80 HORSE-RACING PREVIOUS TO VANS. 



experienced a reverse of fortune, and the land 

 and stables at Headley passed into the hands of 

 " Lawyer " Ford, from whom Lord George Ben- 

 tinck purchased them. It was here that Crucifix 

 and Grey Momus stood, together with other 

 horses, including Gaper and Chatham, all of which 

 belonged to Lord George. In 1845, I passed the 

 Epsom week there with the Duke of Richmond's 

 Refraction (who won the Oaks), and other horses 

 under my charge, and in 1848, full of anxiety 

 about the safety of the favourite, I took Lord 

 Clifden's Surplice and Loadstone to the same 

 spot to run for the Derby, which the former won. 



So great was the importance attached by Lord 

 George to having all his horses vanned to Epsom 

 and to other race meetings that, although he had 

 animals running at Epsom on the first day of the 

 races, and again in the Derby on Wednesday, he 

 would insist upon having his mares which were 

 to run in the Oaks conveyed in vans to Headley 

 on the Derby Day. The inevitable result was 

 that he had to pay enormous charges for post- 

 horses at the rate of fifteen guineas a-pair to 

 take the vans from Kingston railway station to 

 Headley. This was the price paid in 1842 for 

 Firebrand's van, as his Lordship had backed the 

 mare for the Oaks in consequence of her having 

 won the One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket ; 

 but in the Oaks she only finished third to Mr G. 

 Dawson's Our Nell, who was first, and to Mr 



