202 iRtMno IRecoUections an^ Uurf Stones 



" Indeed, Captain, them poor blokes '11 have some 

 nice hedging what ta'en 'em," 



Another curious incident took place the same 

 year, and over the same horse. The three amateurs 

 were all friends, and as they were in the know^ about 

 ' Belladrum ' being a roarer, it suddenly struck them 

 they might turn their information to good account, 

 so they took the liberty of laying against him for 

 the Two Thousand Guineas on their own account. 

 I question if they ever had such a fright before or 

 since as when they saw Sammy Kenyon (whose riding 

 weight was about 6 st. lo lb.) on * Belladrum ' come 

 over the Bushes Hill leading quite three lengths. 

 The horse was pulling double, and until Osborne 

 brought up ' Pretender ' with a tremendous rush in 

 the last fifty yards, and won by a short half-length, 

 their feelings can be more easily imagined than 

 described. I believe they went to Mr. Merry and 

 insisted on him scratching the horse for the Derby, 

 but he did not do so, and the horse ran, though 

 he was unplaced. 



Another good story is told of Nicholl, which goes 

 to prove what I said about his good-nature. On 

 one occasion a clergyman called at his house to ask 

 for a subscription towards restoring the church in 

 the parish where he lived at Nottingham. Billy 



