AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 303 



won in a common canter, starting at 40 to 1 with the 

 Derby winner and Geheimness behind her. After her 

 victory Matthew Dawson was the recipient of some 

 extraordinary letters, accusing him of every crime under 

 the sun. Lord Fahnouth also being favoured with like 

 condemnatory epistles. Nor did Archer himself escape 

 the fiery and perhaps undeserved attacks of anonymous 

 correspondents. 



Lord Zetland's purchase of Peppermint after York 

 was not satisfactory in a pecuniary sense, as his four- 

 year-old season was a barren one; indeed, his career 

 as a racer ended that season. That his dam, Mintdrop, ' 

 bred by Messrs. Osborne in 1872, and got by Lozenge, 

 her dam, Minaret, by Rataplan out of Manganese by 

 Eirdcatcher, was a useful mare, she proved by throwing 

 Wild Mint, Mint Rock, Mint Lozenge, Wild Moss, 

 Peppercorn, and other useful animals. 



At the end of this '82 season, Mr. "Plunger" 

 Walton bid England adieu after a short meteoric 

 career of gambling, leaving accounts unsettled to the 

 amoimt, it was said, of £11,000. He was known to 

 liave lost £20,000 on the Cambridgeshire of this year, 

 in addition to several other heav}^ failures, including a 

 great stake on Wallenstein for the Liverpool Cup. 

 Archer finished up the season by riding a grand total 

 of 210 winners, and was making at the time in fees, 

 presents, and retainers at least £10,000 a year. 



