88 HEROES AND HEROINES OF 



up to the day of the race, and this in face of an 

 offer of ^18,000 to / 3,000 against her in one hand, 

 and the working of a heavy commission on behalf 

 of Bourton. 



Great then was the consternation, when at 

 2.35 p.m. on the day, an announcement was posted 

 up that the mare was scratched, thereby confirming 

 the ugly rumours which had been going about all 

 the morning, completely paralyzing the market for 

 the time being. 



The excuse was that her near fore-leo- had <)-iven 

 way to such an extent that it would have been 

 dangerous to start her, and it transpired afterwards 

 that since her arrival at Aintree some scoundrel, of 

 course with a view to preventing her winning, had 

 unknown to her trainer, succeeded in clapping a 

 blister on the leg in question. 



The abuse so freely showered on all connected 

 with Miss Mowbray, by her angry backers, proved 

 however to have been quite unmerited. 



(3n the Saturday previous the mare was fit to run 

 for her life ; Jim Mason had promised to come forth 

 from his retirement expressly to ride — in short, so full 

 of confidence were all connected with the mare, that 

 they declined to hedge a shilling of the two thousand 

 they had backed her for. 



