JAMES MERRY 



declare even a pound overweight. However, the 

 trainer escaped from the difficulty and managed to 

 have his own way by a neat ruse. About an hour 

 prior to the time set for the decision of the race he 

 said to his employer, " Don't you think, sir, it 

 would be a good thing if I were to go down and 

 saddle Macgregor and Sunlight at the New Stables, 

 whilst you see the jockeys weighed out ? " Mr. 

 Merry at once assented to this, so Waugh escaped 

 all responsibility in the matter, and Daley was 

 allowed to declare a pound overweight. 



The exhibition that IMacgregor made of his 

 field has never been equalled in my experience of 

 the classic races. Though not a small horse in 

 reality, he seemed completely dwarfed that day by 

 his tall long-legged rider, but it was the most 

 complete case of hare and hounds I ever saw, and 

 there can be small doubt that he might have won 

 by a hundred yards, had there been any object in 

 allowing him to do so. Next came his sensational 

 race in a Biennial, distance a mile and a half, at 

 Bath, and nine out of every ten men who were 

 racing thirty years ago will tell you that the Derby 

 was left on the heights of Lansdown. This, 

 however, is a popular error. Macgregor was sent 

 to Bath at his trainer's special request, as he felt 

 that the travelling and a race would keep the colt 

 light, and enable him to take a day or two's rest 

 without detriment to his condition. The other 

 three runners were Gamos, The Recorder, and a 

 filly by Trumpeter out of Lady Somerset, and they 

 carried 8 st. 7 lb. each. This made it out of the 

 question for Daley to ride, so J. Grimshaw had the 

 mount. Mr. Merry's orders to him were : " Be 

 sure and lie well up, and don't draw it fine " ; but, 

 for some reason or another, the jockey, instead of 

 keeping nicely with his field, lay out of his ground 



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