORNHILL. 143 



lost all consciousness in an instant, as, for the first 

 time in his life, he crossed the road at the Turn of the 

 Lands, without taking it at a flying jump, as was his 

 eccentric and unvarying practice, even though he 

 might be in the iron grip of Sam himself. He fell 

 dead about seventy yards on the Newmarket side of 

 it, and it darted instantly through Will's mind that 

 there could be no hope, as he had forgotten to 

 rise at his favourite spot. Albert died on the Heath 

 not many years after, with Connolly on his back : 

 but he died in his stride, and did not go nearly so far 

 before he fell : and Orinoco's death was equally in- 

 stantaneous. It was said at the time, that Will Chifney 

 gave Sailor unduly heavy work, and had horses regu- 

 larly posted for him in his sweats. Both he and his 

 father were good match trainers, but not great for two 

 or three races together. Their match horses were 

 brought to the post as fine as wax-work, but very 

 light : they set them very sharp, stinted their water, 

 had them out for exercise, varied with frequent four- 

 mile sweats, four or five hours a day, and bled them 

 upwards of a couple of quarts a week, till within a 

 fortnight of the race. Such at least is the testimony 

 of their still surviving cotemporaries, who will stick 

 stoutly to the over-training of Priam. 



Mr. Thornhill's Epsom luck with the Chifneys 

 reached its acme on the terrific Sailor day ; and dur- 

 ing the ten years more that his horses continued under 

 their charge, none of them were ever again placed for 

 either of those two races. Mustard was " nowhere " 

 to Gulnare in the Oaks ; and an own sister to Sam 

 and Sailor was equally unfortunate in Zinc's year. 

 The same may be said of Reformer, who was first fa- 

 vourite when Sir John Shelley won the Derby with 

 Cedric, and had been purchased for 1,500 guineas 

 some six weeks before. His colt Merchant (who 

 failed hopelessly for this race in 1828) was always an 

 especial fancy of his owner's: low, lengthy, and strong ; 



