ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



never was really any doubt about her running 

 not a word of truth in that rumour. We wired 

 to Mr. King to say she was not all right, but 

 there was no message back from him until after 

 the race. Mr. King was not at Doncaster to 

 see her run, but Mrs. King was, and when some- 

 one told her that Apology was struck out, Mrs. 

 King said, ' I'm sure he will run her, for every- 

 body has backed her.' Often enough it has been 

 said since that Mr. King wired, ' Let the mare 

 run on three legs.' He never sent any such 

 telegram, and it was from what Mrs. King said 

 that that idea was spread about. No message 

 came from Mr. King until after the race. Mr. 

 King's man wired the result of Apology's victory 

 to Mr. King, but before Mr. King got that 

 result he wired to us, ' Win or lose, run her for 

 the Cup.' I received that message when I got 

 off the course that night after the race: that 

 was Mr. King's message to me. Then I wrote 

 to him that night explaining everything, and 

 advising him not to run her for the Cup, and, 

 of course, I had a message back to strike her 

 out of the Cup. The telegraph office was four 

 miles away from Ashby, and when he sent to 

 know the result he sent that message, ' Win or 

 lose, run for the Cup,' with the man that went 

 to get the result of the race. Therefore it is pure 

 fiction about receiving a message from Mr. King 

 to run Apology ' on three legs.' The only time 

 she ran again that season was when she was 

 beaten in the Free Handicap at Newmarket. 



"On the death of Mr. King, Apology was 

 thrown up for a time. She ran then as the 



