CHAPTER XIX 



WHEN I am asked what are the most thrill- 

 ing finishes I have ever witnessed, 

 three heroic struggles, which stand out 

 conspicuously, leap to my mind. 



The first of these was the desperate set-to between 

 Melton and Paradox, in the Derby of 1885. The 

 latter had won " The Guineas, " in which Archer was 

 his pilot ; but when it came to the great Epsom event 

 " the Tinman " was on the back of Melton, whilst Fred 

 Webb steered Paradox. The twain ran locked to- 

 gether from the distance, and curiously enough, in the 

 centre of the course, instead of under the far rails as is 

 generally the case. Horses and jockeys were of the 

 best quality, and the issue was fought out to the bitter 

 end. 



It has been said that Archer could have won on 

 either, but Webb could not go on without his horse, and 

 it is probable that Melton was, on that particular day, 

 the better racehorse of the two, though by the narrowest 

 possible margin. It is certain that Paradox lacked 

 nothing in the way of jockeyship. I was so engrossed 

 in the struggle that I did not see the rest of the field, and 



whenever I try to visualize the scene, it always recurs 



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