Gentlemen Riders 



discontinued doing so, and for the future confined himself 

 entirely to the flat. His first winning mount in this direction 

 was on Foghorn in the Bibury Stakes, at Stockbridge in 1892, 

 where he won by a short head, after a tremendous finish. 



On the death of Mr. Humphreys, the horses were taken 

 charge of by Peart, at Lambourn, for two or three years, when 

 Mr. Thursby moved to Cranborne, Dorset, where he trained 

 them himself for a couple of seasons. 



Finding, however, that the combination of race-riding and 

 training was too much of a handful, he secured the services of 

 Duke, the American trainer, an engagement which led to most 

 satisfactory results in every way. The Tartar, King's Quest, 

 Grace, Skelton, Dornroschen, Choigia, Victor Don, Foxstones, 

 Trevor, Man of Ross, Paddy (winner of the Great Metropolitan 

 at Epsom, and Northamptonshire Stakes), and Calvely, which 

 last was bought by the Germans for ;^6ooo, were all trained 

 and ridden by Mr. Thursby at various times. On Victor Don 

 especially he rode some of his best races, including two dead 

 heats, in the space of ten days, one of which was divided, and 

 the other run off, when Mr. Thursby defeated Lester Reiff, on 

 Hearwood, by a short head. 



So far as we are aware, with the exception of Mr. William 

 Bevill, Mr. Thursby is the only amateur horseman who has 

 ever ridden in the Derby, in which important race he was twice 

 second, namely, on John o' Gaunt, in 1904, to St. Amant, who 

 had previously beaten him in the Guineas ; and on Picton the 

 following year ; and it is not too much to say that his defeat on 

 each occasion, especially on the first named, was as great a 

 disappointment to the general public as it was to himself. 



An ardent foxhunter, Mr. Thursby hunted a pack of fox- 

 hounds in part of the New Forest for a time, and was master of 

 the Ledbury for nine years, since which he has hunted regularly 



412 



