308 LORD GEORGE AS A TURF REFORMER. 



George's zeal, energy, and acumen as a Turf refor- 

 mer, to follow which vocation he was additionally 

 impelled by the fact that he was often the victim 

 of abuses which then existed. In the year 1834, 

 when Preserve won the Clearwell at Newmarket, 

 the horses were at the post an hour before the start 

 took place, although there were but nine runners. 

 Preserve was a great favourite at 6 to 4, and there 

 was evidently a concerted endeavour to defeat her 

 by irritating and wearying her as much as possible. 

 This foul design was repeated when Preserve won 

 the Criterion at the Houghton Meeting, the betting 

 being 13 to 8 on her. Although there were four- 

 teen false starts, the Emilius blood, as in the case 

 of her half-brother Priarn, was too stout to be 

 exhausted and defeated by manoeuvres of this 

 rascally kind. 



Again, when his Lordship brought out his extra- 

 ordinary filly, Crucifix, he became the target at 

 which the shafts of envy, hatred, and malice were 

 relentlessly aimed. An attempt was made to defeat 

 her for the Chesterfield Stakes at Newmarket, 

 through the usual agency of countless false starts. 

 In one of these all the horses engaged ran the 

 course through, and Lord Albemarle's chestnut filly 

 Iris came in first, defeating Crucifix by half a 

 length. Crucifix was carrying 9 Ib. extra for 

 winning the July Stakes, and lost fifty lengths at 

 the starting-post. It transpired, however, that 



