SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



" All right. I know you've always been fond of 

 the horse — 200 to 100." And before even the 

 numbers went up he paid me the 300. There was 

 no doubt what had won, for the official verdict was 

 ten lengths ! The turn in the tide of affairs con- 

 tinued for Davies through the autumn, but he took 

 fortune as equably as he accepted failure. He was 

 not at all a man to make a noise whatever befell 

 him ; and he rarely shouted over a race. But he 

 broke through his custom over the Cambridgeshire of 

 1852, for which he had laid a big bet to Mr. Merry 

 against Hobbie Noble, backing Knight of the Shire 

 for himself. The pair singled themselves out some 

 way from home, and as the " Knight " shot forth 

 with a length lead, Davies called, " Go on, Knight 



of the Shire ! There's that d d Hobbie Noble 



after you ! " 



I especially remember 1852, because it was in that 

 year I first owned a race horse, or, rather, a portion 

 thereof, Mr. J. Barnard (of " Barnard's Ring ") and 

 I "going halves" in a bay filly by Sirikol from 

 Amata, named Tobolski, whom we purchased for 

 700 sovs. from Squire Heathcote. At that time 

 there was betting on almost any little race before 

 the day of decision, and having no idea that Tobolski 

 was to run for the Beddington Stakes at the Epsom 

 Autumn Meeting I laid her to lose 700 pounds on 



