DANEBURY DAYS 



there was no racing tliere were trials, the latter being 

 almost as important as the races themselves, for, 

 with the Danebury horses constantly being backed 

 in a style that is quite unknown in these days, it was 

 far too costly a matter to make the slightest mis- 

 take in the home estimate of any animal. The two- 

 year-old which I have mentioned as being the first 

 really good one that the INIarquis possessed was 

 The Duke, by Stockwell out of Bay Celia. He was 

 a light bay with one white hind-leg, had a beautiful 

 head, neck, and shoulder, and was particularly good 

 from the hip to the tail, but was rather narrow, 

 and a bad horse to follow. He was a high-couraged,. 

 irritable colt, whom it was impossible to try very 

 often as it took so much out of him, and a desper- 

 ately hard puller. Even such a horseman as T. 

 Cannon, who always possessed the most exquisite 

 hands, could never hold him until he discarded the 

 curb, and rode him in a plain snaffle. The Duke 

 was tried very highly indeed before making his first 

 appearance in the Stockbridge Biennial Stakes, as 

 may be imagined from the fact that he was backed 

 down to 5 to 4 in a field of fourteen, and won as he 

 liked. His neck defeat by Liddington in the July 

 Stakes was attributed by the stable to his having 

 got the better of Judd, who was riding a great deal 

 for the JMarquis during that season, in the course of 

 the race, and Fordham was put up in the Chester- 

 field Stakes two days later. So convinced were 

 the Danebury people that the result of the July 

 Stakes was a fluke that their champion started at 

 11 to 8 on for the Chesterfield, whilst 7 to 4 could 

 be had about his conqueror. However, Judd must 

 have watched the finish with considerable satis- 

 faction, for Liddington increased the neck to three 

 lengths ; possibly the half-mile suited him better 

 than the longer course had done, but he was a colt 



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