HERMIT AND ISINGLASS 



fortunate. This was the most money I ever had 

 on a horse m my life. After Hermit had broken 

 a blood-vessel I gave it up as lost, and never 

 thought of hedging ; so, instead of losing money 

 over the Derby, I had the satisfaction of receiving 

 £500 from the Squire. I have no doubt he would 

 corroborate my statement." 



The above account is extremely interesting, the 

 more so as coming from the pen of one of the 

 principal actors in a very exciting Turf drama, 

 but it is not absolutely correct in all particulars. 

 No stress need be laid upon the fact that the race 

 which Custance won upon Hermit at Stockbridge 

 was the Troy Stakes, and not the Hurstbourne 

 Stakes, indeed the latter event was not in existence 

 until 1870. This is merely a good example of the 

 danger of trusting to memory without the corro- 

 borative support of the Calendar, a danger that I 

 hope I have at last learnt to avoid after several sad 

 experiences. In the matter of the breaking of the 

 blood-vessel, the author, quite unconsciously, much 

 exaggerates the extent of the calamity. As we are 

 all well aware, comparatively little blood makes a 

 very great show, and, when Hermit was taken 

 home, it was soon discovered that the rupture 

 was confined to a vessel in one of his nostrils. 

 Nevertheless it is quite certain that, with a single 

 exception, all connected with him abandoned any 

 idea of winning the Derby. The exception was 

 Captain Machell, who never lost hope, and took 

 every precaution to avoid a repetition of the 

 disaster of that unfortunate Monday. The colt 

 was docked of most of his hay, and was only 

 allowed one light rug, in order to keep his blood 

 as cool as possible. Then all his work — and he 

 did far more than was generally known — was done 

 downhill, so as to impose the least possible strain 



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