160 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



Rover was supported with such spirit by the great 

 betting twins of that day, Messrs. Gully and Rids- 

 dale, that Priam could never be got to shorter odds 

 than 4 to 1. The latter showed, as in the Riddles- 

 worth, his strong dislike to seeing fresh faces at the 

 post ; and hence, when after a profusion of false 

 starts the flag dropped in earnest, Sam Chifney looked 

 back grimly in his saddle as they swept oif in a per- 

 fect cloud of dust, and saw Priam still dancing on his 

 hind legs in most approved Ducrow fashion, at the 

 post. However, " the sprig of myrtle" got him once 

 more on all-fours, and although he was last off, and 

 lost several lengths, Sam and Robinson (who were 

 in difficulties already) had the pleasure of seeing him 

 shoot past them like a swallow before they had gone 

 400 yards, and get on to good terms with Little Red 

 Rover, Mahmoud, and Augustus, at Tattenham Cor- 

 ner. Once there, Sam Day took his pull, and waited 

 with them to the Grand Stand, where the " narrow 

 blue stripes'" declined, and all Templeman's efforts 

 on his chesnut could do nothing against Priam when 

 he came in earnest. " Two lengths " was the fiat, 

 and the Chifneys won about 12,000, including the 

 stakes much less than public report chose to attri- 

 bute to them. Priam walked over for the Ascot 

 Derby in the course of the next fortnight, and be- 

 came an immense favourite for the St. Leger, for 

 which they very fairly concluded that he could not 

 be beaten. 



No horse could do better during the summer ; and 

 it was with high hopes of making a more brilliant 

 stroke than ever, that Will Chifney again set out on 

 his walking pilgrimage with him to Doncaster early 

 in September. Stilton was their goal on the first 

 day ; and on the next they pushed forward to Exton 

 Park, the seat of the late Sir Gerard Noel, some five 

 or six miles from Stamford. Here a halt was made 

 for nearly a week, during which Priam was sweated, 



