l-i2 PHOSI'IIORUS. 



PHOSPHORUS. 



WINNER OF THE DERBY STAKES AT EPSOM, 1837. 



Phosphorus, the property of Lord Berners, was got by 

 Lamplighter, out of a Rubens mare, foaled in 1819, and 

 bred by his lordship, then Colonel Wilson ; her dam, Tip- 

 pitywitchet, by Waxy, out of Hare, by Sweetbriar — Justice 

 — Chymist — South. 



Phosphorus made his first appearance at the Newmarket 

 First Spring Meeting, 1837, for the Newmarket Stakes, of 

 50 sovs. each, for three yr olds, where he ran a bad second to 

 Rat-trap. At the Newmarket Second Spring, he won a 

 Plate, value 50 sovs. — Rowley mile ; beating Lord Suffield's 

 Anvil, and others. At starting the odds were 5 to 2 against 

 Phosphorus, who, though he was in physic at the time, won 

 easily by a couple of lengths ; — ridden by John Day. 

 These performances were not of a character to induce much 

 speculation on Phosphorus as a Derby horse, nor yet to gain 

 him many friends; moreover, it was perfectly well known 

 that Phosphorus was an infirm horse, if not, at the moment, 

 absolutely lame. The eccentric character of his owner was 

 another bar to his advancement in the betting-, and he there- 

 fore remained a dark horse to the day. 



At twelve o'clock, on the day before the race. Phosphorus 

 was, as the saying goes, " as lame as a cat ;" and the odds 

 against him — " all Lombard-street to a China orange-pip." 

 And in the evening Lord Berners 's trainer came for orders, 

 not knowing what to do, the horse was so lame ; but all he 

 could get out of the old Lord was, " Run — I always run" — 

 so run he did. 



