Colonel R. F. Meysey-Thompson 



the winning-post, and in this case, as those who finished in 

 front of him were dilatory in making their claim before the 

 time limit had expired, he obtained a very useful horse at the 

 entered selling price, ;^20, and as he sold King Cole for ;^i6, 

 it proved a very good exchange. At this meeting he had the 

 good fortune to be offered the mounts on King George, and 

 won three races on him, including the Omnium, besides being 

 only beaten half a length in a fourth race. King George was 

 an exceedingly idle horse, and, being a first-rate stayer, needed 

 a strong-run race to make the most of his capabilities, which 

 put a great strain upon his rider. Though Mr. Meysey- 

 Thompson never touched him once with either whip or spur, 

 only riding him with his hands, such was the exertion he 

 never lost less than | lb. in weight in any race, and after 

 the final one, was found to be deficient i^- lbs. when he 

 weighed in. With reference to the Omnium, it was a curious 

 circumstance that during Mr. Meysey-Thompson's stay at 

 Gibraltar, five Omniums were run ; he rode in four of them 

 and won them all, and the same horse, Molinero, was second 

 each time, while on the only occasion Mr. Meysey-Thompson 

 did not ride, Molinero did not run. On two occasions Molinero 

 certainly ought to have won ; but his rider threw the race 

 away. It was a condition of the race that no horse might win 

 it twice, though until he won it he might run for it as often as 

 was wished ; so Mr. Meysey-Thompson rode a different horse 

 for each of his four wins. Poor Molinero never succeeded in 

 winning it at all. 



At the spring meeting of 1876, Molinero, who was very fit, 

 was ridden for the Omnium by G. B. Luxford, one of the best 

 jockeys in Spain, while Colonist, a three-year-old by Chattanooga, 

 was the mount of Mr. Meysey-Thompson ; but having developed 

 a "leg" was short of some winding-up gallops. During the 



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