AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 293 



near and yet so far," being second in each instance. 

 Although he stood to win £40,000 on each of these 

 events, he was in no way disconcerted, nor did he 

 whimper in the sHghtest when one of his horses, which 

 he had backed for a " raker " in the Grand National, 

 fell the second time round. 



Several noteworthy events bearing upon the career 

 of our hero happened in the season of 1881. Digressing 

 for a few moments from the connecting links of his 

 history, it may be noted that on the 10th of January 

 of that year one of his oldest friends and warmest 

 admirers in Mr. Wm. I'Anson, whose name will ever be 

 associated with the deeds of Blink Bonny, Caller Ou, 

 and Blair Athol, was " struck out of all engagements," 

 at his residence, Hungerford House, Malton, at the 

 age of seventy-one years. William I' Anson's connection 

 with Malton began at Spring Cottage in 1849. 

 Amongst his patrons were Mr. A. J. Johnstone, Capt. 

 Barclay of Ury, Mr. V. Surtees, Mr. C. Harrison, Mr. 

 J. R. Hay, Mr. J. Singleton, Mr. F. Wall, Earl 

 Poulett, Sir G. H. Boswell, Mr. Ramsay (his first 

 master), Mr. C. W. A. Ramsay, Mr. Henr}^ Chaplin, 

 Mr. Charles Perkins, etc. He also trained many horses 

 of his own. One of them. Queen Mary, was probably 

 the luckiest purchase ever made by a trainer, as she 

 left a name behind her that entitles her to be esteemed 

 one of the grandest matrons to be found in the stud 

 book. As a yearling, he purchased Queen Mary for 

 30 guineas from Mr. Ramsay, at Doncaster, in 1844. 

 He sent her to Thomas Dawson, then at Tupgill, who 

 trained her for her only race — a sweepstake at Chester 

 — in which she fell and crippled herself. She was 

 then put to the stud, and afterwards sold, when in foal 

 vdth Haricot to Mango, at Mr. Ramsay's weeding-out 



