44 IRiMuG IRccollectioiis an^ Uixvt Stories 



his yearling days that ' Lord Lyon ' ran his first trial, 

 and was asked to put his best foot foremost on those 

 beautiful Ilsley Downs. It was a few days before 

 the St. Leger of 1864 that ' Lord Lyon' was tried 

 with a two-year-old named ' Jezebel,' at 7 lb., over 

 a distance of half a mile. The Badminton Library 

 book on " Racing " says the distance was five fur- 

 longs ; but this is incorrect. ' Jezebel ' was in good 

 form then, as she had beaten a field of fourteen or 

 fifteen runners in the Bath Biennial ; and with 

 Thomas — Dover's stable-lad — up, she had come in 

 first for the Coventry Stakes at Worcester, beating 

 Lord Coventry's own filly ' Prosperity,' etc. In this 

 trial vv'ith 'Jezebel ' ' Lord Lyon,' in receipt of 7 lb., 

 was only beaten a head ; a truly great performance 

 for a yearling to accomplish against a smart two-year- 

 old. According to the late Mr. Dover's trial-books, 

 ' Lord Lyon ' was galloped again the following April, 

 when the gallop finished as follows : ' Rustic,' 2 years, 

 8 St., first ; ' Grisette,' 4 years, 9 st. 7 lb., second ; 

 ' Lord Lyon,' 2 years, 8 St., third ; ' Tender,' 2 years, 

 6 St. 7 lb., fourth ; and ' Ironclad,' 2 years, 6 st. 7 lb., 

 fifth. ' Rustic ' won by a neck, there being a length 

 and a half between second and third. There is, 

 therefore, every reason to suppose that at that time 

 Mr. — afterwards Sir Richard — Sutton, who was in 



