Gentlemen Riders 



for the " Wicked Earl " and his aristocratic friends, Mr. 

 Osbaldeston determined on revenge. Accordingly he looked 

 about him, and eventually bought a four-year-old colt named 

 Turk, from Mr. Watts, his breeder, for ^400, as a likely 

 animal to effect his purpose. 



The next day, riding himself, he tried him over the 

 Leger course at Doncaster, against a mare belonging to old 

 Job Marson. Finding that he could win at any moment, the 

 Squire pulled up Rush, with the result that he was leniently 

 handicapped for the Trial Stakes and Cup at Heaton Park. 



In the first of these, ridden by his owner, he finished 

 nowhere. Strange to say, however, this fact made no 

 difference in the confidence of his party the following day 

 when pulled out for the Cup, as, in addition to the heavy 

 commissions sent out by his owner on the course, the latter 

 had secured, through a friend, all the money laid against 

 Rush the previous night at Lord Wilton's dinner-table, 

 with the result that the horse started at 2 to i. 



As Osbaldeston walked Rush past the stand en route 

 to the post, Lord George Bentinck called out in a loud voice, 

 ** I will bet two hundred to one hundred against Rush ! " 



" Done ! Put it down to me ! " shouted back the Squire. 



In the end, the Squire waiting on Mr. "Clarke" (Lord 

 Wilton), who rode another great pot, a mare called Lady 

 de Gros, belonging to Bill Scott, caught him up at the 

 distance, and coming clean away, won amidst great excite- 

 ment, in the commonest of canters. Immediately after the 

 race the Squire set off to go cub-hunting, and had not a 

 chance of asking Lord George for payment of his bet, 

 until they met at the Craven Meeting at Newmarket the 

 following year. 



The Napoleon of the Turf was standing in front of 



22 



