THE CLASSIC RACES. 113 



Diomed : " They all went off at very little better 

 than a canter rate, and were nearly together 

 at the distance post, except Mr. Harrison's colt 

 (by Harrison's Trumpator, out of Bonnyface), 

 who was beat several lengths ; after which some 

 smart running took place ; but Fyldener appeared 

 to win easy at the end of a clear length. On the 

 whole it was a very indifferent race, and they 

 were a long time in running it." 



The St. Leger began to be " timed " in the 

 year 18 10, when it occupied three and a half 

 minutes. In the year of the ten false starts a 

 note was not kept, but in the following years, 

 with a few breaks, the time was regularly noted, 

 a practice which does not seem to have been 

 followed in regard to the Derby till the year 

 1846. In 1822 the winner was Theodore, 

 and the race is rendered memorable from the 

 fact that the odds against that horse were 200 

 to I, about which circumstance many good stories 

 could be told. In 1823 the race for the St. 

 Leger was actually run twice over. To begin 

 with, twenty-seven horses were saddled and 

 mounted and assembled at the post, three false 

 starts then took place, when twenty-three of 

 the horses again faced the starter, who also 

 officiated as clerk of the course. These horses 

 ran the entire distance, and the first three were 

 placed in the usual way by the judge: Carnival i, 

 Barefoot 2, Comte d'Artois 3. But to the 

 surprise of all it was pronounced " no race," as 

 the horses had started without the word being 

 given by the starter. There was nothing for it 

 but to run the race over again, which was done, 

 the struggle resulting very much as in the first 



I 



