JAMES MERRY 



winner of the French Derby and Grand Prize of 

 Paris, INIarie Stuart, winner of the Oaks and Leger, 

 Gang Forward, winner of the Two Thousand, 

 Fhigeolet, and Kaiser. Such a wonderfully high- 

 class field created quite a sensation, and I well 

 remember that they were collectively valued at 

 £30,000. The subsequent sale of Doncaster showed 

 that this estimate was an absurdly low one, even 

 in those days ; such a half dozen at the present 

 time would certainly realise fully £100,000. Boiard, 

 who had already won three good races in France 

 that season, started a warm favourite at 2 to 1, and 

 finished three-quarters of a length in front of Don- 

 caster and Flageolet, who made a dead-heat of it 

 for second place. Doncaster's only other public 

 appearance that season was in the Goodwood Cup ; 

 he had gone on well since Ascot, and gave 7 lb. 

 and a neck beating to Kaiser, the pair running quite 

 away from a field which included Miss Toto, Or- 

 ganist, and Lilian. This was a capital performance, 

 but Doncaster was never really at his best until he 

 went to Ascot as a five-year-old. Yet, at the last 

 moment it did not look as though he would be able 

 to run at that meeting at all. In travelling from 

 Russley to Ascot on the Tuesday, he wrenched off 

 his near fore shoe, damaging his foot somewhat 

 seriously. He was at once taken to the Station 

 Hotel at Reading, and a veterinary surgeon was sum- 

 moned. The leg was kept in a fomenting bucket 

 for six hours that night, after which a poultice was 

 applied to the foot. On the Wednesday morn- 

 ing Peck drove over from Ascot to Reading, and 

 had a shoe put on, and his intense relief when the 

 horse walked perfectly sound can well be imagined. 

 He was then taken on to Ascot, and did a couple 

 of hours' walking exercise after reaching there. A 

 good deal of rain fell during the night, which was 



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