Doncaster Moor. 323 



not unfrequently filled to the brim with fivers, one- 

 pound-notes, and sovereigns. 



Mercutio and Lottery were among the old cup stars, 

 and ran one of the most distressing four-mile cup 

 races ever seen at Doncaster. The start was at the 

 Red House, and some of the jockeys by mistake 

 raced in when they had gone the present cup distance, 

 and began to pull up. The people shouted at them 

 to go on, and George Gates forced Lottery once more 

 along at such a pace, that at the distance Mercutio 

 was fairly pumped out, and Lottery began to " crack" 

 as well. George, who was no great rider, took to 

 kicking, and Mercutio's jockey to nursing, which just 

 enabled him to get up on the post and win. Mercutio 

 was so exhausted that they had to support him into 

 the rubbing house ; but he came out next day and 

 beat Sandbeck. This was perhaps the most cruel tax 

 that was ever made on a horse's powers. Croft, the 

 trainer, had taken a bet of 500 to TOO about the 

 horse in the cup. He left no stock, and, in fact, died 

 not very long after of inflammation on the lungs. 

 Lottery was pulled out to defeat Barefoot, the St. 

 Leger winner of the previous year, only an hour or so 

 before he ran with Mercutio, and never was horse more 

 knocked about by his eccentric owner. Laurel was a 

 good Blacklock, and his Doncaster Cup week saw 

 three St. Leger winners, a Derby winner,. Velocipede, 

 and Bessy Bedlam on " The Moor." 



One of the gamest but the slowest of the four-milers 

 was Lord Kelburne's Purity by Octavian, and she 

 finished up another remarkable Doncaster Meeting, 

 in which Humphrey Clinker (the sire of Melbourne), 

 Emma (the dam of Cotherstone and Mundig), Fleur- 

 de-Lis, Actaeon, Belzoni (the sire of so many fine, 

 brown, and forge hammer-headed hunters), and Mem- 

 non, all won, while Mulatto ran second for St. Leger 

 and Cup. It was the last race of the last day, and 

 run in five two-mile heats. Bill Scott won the first 



Y 2 



