270 SALE OF LORD GEORGE'S STUD. 



estimate of the way in which horses galloped in 

 their clothes ; the former was never carried away 

 by predilections or prepossessions, and nothing 

 could induce him to back a horse until after one 

 or more genuine trials. 



It was upon the Saturday before Bath Races that 

 Surplice and Loadstone were tried, and when the 

 betting - ring was formed in front of the Grand 

 Stand on Lansdown, the anxiety to back Surplice 

 was so great that business was altogether im- 

 possible, until Davies, " the Leviathan," laid 1000 

 to 700 against him several times. Most of these 

 bets were taken by Mr Justice, acting for Harry 

 Hill, who was acting for Mr Villiers. As was 

 usually the case about forty or fifty years ago 

 when a horse became a great favourite for the 

 Derby, there were plenty of rumours in circula- 

 tion that Surplice would be " made safe " : that, in 

 the teeth of the immense sums laid against him, 

 " he would win no Derby " and much more of the 

 same sort. Mr Cynric Lloyd, in particular, who 

 had backed Surplice steadily ever since he won 

 the Ham Stakes at two years old, was seriously 

 alarmed, and came to me in great agitation about 

 what he had heard. Of course my anxiety was 

 great, and all the more so because the family at 

 Goodwood House had backed Surplice, and never 

 allowed themselves to be shaken by anything that 

 Mr Villiers said. Under these circumstances I 

 pursued my usual plan when in perplexity, and 



