AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 63 



beaten two lengths by Maid of Lyme, who was a good 

 mare that season, Van Dieman that same month, ridden 

 by Hiett, winning the Derby Tradesmen's Plate, with 

 odds of 5 to 2 on him, and " Johnnie " winning a Selling 

 Stakes of three one-mile heats on Mr. Ellis' Acomb. 

 He had his first mount in the Cambridgeshire this year 

 on Mr. Robert's Rienzi, three years, 5 st. 7 Ibs. At this 

 meeting, for a sweepstake of 10 sovs., the judge was 

 guilty of an excusable mistake. The number of Sir S. 

 Spry's Bastilion was put up at the winning chair by 

 direction of the judge, and as the mistake was not 

 cleared up until the horses were preparing to start for 

 the next race, the number of the real winner (Mr. 

 Burgess' Hind of the Forest, ridden by J. Sharp) was 

 not exhibited at all. Sir Samuel Spry, on seeing Hind 

 of the Forest returned in the lists as the winner of the 

 race, objected to the alteration, and claimed the race. 

 An inquiry took place before the stewards, when it 

 appeared that the mistake arose from the similarity 

 of the colours in which the two horses were ridden, and 

 that the judge was quite certain that the horse he 

 meant to designate as the winner was the farthest from 

 him, which was Hind of the Forest's position. Tasker, 

 the rider of Bastilion, on coming to the weighing-house, 

 and hearing that his number was up, stated that he had 

 certainly not won the race. On this evidence the 

 stewards decided that Hind of the Forest was properly 

 returned as the winner. 



It is a most singular fact that the winners of the 

 first and last races recorded in the Racing Calendar of 

 1849 were ridden by the then rising Osborne. It has 

 been mentioned that on the 29th February this year he 

 won the Trial Stakes at Liverpool on Ada Mary. At 

 the Yorkshire Union Hunt, held Monday, 5th 



