SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



sovs. each, on the ensuing Tuesday. Thornhill 

 proposed that he, Mundy, and myself should club 

 together, and lend Parr the hundred — a proposition 

 accepted and carried out. But when on the Tuesday 

 I saw that Nabob was a starter I said to Thornhill, 

 *' What is this stupid man doing ? The horse hasn't 

 been out of the stable for days, and Nabob's a top 

 sawyer." 



*' Oh, let him alone ! He knows what he is 

 about." 



And he certainly did in getting hold of Weather- 

 gage at old song price, seeing that that son of 

 Weatherbit that season won the Goodwood Stakes 

 and the Cesarewitch, not to name a variety of small 

 races that Parr so much affected. After Weather- 

 gage, with his owner-trainer up, had, on Wednesday, 

 May 19, won the Aristocratic Handicap at Bath in 

 a canter, I advised Mr. Parr to start him for the 

 Derby in the following week. Davies earnestly 

 supported my counsel, offering the colt's party a 

 wager of 100,000 to 1000. "And," he added, with 

 emphasis he rarely used, ** you'll win it ! " But no. 

 They were going for Barbarian, also a 100 to 1 

 chance, and he was beaten by Daniel O'Rourke. 

 Neither the winner nor the second was of much 

 account, and had Weathergage started he could not, 

 as the race was run, have easily lost. It may be 



26 



