AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 343 



Vyner, had been a staunch supporter of the Osbornes, 

 between whom, and John particularly, the warmest of 

 friendship always prevailed. Doncaster did not pass 

 away without Osborne winning the Park Hill Stakes 

 for Lord Ellesmere on Belinda. For the same noble- 

 man, at Newmarket, first he rode Highland Chief to 

 victory in the Triennial Produce Stakes. The chief 

 performers for the Ashgill stable of the season 

 were Hesperian, Otium, Chaucer, Stone Clink, Lord 

 Berners, Dowry, Enigma, Shoo-Fly, Boadicea, Night- 

 cap, Lonsdale, Gloriosa, Fabiola, Londonderry, and 

 Austrasia. 



Towards the close of his career, Fred Archer must 

 have suffered a martyrdom to keep himself within 

 riding weight. He did his wasting in the Turkish bath, 

 and took a wineglassful of wasting mixture every night. 

 In his own house his friends had every luxury viands 

 of the richest and wines of the best. His meal would 

 be confined to a small piece of bread, the marrow out 

 of the bones, and a glass of champagne. 



Jack Kellet, after he left Middleham, where he had 

 been, with Fred Bates, riding a lot of winners for 

 Tupgill, got up to 9 st. in the winter and rode Hesper 

 in the early spring at 7 st. 2 Ibs. for the Lincoln 

 Handicap, starting favourite on the morning of the race. 

 At Epsom, Teddy Martin, after weighing for one of the 

 Duke of Hamilton's horses, walked down to the post. 

 He beat Archer a head in the race but was disqualified, 

 being 1^ Ibs. short of weight. The effort of walking 

 to the post in the very hot weather had cost him the 

 fatal deficiency avoirdupois. John Wells, another of 

 the lanky Archer shape, was a great sweater; and 

 nobody worked harder to keep down his weight than 



