AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 443 



performance of a great, aged horse. He was carrying 

 9 St. 13 lbs., and was beaten half a length by the three- 

 year-old Ashgill colt, on whom Glover, also an Ashgill 

 jockey, carried 7 st. 6 lbs., and started at 40 to 1. As a 

 five-year-old, Bendigo failed for the Cambridgeshire, 

 with Archer up and 9 st. 5 lbs. in the saddle, to give the 

 French three-year-old Plaisanterie 10 lbs., suffering 

 defeat by half a length. The previous year of '84, 

 Bendigo occupied the same provoking position of second 

 for this same race to Mr. Jack Hammond's good four- 

 year-old mare Florence, who, of the same age, conceded 

 Mr. Barclay's horse exactly a stone, Webb beating Jim 

 Snowden in a most desperate finish by a head on that' 

 occasion ; while the grey Eastern Emperor, four years, 

 7 St. 5 lbs., carrying the ducal colours of Beaufort, was 

 only beaten for second place by Bendigo by a neck. 

 " Sharp work for the eyesight " was this finish, as the 

 old lady said when the wheelbarrow perambulated over 

 her nose. Nor did our hero ever win a Lincolnshire 

 Handicap, a City and Suburban, a Chester Cup, or a 

 Grand Prix de Paris. 



But as against these failures a balance is struck with 

 triumphant rides in one Great Metropohtan (Chippen- 

 dale); in six Two Thousand Guineas, viz., on Vedette, 

 Pretender, Bothwell, Prince Charlie, Camballo, and 

 Ayrshire. Apology bore him successfully home in the 

 One Thousand Guineas. The only Derby winner he 

 steered was Pretender, though he was second on Mr. 

 Trotter's outsider, Pahnbearer, and Mr. Vyner's 

 Crowberry. Apology gave him his first and only Oaks, 

 in which he was twice second, viz., on Mr. J. B. 

 Cookson's Coromandel II., the victress being that magni- 

 ficent filly, Wheel of Fortune, and in earher years on 

 his own fiUy, Eomping Girl. He was twice third on 



