AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 225 



v eighed in, showing how popular the victory was with the local people. Net 

 value of the stakes, 4350. Time, as taken by Benson's chronograph, 1 minute 

 49 seconds. 



John thus recounts his experiences 



" I rode Prince Charlie in the Two Thousand 

 Guineas when he won them for Mr. J. Dawson. 

 There would be fourteen starters. I always was 

 waiting on them and he on them at the finish. 

 He was rather severely punished, and never liked 

 the spurs again. He ran in the Cambridgeshire, 

 and Flageolet beat him in the Free Handicap 

 Across the Flat. He and Thunder were very near 

 together. His biggest performance was at the 

 Eoyal Down Meeting at The Maze, winning with 

 11 st. 6 Ibs. ; His Lordship a winner of Queen's 

 Plates 6 st. 2 Ibs., being second, and beating 

 Madge Wildfire, giving her 3 st. At Stockton 

 Madge Wildfire won the Harewood Plate in a 

 field of nineteen runners, and also won at York 

 soon after, so it was a great performance of 

 Prince Charlie's. The only race I rode him 

 after was in Cremorne's Derby in 72. He 

 couldn't act round Tattenham Corner, losing 

 ground there. A real good horse at his distance 

 was Prince Charlie. Yes, he was a roarer; he 

 certainly made a noise." 



In his day Prince Charlie was the idol of the people. 

 A writer of the period said of him " Amongst roarers 

 he was something more than a prince; he was an 

 emperor." Sufferer as he was from the wind infirmity, 

 his was a marvellous performance to run second to 

 Wenlock in the St. Leger. A giant in build and the 

 " mould of form " in shape and make, he was also a 

 horse of most lovable temperament. The attempt to 

 Q 



