AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 139 



in the long annals of the greatest of the three classic 

 contests. In his simple, brief, matter-of-fact way 

 John recited the outline of the race in the following 

 words : 



" I can't remember now how it was that Lord 

 St. Vincent gave me the mount on Lord Clifden 

 when I rode the horse to victory in 1863. At 

 Ashgill we had a few useful two-year-olds that 

 year. There was Lord Arthur, Little Stag, Lady 

 of Coverham, and Coastguard all very smart. 

 Coastguard was bred by and belonged to Mr. 

 Wm. Hudson, who sold him, after he had won 

 the Gimcrack Stakes, to Mr. Naylor for 1200, 

 if I remember right. My father bred the other 

 three. Now, with regard to Lord Clifden and 

 the St. Leger, Fordham had ridden the horse 

 in all his two-year-old races, and I suppose it 

 was because he was engaged to ride something 

 else in the St. Leger that I got the mount. When 

 the flag fell Blondin cannoned against my horse, 

 and I lost a bit start. Somehow or other I 

 quickly kept dropping further behind. When 

 we got to the mile and a half post I touched 

 him with the spur to see if he would go, 

 but he did not respond. I took hold of him 

 and gave him a second dig, and he never 

 answered. I let him alone until he got to 

 the top of the hill and asked him to go. He 

 answered as soon as we began to go down the 

 hill; he quickly ran through his horses, and, as 

 you know, won cleverly. I can't tell you how 

 far I was behind in the race: it was certainly 

 a long way. Lord Clifden was a bad beginner ; 

 in his two-year-old race he began slowly. The 



