170 ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



bearing on the Derby of '69, it should be noted that 

 Pretender made his first appearance for the Hardwick 

 Stakes at Stockton, two of his stable companions in 

 Lord Hawthorn and Thorwaldsen being amongst the 

 limited field of runners. Thorwaldsen and Lord 

 Hawthorn were made joint favourites, the last-named 

 giving John a comfortable seat home to win by a length 

 and a half, Pretender, then a raw colt, being second. 

 On the same day he met his stable companion, Thor- 

 waldsen, who was greatly fancied for the Lambton 

 Plate, in which, though opposed by Minaret (previously 

 defeated by Belladrum in the Ham Stakes), he started 

 at 6 to 5 "on." Pretender was quoted at 5 to 1, but 

 the hope of the stable rested on Thorwaldsen, and but 

 little support went to Mr. Johnstone's colt. Both, how- 

 ever, were defeated by Miner's Sister, who, as she 

 subsequently settled the pretensions of Lord Hawthorn, 

 may be said to have disposed of the whole of the 

 presumed powerful Tupgill division. On this occasion 

 she finished a neck in front of Pretender, a similar 

 distance separating the last-named and Thorwaldsen. 

 With Thorwaldsen fit and well, and Pretender neither 

 one nor the other, it was obviously a good performance 

 on the part of the latter. His last performance in a 

 disappointing season was carrying 8 st. 13 Ibs. into a 

 place for the Middle Park Plate, in which he gave 7 Ibs. 

 to Pero Gomez, who won, and 10 Ibs. to Scottish Queen, 

 finishing four lengths behind the latter, who was half 

 a length from the winner. None but a first-class colt 

 ever had performed Pretender's feat up to that period in 

 the Middle Park Plate. Achievement in 1866 had run 

 second with that impost, but then she was a top-sawyer, 

 Lady Elizabeth tried in the zenith of her fame. 

 Pretender's Middle Park display had all the more merit, 



