SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



Mr. Fred Gretton declared he would scratch Isonomy 

 for the Manchester Cup as soon as he saw he had 

 9st. 12lb. to carry. 



" Don't be a fool ! " I said. " He can win with all 

 that. He'd have won the Cesare witch with 9 st. 

 10 lb. if your other horse, Westbourne, hadn't swerved 

 •on to him." As a matter of fact, I was the cause of 

 Isonomy having 9 st. 12 lb. Mr. Johnson had him 

 in at 9 st. 8 lb. when he showed me the handicap. 

 " Judge," I said, " you've given the race to Isonomy. 

 Put 4 lb. more on him, and even then he'll win." 



The friendship that existed between Admiral Rous 

 ^nd myself was of no ordinary character ; and yet 

 the beginning of the association was of a prosaic 

 nature. In 1850 I was making a book at the 

 Newmarket First Spring meeting, when the Admiral 

 (then Captain Rous) rode up and asked the price of 

 the Exotic filly for the One Thousand Guineas. She 

 was then at evens ; but wishing to get a bet with 

 him I said, " I will bet you 5 to 4, Captain." 



"I take it. What name?" 



" George Hodgman." 



The name was fresh to the Captain, and he 

 paused a moment. Whereupon Bill Da vies called 

 out, " It's all right. Captain ; only we call him Young 

 Impudence." 



After the race I offered Captain Rous the fiver, 



46 



