130 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



Newmarket races. He wishes the Derby were going to 

 be run at Newmarket, as there is always the danger of 

 getting badly placed at Tattenham Corner ; but, as he 

 says, " I shall do the very best I possibly can, and 

 one can't do more than that." 



There are several beautiful gallops in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Shrewton, and Mr Sievier has the ex- 

 clusive use of some of them. The one we went to on 

 the morning under notice is a straight mile and a quarter 

 with each furlong marked. It is all on the collar and 

 affords a very severe test when horses are sent along 

 from end to end of it. Sceptre, who was as calm and 

 self-possessed as if she regarded morning work as the 

 merest commonplace, was to gallop nine furlongs with 

 Doochary, Randall riding her, and the apprentice, Bonser, 

 who shapes very well, having the mount on Doochary. 

 Sceptre was giving the smart son of Milford 21 Ib. 

 From where I stood near the seven furlongs' finishing 

 post I could only just see their heads over the crest 

 of the hill, which is rather steep for the first few hundred 

 yards ; but it was easy to note when they started, and 

 soon they came sweeping on at a capital pace. Almost 

 as soon as I could get a fair view of them it was evident 

 that Doochary even at that early stage was having to 

 do his utmost, and yet this seemed almost incredible 

 when one looked from him to Sceptre, who was striding 

 along with such an utter absence of effort that, had she 

 been by herself, it would have been very easy to make 

 a mistake as to the pace at which she was going. I 

 never remember anything like it since the days when 

 Prince Charlie used to apparently stroll past the post 

 with the best sprinters of the day vainly struggling to 

 keep within hail of him. 



