Lord Darlington and Mr. Thornhill. 125 



ling ; and such was his strange prejudice against 

 Priam, that he candidly said he " could not bear the 

 horse," and not only lost /ooo/. about him for the 

 Derby, but backed Wat very heavily for that event. 

 The two were never put together either in private or 

 in the race, as Wat broke down at Mickleham, a few 

 days previous, and it was all Crockford could do to 

 get off Lord Darlington's money. The faulty leg 

 which gave way had been a source of uneasiness for 

 some time, and began from the very smallest pea-like 

 spot, on a small tendon, that ever fell under veteri- 

 nary eyes. The Chifneys examined it anxiously 

 morning after morning, and could hardly persuade 

 themselves that it boded such deep mischief. Swiss 

 was also another of his lordship's expensive 2500- 

 guinea fancies. Bill Scott had won the Champagne 

 as far as possible with him, as his owner (Peirse, of 

 Richmond) wanted to sell him, in consequence of his 

 Derby nomination becoming void by Lord Claren- 

 don's death. Colonel Cradock, who had the refusal 

 of him, and also trained with Peirse, pressed his lord- 

 ship very much to buy him, but Will Chifney was 

 very much against the purchase, and took care that 

 his lordship should see the horse before he had been 

 out in the morning, in order that he might not " walk 

 fine." Eventually, declining the Colonel's offer to 

 stand half, Lord Darlington bought the horse out- 

 right, and had the mortification of seeing him break 

 down so seriously on the near fore-tendon (which was 

 slightly enlarged) in his next gallop, that it was not 

 only six weeks before he could be removed, but he 

 was never saddled for a race again. He was a slash- 

 ing, attractive-looking animal, of the Whisker get ; 

 lengthy, with a deep shoulder, big ribs, and a very 

 coarse head and neck. 



It is no part of our purpose to give an invoice of 

 the victories which Sam gained in the " pink-and- 

 black-stripe" jacket, during the thirty years it was in 



