200 HISTORY OF THE 



A thousand reports had also got into existence 

 respecting the great favourite Swap ; first, ' that 

 he could not win ;' secondly, ' that he had not 

 quality enough belonging to him to carry oif the 

 St. Leger stakes ;' and lastly, ' that he must not 

 win if the Newmarket people were ever to be seen 

 any more on the latter course as a host of betters.' 

 ' What a chance for the groom to make his for- 

 tune,' was observed by an old file,' ' if he under- 

 stood management.' ' No, no,' cried a thorough- 

 bred sportsman, ' there is too much honour at 

 Doncaster for that sort of thing !' It has, how- 

 ever, come off right for the legs ; and instead of 

 being floored to the danger of levanting, they are 

 now bang-up in the stirrups, as to the receipts of 

 lots of blunt." 



Enormous sums were lost on these two races, 

 and the easy manner in whicli Swap, two days 

 afterwards, beat Theodore for the Gascoigne 

 stakes, confirmed the general opinion of foul prac- 

 tice. Certain it is, that two notorious legs " laid 

 it on thick in the right way," both of whom after* 

 wards figured in no very creditable way both at 

 Newmarket and Doncaster. The other perform- 

 ances of these two horses were very insignificant 

 — those of Swap being the best. 



PRINCIPAL STAKES, &C. IN 1823. 



Newmarket, Craven Meeting, ^Ipril 14 — The Craven stakes, seven- 

 teen subscribers, won by the Uuke of Rutland's b. c. Scarborough 

 by Calton. The first class of the ninth Riddlosworth stakes, twenty- 



