SIXTY YEAKS ON THE TURF 



Fordham, as the preceding anecdote shows, was 

 most jealous of his reputation, and whenever he was 

 attacked (if he heard of it) he brought his traducer 

 to hook. An instance of striking character cropped 

 up in 1858, after he had been beaten on Happy 

 Land by Wells on FitzRonald for the Two Thousand 

 Guineas. In explanation of the defeat, William 

 Day, who trained Happy Land, made some dis- 

 paraging remarks to Lord Ribblesdale, the owner, 

 about Fordham's riding. ''If," he said, "I train a 

 horse to win a race and a jockey doesn't second my 

 efforts, is it my fault, my lord?" The insinuation 

 reached Fordham, and he promptly laid the matter 

 before the Stewards of the Jockey Club. This put 

 William Day in a tight corner, and he received a 

 severe wigging from the heads of the Turf Senate. 

 Fordham, right off, told Day that never again would 

 he ride a horse he owned or a horse he trained. 

 Day thus did not mend matters, and always after- 

 wards Fordham kept a close eye on any of his 

 horses that he thought would be improved by a 

 gallop or so. 



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