86 SAM DARLING'S REMINISCENCES 



" Yes, I hope so." 



Then Blackwell told the man who was riding 

 Rock Sand to trot on. As every race-goer knew 

 by this, he was a very bad goer, and I said : 



" Oh, I've seen him trot worse than that." 



I may say as I came through town I called on 

 Mr. Gubbins, and told him I thought we should 

 win, but after seeing Sceptre arrive that evening, 

 I was convinced she had made extraordinary im- 

 provement, which certainly damped my ardour. 

 I told Mr. Gubbins in the morning that I thought 

 we should have our work cut out as this mare 

 had so much improved, and he said to Mr. Fred 

 Craven, when he asked him if his horse was all 

 right : 



" Yes, but Sam seems to be very alarmed since 

 he has seen Sceptre ; but at the same time thinks 

 he may just beat her." 



The two horses, Ard Patrick and Sceptre, 

 were two really high-class race-horses. Sceptre 

 was a public idol, but there was no question about 

 it Sceptre was right on the day of the Eclipse 

 Stakes. Ard Patrick gave her sex allowance. 

 I consider that the truest test of these two horses 

 was shown on the Eclipse Stakes day, and not on 

 the Derby day, and I always considered Ard 

 Patrick the better of the two, for the simple 

 reason that on both occasions when he met her he 



