JAMES MERRY 



telling Mr. M 'George to drop his flag, vault into 

 the saddle as the horse dashed away. He was 

 attempting this at the start of the Badminton 

 Stakes at Bath in 1867, bat managed to land on old 

 Cranbury's neck, and he was half way home — the 

 race was only half a mile — before he was able to 

 wriggle back into the saddle. Nevertheless he won 

 by six lengths, though it must be admitted that he 

 got all the best of the start, Ostreger being left at 

 the post, and Xi losing many lengths. 



" Speedy " accomplished an even more remark- 

 able acrobatic performance just prior to the 

 Al thorp Park Stakes of 1866. He had the mount 

 on Fitzroy, a bay colt by Fitzroland out of Penance 

 belonging to Mr. Richard Ten Broeck, and, whilst 

 taking his preliminary canter, the bit broke in half 

 and came out of his mouth. This was a very 

 awkward accident to happen anywhere, and par- 

 ticularly so upon a cramped course like that at 

 Northampton, but Payne was quite equal to the 

 emergency, and, slinging himself round the colt's 

 neck, put one hand over his nostrils, and managed 

 to stop him. It did not take long to procure a 

 fresh bit, and Fitzroy eventually ran a dead-heat 

 with Knight of the Garter for third place to The 

 Rake and Cellina. Those were the palmy days of the 

 Althorp Park Stakes, as there were no fewer than 

 sixteen starters. Marksman, Captain Kidd, Jeanie 

 Deans, and the colt by Rataplan out of Amanda 

 being amongst the unplaced lot. There is no 

 doubt that Fitzroy was a youngster of very great 

 promise, and, in his yearling days, James Waugh 

 was so impressed by the way in which he held a 

 four-year-old in a gallop that he at once backed 

 him for the Derby. His only other appearance in 

 public was in the Newmarket Second October, on 

 the first day of which he contested a match with 



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