232 THE ENGLISH TURF 



and at the end of the season Wishard stood first in the 

 list of winning trainers (as regards the number of races 

 won), with a total of fifty-four successes to his credit. Duke 

 too had trained the winners of thirty-one races, and the 

 most remarkable thing in connection with both trainers is 

 that they bought, generally for very small sums, English- 

 bred platers which appeared to have lost their form, and 

 converted them into handicap winners. Wishard's most 

 notable triumph was with Royal Flush, which horse he 

 purchased for ^400 at the Newmarket December sales in 

 1899. I should mention by the way that Royal Flush was 

 something more than a plater, and in fact he had won many 

 races for Mr. W. F. Lee (now a handicapper), including the 

 Royal Stakes at Epsom. However, the horse was rather 

 lame when brought into the ring, and the upshot was that 

 Wishard secured him much below his real value. During 

 the early spring he ran three times without distinguishing 

 himself, but in the Great Jubilee Handicap he showed signs 

 of revived form by finishing third to Sirenia and Merry 

 Methodist. Five weeks later he won the Royal Hunt Cup 

 at Ascot, and he followed up that form by taking the 

 Stewards' Cup at Goodwood under 7 st. 13 lbs., the Sussex 

 Handicap at Brighton under 9 st. 7 lbs., and the Cleveland 

 Handicap at Doncaster with 9 st. 6 lbs. in the saddle. 

 During the same period he was twice beaten when carrying 

 heavy weights ; nevertheless his improved form was a 

 constant topic of conversation during the summer months 

 of 19CX), and there is no doubt whatever that the horse, in 

 Wishard's hands, was more than a stone better than he had 

 ever been when prepared by an English trainer. With the 

 selling plater Sir Hercules, Wishard was also very successful, 

 and Duke did wonders with Flying Greek, Belamphion, the 

 American Inishfree, and others. It should be added that 

 with one or two exceptions the inmates of both stables — 

 during 1900 — were English horses, and the only thoroughbred 

 of really high class in either establishment was the American 

 three - year - old King's Courier, who beat La Roche and 

 Merry Gal in the Doncaster Cup. 



How to account for these successes which Wishard and 



