AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 31 



Middleham in 1840, when he travelled afoot from 

 Scotland to run Pathfinder in the Derby of that year. 



The Dawsons soon got into a rich winning vein at 

 Brecongill, Tupgill, and Thorngill, for they were in 

 turn occasional tenants of these well-known Middleham 

 training establishments. The patrons of their father 

 supported the sons in their adopted Yorkshire home, 

 for amongst the latter who sent their horses to be 

 trained were Lord Eglinton, Sir James Boswell, Major 

 Paul, Admiral Harcourt, Sir J. Gerrard, Mr. A. John- 

 stone, Mr. G. Hope-Johnstone, Mr. Ramsay, and Mr." 

 O'Brien. A long and illustrious roll of winners were 

 trained by the Dawson family. Not the least noteworthy 

 was Ardrossan, the sire of Jack Spigot, the St. Leger 

 winner of 1821, and of the dam of the peerless Bee's- 

 wing. The brothers Tom and John at Brecongill had 

 Charles XII. under their care, though he did not reach 

 them until after his dead heat and subsequent triumph 

 over Euclid in the St. Leger of 1839, when he was 

 bought by Mr. Johnstone. But they trained him the 

 next year, when he won several important races, 

 including the Goodwood Cup, the Doncaster Cup, and 

 a match for £1000 against Mr. Lightwald's Hyllus 

 over the Cup course, giving him 5 lb. Job Marson 

 rode Charles XII., and the famous Jim Robinson was 

 on Hyllus, who was defeated by a neck. Our Nell, a 

 filly belonging to George Dawson, won the Oaks in 

 1842, and they took the St. Leger with Blue Bonnet 

 for Lord Eglinton. They trained Van Tromp when he 

 won the St. Leger in 1847, but his defeat in the Derby 

 by The Cossack sent dismay into the heart of York- 

 shire. John Dawson was the first to bring word of the 

 defeat to Middleham, where the fate of the Derby was 

 expected with all the anxiety of the news of a great 



