HENRY SAVILE 



lie in his box half the day, eating his straw, and 

 contemplating the yard. Small wonder then that 

 he was never in a condition to perform his stud 

 duties satisfactorily, and that fatty degeneration of 

 the heart finally carried off one of the best on all 

 the long list of Derby winners. 



Uhlan, a brown colt by The Ranger out of La 

 Mechante, never came into form until the end of 

 his second season, and was not at his best until 

 the following year, but, when once that best was 

 reached, he was very useful indeed. As a four- 

 year-old he carried off the Ascot Stakes, Goodwood 

 Stakes, Brighton Cup — then a two-mile weight-for- 

 age race — Doncaster Cup, and four other stakes. 

 His defeat of eighteen opponents in the Goodwood 

 Stakes, in which he carried 8 st. 8 lb., was an 

 excellent performance, for it must be remembered 

 that in those days the minimum weight in handi- 

 caps was 5 St. 7 lb., but this was possibly eclipsed 

 by his Doncaster Cup victory. The Cup course 

 had not then been reduced, but was two miles and 

 five furlongs, and the other runners were Winslow, 

 Thorn, Field-Marshal, and Lilian. The first and 

 second of these were both better favourites than 

 Mr. Savile's colt, but Gilbert, knowing that Uhlan 

 could stay for ever, instructed Hammond, who had 

 the mount on Lilian, to ride her as though the 

 race were one of half a mile, whilst Maidment was 

 told to keep Uhlan at the heels of his stable 

 companion. The result of these orders was that, 

 as they passed the stand for the first time, Lilian 

 was leading by ten lengths from Uhlan, who was a 

 very slow beginner and was being driven hard, 

 whilst nothing else was within thirty lengths of the 

 leader. The filly never ran a better race in her 

 life, for she had reached the Rifle Butts before 

 Uhlan passed her, and nothing else succeeded in 



114 



