H 5ocF?cp from IRussia 23 



that I was to ride ' Thormanby ' until the last 

 moment. It may not be generally known, but Mr. 

 Merry was one of the most suspicious owners pos- 

 sible. I had ridden ' Thormanby ' in most of his 

 work, and Mr. Matthew Dawson certainly thought 

 that I was going to have the mount in the race. 

 On the morning of the Derby, May 23, i860, when 

 I first saw Mr. Dawson, he told me he was very much 

 surprised to learn that a jockey named J. Sharpe 

 had arrived from Russia to ride ' Thormanby.' Mr. 

 Merry, or his friend, Norman Buchanan, for him, 

 had sent Tass Parker, the fighting man, who was 

 employed at Russley to keep the touts away, over 

 to Brussels to meet Sharpe. Parker was to bring 

 him to Epsom, and see that he was at the proper 

 weight, which was then 8 st. 7 lb. for colts. Epsom 

 was reached about six o'clock on the morning of the 

 Derby, and Tass had to take Sharpe out wasting, 

 as he was not to be trusted by himself, for fear 

 he should get drunk : a nice sort of jockey to 

 send all the way to Russia for. Sharpe put on a 

 pair of blue spectacles, and went out sweating on 

 the road near Ashtead. Parker and he met Sharpe's 

 brother, E. Sharpe, and Sam Rogers, also wasting. 

 Rogers remarked : 



"Ted, I believe that is your brother Jack." 



