188 ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



Beaufort, who had previously run well over the Rowley 

 Mile, and Pretender, who had disputed favouritism in 

 the ante-post betting. Baron Rothschild's candidate 

 the colt by Tim Whiffler out of Hermione was a raging 

 tip at the eleventh hour. Indeed, so completely had 

 the books been appropriated about him that the 

 Baron became very angry, as he wanted to invest a 

 monkey at a long price. He stated his grievance the 

 next morning to " Lord Freddy " (Swindells), who gave 

 him solace as follows " If the horse were mine, aa 

 would'ner have him ridden out an' punished him in the 

 Guineas aa aad get him damned well beaten in a 

 Plate or two, and then they'll be damned glad to turn 

 the money up, an' a long price '11 be got. It's a damned 

 shame to interfere so much with owners." Mr. Merry 

 was not sanguine about Belladrum, as was confirmed 

 by his opinion expressed after the race " If Belladrum 

 were only the Belladrum of 1868, no Pretender would 

 have beaten him, and no such horses as Perry Down 

 and Martyrdom would have been within sight of him." 

 Wonderful, isn't it, what virtue there is in an " if " ! 



"Amphion," the turf laureate of the day, proved 

 himself a true prophet the Saturday before the Two 

 Thousand in verse, as follows: 



" We shall all le glad when Johnnie comes marching home." 



" But a good lad and true wears the Middleham blue, 



And there's nothing but one in the race, 

 Though the fielders declare for the Israelite pair 



And The Drummer runs into a place, 

 Go, flash on the wire to the horse-loving shire 



The message you longed to send her 

 How Johnny has come marching gallantly home, 



And hurrah for the young PRETENDER." 



But without further diagnosing the pros, and cons, of 

 the situation so far back as thirty-one years ago, the 



