HERMIT AND ISINGLASS 



latter for the Leger in preference to Hermit, 

 and Custance was also very anxious that this 

 policy should be adopted, but Mr. Chaplin pre- 

 ferred to trust to his Derby winner, who was 

 only beaten a length from Achievement, and 

 was less than that distance behind her in the 

 Doncaster Cup, two days later. After this 

 running Blinkhoolie, who was a bay colt by 

 Rataplan out of Queen INIary, and one of the 

 finest stayers ever saddled, might well be backed 

 down to 2 to 1 in the Cesarewitch, in which he 

 was handicapped at 7 st, and one of the greatest 

 certainties ever known in racing was upset when 

 he failed to get nearer than fourth to Julius, who 

 was actually giving him 14 lb. Had they carried 

 even weights, Blinkhoolie would have won to a 

 certainty, for he would have had a strong jockey 

 on his back, but Jeffrey could do nothing with 

 him. Two other remarkable instances of failure 

 through being handicapped too leniently occurred 

 as recently as 1896, when Clorane gave 37 lb. to 

 Quarrel in the Lincolnshire Handicap, and Victor 

 Wild conceded the same amount to Kilcock in 

 the "Jubilee." Great horses as were Clorane and 

 Victor Wild, it is ridiculous that they should have 

 accomplished impossible performances like these, 

 and with another 10 lb. or 14 lb. on their backs, 

 which would have enabled stronger jockeys to have 

 been put up, the races in question must have fallen 

 to Quarrel and Kilcock respectively. About an 

 hour and a half after he had run a punishing 

 race over the Cup Course, which was then two 

 miles and five furlongs. Hermit was started 

 again for a 200 sov. Sweepstakes over the St. 

 Leger course, but, though he pulled through all 

 right, three races of the aggregate distance of six 

 miles one furlong, run within forty -eight hours, 



245 



