AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 167 



claiming " The awd meer wins," as she held her own 

 against the young 'un, creating hopes of gaining her 

 third triumph; but literally standing still under her 

 heavy burden a few strides from the chair, a " switcher " 

 from Carroll's whip did the trick and Brown Bread beat 

 her by a neck. His career was as short as Caller Ou's 

 had been long. In that season of '65 she ran twelve 

 times, winning five Queen's Plates. During the four 

 seasons which followed her triumph over Kettledrum 

 in the St. Leger, she travelled on almost all the railways 

 in England, and besides enjoyed abundant opportunities 

 of becoming acquainted with the weather across the 

 Irish Channel. In addition to these labours performed 

 on her own account, to her belonged, as was aptly said 

 at the time, the credit of having taught Blair Athol how 

 to win his races, so that no racer could better appreciate 

 the adage " to rest and be thankful," which she enjoyed 

 after that year. 



At this same Newcastle meeting of '65, in a race for 

 Her Majesty's Plate, Osborne rode Mr. Hudson's 

 colt Cathedral a dead heat with Mr. Mackenzie's 

 Oppressor, who the day before had won the North 

 Derby, John getting up in the last stride to make the 

 two " duck eggs " on the telegraph board. In the 

 decider " Johnnie " made all the running and won by two 

 lengths. The following September he rode Kegalia into 

 second place for the St. Leger, behind that great horse 

 Gladiateur. The three successive classic triumphs of the 

 French colt this year led to many learned discussions 

 as to whether the English thoroughbred was deteri- 

 orating, only to be confounded by the proofs and 

 arguments adduced that good mating, good rearing, 

 and good training would inevitably result in the 

 supremacy of the English thoroughbred. Mr. Graham, 



