JAMES MERRY 



day until after the Two Thousand. Nevertheless 

 he looked like winning at the top of the Bushes 

 Hill, but lost several lengths in making the descent 

 into the Abingdon Mile Bottom, and could never 

 recover this lost ground. 



" That horse can't stay," was Mr. Merry's first 

 remark to his trainer after the race ; " Oh yes ! he 

 can ; let me have my own way with him and he'll 

 win the Derby," was the rejoinder. Accordingly, 

 for ten or twelve days after his race for the Guineas, 

 the colt was merely led about with a light boy on 

 his back, and allowed to pick a bit of grass occasion- 

 ally. Then he was cantered behind Rifleman, each 

 carrying about the same weight, and this sort of 

 treatment got him big and fresh. Peck always 

 thought that he might have won the Derby if Snow- 

 den had ridden to orders, but though there have 

 been very few finer jockeys than was the latter 

 when in a condition to do himself full justice, he 

 had one terrible failing, and was by no means sober 

 when lifted into the saddle at Epsom that day. 

 King of the Forest was the first to catch and tackle 

 Digby Grand, on whom Fordham had made pretty 

 strong running, and he looked Hke winning at the 

 Bell, but Favonius carried too many guns for him, 

 and the best he could manage was a dead-heat with 

 Albert Victor for second place. However, the race 

 seemed to do him good, for he accomplished the 

 best performance of his career in the Prince of 

 Wales's Stakes at Ascot. He gave 12 lb. and a half 

 length beating to his old and persistent opponent, 

 Ripponden ; Hannah, with her One Thousand and 

 Oaks laurels fresh upon her, was beaten a head 

 from the second ; whilst Sterling, for whom the dis- 

 tance was too far, was unplaced, the Two Thousand 

 winner and Digby Grand also being amongst the 

 beaten lot. After such a clipping performance it 



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