'GREAT HORSES' 239 



As for old Fisherman, his name and deeds have 

 passed into a proverb, and with good reason. He 

 ran 136 races and won ninety-six, over long dis- 

 tances, most of the races being run at heavy weights 

 up to 10 St., and he suffered no more than the others 

 from doing so much work and carrying weights so 

 heavy. If I wanted a horse to prove that long 

 races and plenty of them do not break a good 

 animal down, Fisherman would prove my case. 

 Just as Leamington has left his mark on the 

 American stud, Fisherman has stamped himself on 

 the stud of Australia. As for Gladiateur, "the great 

 Frenchman," as he was called, he would have scored 

 in any year, but he happened to be a long way in 

 front of a moderate lot of horses. Look at the 

 three that were "placed" behind him when he 

 won the Derby — by two lengths — Christmas Carol, 

 Eltham, and Longdown. As to the horse I had 

 personal charge of, namely, Bedminster, he (as has 

 been mentioned in another place) had no legs under 

 him when he was stripped at Epsom. I am aware 

 that it was the opinion of some that Gladiateur was 

 more than three years of age in 1865. I know one 

 good judge who stoutly maintains to this day that 

 Gladiateur was " an old un " when he won the 

 Derby (refusing to limit himself to the notion 

 that he was only a four-year-old !) ; but that was 

 never my opinion. He was an old-fashioned horse, 

 and, by comparison, dwarfed a good many of his 

 adversaries, but I attach no importance to that as 

 an argument. We possess race-horses of all shapes 



