SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



in greater degree with J. Godding, from whose 

 hands came polished jockeys Uke French, David 

 Plumb, Huxtable, Sayers, Parry, Butler, Wilson, 

 &c. &c. ; while Matthew Dawson sent out, among 

 many others, Archer, F. Webb, and Billy Grey. 

 " Once upon a time " a trainer regarded a good home 

 boy as necessitous as a good horse or two. My own 

 plan with my trainers' boys was to put them up on 

 any available occasion, and, as I have mentioned, 

 though I was sure Victorious could in the Mile 

 Nursery at Goodwood in 1864 give the weight to 

 Victory I none the less ran the latter for the sake 

 of Morris. " Why do you run Victory ? Has he a 

 chance ? " asked Admiral Rous. " Not a thousand 

 to one ? " " Then why run him." " To give Morris 

 practice." " Oh," he said, " a very good plan." In 

 thus acting, if I was serving the boys I was also 

 benefiting myself, as when I wanted them for a 

 " good thing " they were ready to hand. In this 

 way I assisted in the polishing of Heartfield, Morris, 

 Quince, Vidler, Johnson, Gaston, Mitchell, and 

 others, exceeding a dozen, and all could be trusted 

 to ride well ; some magnificently. My trainers were 

 not solitary pursuers of the plan. The custom was 

 common, and in this way the old was continually 

 being leavened with the new. We, in those times, 

 never had to murmur at the absence of capable 



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