JAMES MERRY 



that Peck got off him with the remark, " There's 

 the winner of the Derby ! " The best proof of his 

 belief in the truth of this bold prophecy was the 

 fact that he at once backed the colt for a nice stake 

 at 66 to 1 to win and 16 to 1 for a place, whilst he 

 confidently assured JNIr. Merry that there was a 

 second Derby in store for him. 



Doncaster's trial horse for the Two Thousand 

 was the four-year-old Peto, who had proved himself 

 to be in form by winning the Borough Handicap, 

 a mile race at Northampton, after being nearly left 

 at the post, and losing many lengths in consequence. 

 Doncaster was set to give him 15 lb., and beat hiin 

 by a neck, which appeared to make the race a 

 pretty good thing for him. Peck always thought 

 he would have won, if Tom Cannon had not waited 

 so long with him, as he made up a good deal of 

 ground towards the finish of the race, and was 

 not in the least distressed when he was pulled up. 

 This, however, was by no means the view that Mr. 

 Merry took of the race. He was more than ever 

 convinced that the colt could not stay, and made 

 up his mind to strike him out of the Derby, and 

 reserve him for an engagement at Ascot. Fortu- 

 nately he was in no great hurry to carry out this in- 

 tention, and, on the Friday before the Epsom Meet- 

 ing began. Peck asked Doncaster to give 7 lb. to 

 Freeman over a mile and a half. The latter was a 

 little four-year-old by Kettledrum out of Haricot, 

 the dam of Caller Ou, a very genuine performer 

 and a fine stayer, who, with 7 st. on his back, had 

 defeated a good field for the Great Northern Handi- 

 cap at York only three days previously. Doncaster 

 beat him very easily indeed by a couple of lengths, 

 and a special messenger, carrying a letter containing 

 a report of the trial, reached Mr. Merry in the nick 

 of time to avert the threatened scratching. How 



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