JAMES MERRY 



the same. He showed a nice turn of speed for 

 about three furlongs, and then died away, and was 

 beaten fifty yards in the last couple of furlongs. 

 The last trial in which he took part as a two-year- 

 old was over a six-furlong course shortly before the 

 Middle Park Plate. Marie Stuart and four others 

 were in it, and she won, whilst Doncaster, after 

 showing prominently for half the distance, finished 

 absolutely last, being literally tailed off. Fortu- 

 nately Mr. Merry did not witness this gallop, or he 

 would infallibly have drafted Doncaster out of the 

 stable. He had never taken to the colt, probably 

 because he had bought him, so to speak, against his 

 inclination, and there would have been a sort of 

 grim satisfaction in proving his trainer to have been 

 completely wrong in his estimate of the worth and 

 promise of a yearling. Peck was fully aware of 

 this, so, in making his report of the trial, he never 

 mentioned that Doncaster had taken part in it at 

 all, but simply stated that he could not be got fit 

 enough to run as a two-year-old. The colt did 

 nothing more that year except plenty of walking 

 and trotting exercise, but he made a very early 

 start in the ensuing spring, and got through several 

 weeks of nice steady work. Still he did not seem 

 to come to hand as he should have done, and even 

 Peck was beginning to despair of him when one 

 morning at exercise. Gurry, who was then head lad 

 at Russley, said to him, " Why don't you get up 

 and ride him a gallop yourself ? " The trainer, who 

 then weighed about 11 st., was walking that morn- 

 ing and carrying an umbrella, but he let Gurry 

 give him a leg up, and took the colt a good gallop 

 of about a mile and a half. Strange to relate, 

 Doncaster went in totally different fashion from 

 anything that he had ever previously exhibited, 

 taking hold of his bit and moving in such style 



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