1 82 CHASING AND RACING 



Shot, ridden respectively by Wingfield, Watts, and 

 Morny Cannon. The betting was close: ii-io 

 Macuncas, 9-4 Sly Shot, and 100-30 Blankney. The 

 weights were level, as all three were iive-year-olds, and 

 the distance five furlongs. The result was also a near 

 thing between the favourite and the outsider Blankney. 

 The latter won by half a length, and when submitted to 

 auction he fell to my bid of ;^2oo. 



Soon after this Macuncas won the Stewards' 

 Handicap Plate at Hurst Park, and was knocked 

 down to " Jimmy '* Duke for exactly the same figure 

 as it had cost me to become the owner of Blankney. 



I was discussing with my fellow amateur the result 

 of the previous race in which these redoubtable steeds 

 had met, and in which Jimmy's new purchase had 

 suffered a narrow defeat. He ventured the opinion 

 that were they to meet again these positions would be 

 reversed. 



Here was my opportunity ! I immediately 

 butted in with the proposal of a friendly and 

 sporting match. Sir James rose to it. He made no 

 secret to his friends that Macuncas was a greatly 

 improved animal, and that he was convinced that he 

 could outmanoeuvre me in jockeyship. But I had a 

 card up my sleeve which the sportive owner of 

 Macuncas had not taken into consideration. 



This Blankney was a colossal racehorse, one of the 

 biggest ever seen on the turf. He stood well over 

 seventeen hands and had enormous bone — in fact, the 



