486 ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



stamped on the roll of Northumberland Plate winners, 

 with many other noblemen and wealthy gentlemen 

 who supported the place. What obtains in these days? 

 Most of the noble and wealthy classes send their horsss 

 to Newmarket. They buy the best of the yearlings at 

 Newmarket and Doncaster, and the refuse are left in 

 the North. It is this desertion that has caused places 

 like Middleham, Beverley, and Richmond to fall into 

 poor repute. If John Osborne had elected to go to 

 Newmarket thirty years ago, and had patrons rich and 

 liberal enough, who could gainsay that he would have 

 enjoyed a reputation as great as that now glittering 

 round the name of Matthew Dawson, the elder 

 Jennings, or John Porter? " 



King Crow's owner did not have the satisfaction of 

 seeing his colours borne home. Mr. Vyner had under- 

 gone a serious operation lately, from which, all good 

 sportsmen will gladly hear, he is making satisfactory 

 recovery. It would have done his heart good to hear 

 the full volume of a Northumbrian roar when his horse 

 triumphed a tribute to a worthy gentleman, a good 

 horse, an able and most respected trainer, and a good 

 jockey a happy union in accord with the keynote of 

 these remarks. But in thus indulging in past history 

 and reminiscences, which one could easily dwell upon 

 to his personal satisfaction, it behoves the scribe to pull 

 up and come to a sequential order. In the first place, 

 it is most pleasant to record that the present race has 

 been divested of the charges of " milking the market " 

 that were justifiable a few years ago. The improve- 

 ment is due to post betting, which deprives those who 

 lived upon "dead meat" of the banquet they gloated 

 upon in the so-called " good old days." 



After this Gosforth Park win, King Crow became 



