142 ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



merchant living at Ashton-under-Lyne, Staffordshire. 

 Edwin Parr, the trainer, and Mr. Holmes, an Irish 

 gentleman, were the ambassadors to effect the purchase, 

 and the sum asked was five thousand pounds down and 

 two thousand more if he won the Derby. These terms 

 were at once closed with, and at half -past eleven o'clock 

 that same night of the conference the future hero of the 

 St. Leger was in his new quarters at Godmersham. 

 That Lord St. Vincent was a spirited buyer more cases 

 could be cited, but disappointment, grievous disappoint- 

 ment, invariably followed his outlays. Though success- 

 ful in the St. Leger with Lord Clifden, Hidalgo and 

 Duenna could never be trained; and Lady Stafford, 

 whom he bought of Mr. Hind for 2000 gs. about the 

 same time as he got Lord Clifden, was a failure. He 

 also gave an Irish breeder 750 gs. for Bellman, who 

 never won a race ; and as Zetland, whom he purchased 

 of old John Osborne for 3000 gs. specially to win the 

 Goodwood Cup, was beaten by his own nomination, Tim 

 Whiffler, and The Orphan died from tetanus, it may be 

 said that Lord St. Vincent had more of Fortune's 

 buffets than her rewards." 



Lord Clifden's terrific finish with Macaroni in the 

 Derby will ever be memorable. The judge said the only 

 difference between them at the finish was that Lord 

 St. Vincent's colt's head was down and Macaroni's up 

 as they flashed past the post. Lord Clifden's equivocal 

 market position before the Derby led to the supposition 

 that he was not sound. The real facts of the case were 

 that the colt occasionally showed signs of lameness, 

 attributed to a fall at exercise when he slipped up. 

 These symptoms did not re-appear after his sensational 

 finish for the Derby, and his trainer, Edwin Parr, gave 

 him a rattling and uninterrupted preparation. A new 

 course was made at Telscombe under the hill, and in 



