268 SALE OF LORD GEORGE^ STUD. 



Surplice give her a year and 12 lb., and Loadstone 

 a year and 10 lb. Not long before Sagacity 

 had won a handicap (distance 1^ mile) at North- 

 ampton. It was my intention that Sagacity, 

 availing herself of her light weight, should make 

 running, but this Surplice never allowed her to do. 

 My first proposal was that Surplice should give 

 Loadstone 10 lb., but at this Mr Villiers jeered, 

 saying that Loadstone would win in a canter, 

 and then it would be impossible to form an idea of 

 the true form of the two horses. Very reluctantly, 

 therefore, I consented to putting Loadstone into 

 the trial at 2 lb. less than Surplice, knowing full 

 well what the result would be. 



The trial came off over a mile-and-a-half course, 

 on May 13, 1848, and ended as follows : 



Surplice, 3 yrs., 8 st. 8 lb. (Eobinson), 1. 

 Sagacity, 4 yrs., 7 st. 10 lb. (Green), 2. 

 Lady Wildair, 5 yrs., 9 st. 4 lb. (Flatman), 3. 

 Loadstone, 3 yrs., 8 st. 6 lb. (Kitchener), 4. 



Surplice won with consummate ease by four 

 lengths ; Sagacity beat Lady Wildair by half a 

 length ; and Loadstone was at least ten lengths 

 behind Lady Wildair. 



Then followed a scene which, "while memory 

 holds her seat," I shall never forget. Mr Villiers 

 had witnessed the trial on foot, standing about 

 half a distance from the winning-post. When I 

 rode up to him he threw both his arms into the air, 

 and exclaimed in a frantic state of excitement, 



