222 PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS. 



running horses palpably unfit — for they but receive and do 

 not give instructions ; and whilst they alone are censured, 

 others receive the benefit. 



The above argument will find illustration and corroboration 

 in the following incident. 



A gentleman, who shall be nameless, asked me to buy him 

 a yearling, I did, and gave 300 guineas for one, the only one 

 I bought for him. As a two-year-old he was tried in the pre- 

 sence of his owner and won very easily — in fact, was found to 

 be a good horse. He ran a few days after with a stable boy 

 in the saddle and was not placed. I was not present. With- 

 out saying one single word, or even hinting at such a thing^ 

 the owner did not allow the horse to return to my stable, but 

 sent him to his own. Shortly afterwards the rest of his 

 horses were taken away, his retirement from the turf, which 

 I knew was a fabrication, being the colourable pretext for 

 such action. The horse next year won the Derby, trained 

 by a stable boy cajoled from my establishment at the time 

 of the removal of the horses. What could this act imply 

 but dishonesty on the part of the jockey or myself, or both ? 

 The horse, it should be said, when he ran as a two-year-old 

 amongst "hacks," was not backed for a shilling and was well 

 and undoubtedly ridden to the orders of the owner, who, after 

 reaping the reward of such conduct in this one horse at the 

 ruinous expense of the jockey and trainer, never won a race 

 after that I remember, and retired in reality from the turf 



In another case, after Didcibella had won the Caesarewitch, 

 I claimed her half brother, Roimdiis, for 300 guineas, and sold 

 him at the same price to a very wealthy young gentleman, 

 " who," it was said, " was desirous of training his horses with 

 me." In due course, Roimihis was tried and found to be a 

 good horse over a distance of ground, and entered for the 



