CHASING AND RACING 15 



succeeded in putting paid to the high pretensions of 

 Robert the Devil in the Derby of 1880. Some say- 

 that inferior jockeyship was alone responsible for the 

 defeat of the latter, and prophesied that when the Leger 

 came round, Messrs. Brewer's champion would have 

 an ample revenge. This forecast, as history relates, 

 was borne out to the letter : but personally, I have 

 always believed that at Doncaster, the Boy in Yellow 

 was a bit off colour ; whilst Robert was top notch, as 

 he proved when he added the Cesarewitch to his 

 laurels.* 



All this, by the way ! 



Ted and I had backed the Duke of Westminster*s 

 champion all right enough, but no material gain came 

 our way. We had remained on the far side of the 

 course in a small enclosure near the winning post, and 

 had selected one. Cox, as a likely penciller, probably 

 because he shared my patronymic ; but when it 

 came to claiming winnings, his too solid flesh had 

 melted. In vulgar parlance, he had " done a guy." So 

 we jogged back to our celibate abode certainly sadder, 

 if not wiser, lads. 



It was during our sojourn in Twickenham that I 

 suffered a loss which caused me dire distress. I have 

 been, from my earliest days, more of a " cynophilist,'* 

 than an " hippophilist." Though forming attachments 

 to various units of the equine race, I generally regarded 



* After winning the St. Leger, Robert the Devil was successful 

 in the Cesarewitch, carrying 8 stone 6 lbs. 



