BRITISH TURF. 431) 



not judge of him when in such a condition, and 

 that consequently both he and Mr. Coombe would 

 have had their journey for nothing. 



Bearing in mind the great uncertninty, and con- 

 sequently, the frequent inutility of pn cite trials, we 

 should feel inclined to doubt that Cobham ever 

 afforded his backers any really plausible hopes of 

 evincing superiority in the grand struggle. No 

 small share of popularity may also with safety be 

 ascribed to Mr. Coombe's indirect influence, as the 

 head of one of the principal brewing firms in the 

 metropolis ; as it is only natural to suppose that 

 the numerous publicans who deal with him, and 

 who, it is well known, as a class, bet considerably 

 on all the grand racing events, would, from " es- 

 'prit de corps,'" back their patron's horse with more 

 than common zeal. However this may have been, 

 it was certainly not to be expected that Mr. Scott, 

 whatever might have been his own ideas as to the 

 horse's real merit, should have undeceived his 

 backers ; still, on the other hand, we would not, 

 by any means, be understood as insinuating that he 

 took any improper advantage of such knowledge. 



In consequence of an application of Lord Suf- 

 field, the owner of St. Luke, which horse ran 

 second to Mr. Theobald's Loutherbourg, the win- 

 ner of the Goodwood stakes in this year, an in- 

 quiry into the identity of Loutherbourg was insti- 

 tuted by the Marquis of Exeter, as Steward of the 

 last Goodwood races. 



