^^^ ashgill; or, the life 



to ride somewhat " jolly." " Master John," however, in 

 the last four strides squeezed Fraga together for the final 

 run home, and the filly gamely responding, she closed 

 up, and amid a scene of tremendous excitement, made a 

 dead heat of it in the last stride. The " Osborne smile " 

 diffused John's physiognomy, indicating his pride at 

 having made so tight a fit of it, and that, too, when 

 it looked a hundred to one against him fifty yards from 

 the chair. 



Changing the scene from York to Eichmond, in 

 the first week of September of '84 our hero had 

 another single-handed combat on Mr. Gladstone's 

 Dowry, with Snowden on Mr. W. Sadler's Incendiary, 

 in the Richmond Cup, one mile. Betting was 11 to 10 

 on Incendiary, who made sHght play for three-fourths 

 of the distance, when Dowry took a slight lead to the 

 distance. There Snowden bustled up Incendiary, who 

 gradually closed up the gap with the Ashgill mare, the 

 pair running locked together to the finish and the 

 verdict being a short neck. In the very next event he 

 rode a tremendous race on Mint Lozenge, 8 st. 5 lb., 

 against Tommy Tittlemouse, 7 st. 5 lbs., for the Easby 

 Nursery. The pair drew out by themselves from the 

 distance, when John closed up and in a most absorbing 

 finish " Tommy," ridden by G. Woodburn, was awarded 

 a short-head victory. This was one of the few instances 

 in his hfe in which John differed with Judge Johnson, 

 who officiated on the occasion. He was too much of a 

 gentleman to cavil against it, although he was firmly 

 convinced he had won. But the Richmond finishing 

 angle in those good old days, when we were wont to 

 call at Bellisle, half way up the hill which led to the 

 Moor, and sample Jim Watson's " Old Tawny " where- 

 with we washed down his dainty viands, was like its 



