CORNOPEAN AND GAPER. 199 



entering further, however, into details and de- 

 vising excuses, which is as useless as " crying 

 over spilt milk," I come next to a letter which 

 was written more than a month after Gaper's 

 defeat for the Derby. It runs as follows, and 

 is very characteristic of his Lordship's painstak- 

 ing thoroughness, and his practical good sense 

 in always seeing things in their true light : 



" HARCOURT HOUSE, July 1, 1843. 



" KENT, John will have told you, though he 

 won a head after a desperate race, how wretchedly 

 bad Cornopean ran yesterday. Whatever we may 

 have thought before the race yesterday, it is quite 

 clear now that Cornopean can have no chance at 

 Winchester ; and the Duke of Richmond and I, 

 after talking the matter over, think the best plan 

 now will be to send Bramble to Winchester to see 

 what he can do a mile, following Decisive and 

 Chotornian, and so keep Gaper and Cornopean 

 fresh for Liverpool. I then thought of leaving 

 Gaper to fight out the stakes about the country, 

 and giving up Bramble for the Grand Junction 

 Stake at Liverpool. I think Gap6r keeps gradually 

 getting worse and worse, as Flytrap did ; whilst I 

 cannot help thinking that Bramble has not yet got 

 over his Ascot cough. You hardly ever heard a 

 horse blow and appear so distressed as he did after 

 his race for the Stockbridge Produce. 



" I have left Mus, Naworth, and Lothario in the 



