JAMES MERRY 



easily the colt, who was ridden by Fred Webb, 

 turned the tables on Gang Forward and Kaiser, two 

 of his Newmarket conquerors, needs no recapitu- 

 lation here, and Peck's judgment was at length 

 triumphantly vindicated. The Grand Prize of 

 Paris, which was Doncaster's next engagement, 

 proved a most unfortunate race for both horse and 

 trainer. Two or three nights prior to its decision 

 Peck had a very curious dream, in which he wit- 

 nessed the finish, and distinctly saw that a bay was 

 first, a chesnut second, and Doncaster third. It 

 unhappily proved that this vision was all that he was 

 destined to see of the race, as, in company with two 

 or three friends, he managed to get on to the Ostend 

 instead of the Calais boat, and, as it was found to 

 be utterly impossible to reach Paris in time for the 

 race, he had to await the receipt of a telegram to 

 learn that his dream had been prophetic, and that 

 the bay Boiard was first, the chesnut Flageolet 

 second, and Doncaster third. Under the circum- 

 stances Mr. Merry's representative did well to get 

 where he did, for he was pricked in shoeing by a 

 French blacksmith, and a good deal of matter came 

 away from the injured foot after his return home. 



Doncaster was then put by for the St. Leger, 

 Mr. Merry intending to rely solely upon him for 

 that race. As the weeks went on, however. Peck 

 urged that, as Marie Stuart was being well backed 

 almost every day, her withdrawal would be a very 

 unpopular move with the public. In addition to 

 this, the trainer well knew that, whilst Doncaster 

 could be relied upon to beat the filly at two miles, 

 she was then from one to two lengths better than 

 he was at a mile and a half. Thus the question of 

 supremacy over the St. Leger distance was a very 

 fine point indeed, and he felt that it would " make 

 assurance doubly sure" to run the pair on their 



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