224 cuucii'ix. 



CEUCIFIX. 



WINNER OF THE OAKS, AT EPSOM, 1840. 



In the Spring of 1837, at the Sale of Lord Chesterfield's 

 Stud, at Tattersall's, one lot compiised an old mare, twenty- 

 one years of age, and a lanky ugly looking foal at her foot. 

 This couple excited the laughter rather than the competition 

 of the bystanders, insomuch, that they were knocked down 

 to Lord "George Bentinck, for the sum of fifty-four guineas, 

 and even he buying them at the earnest solicitation of a 

 pretty good judge in these matters, as a spec — that old 

 mare and foal were Crucifix and her dam. 



Her pedigree w^as w^orth all the money, being got by 

 Priam, out of Octaviana, by Octavian, dam by Shuttle out 

 of Zara, by Delpini — Flora, by King Fergus, &c. 



How the " Spec" answered we proceed to show: — Cru- 

 cifix made her first appearance in public in the Newmarket 

 July Meeting, 1839, for the July Stakes ; from the beginning 

 no one had anticipated a field of more than seven or eight, 

 and the pre-eminent dulness of the betting proved how 

 little the " selected " were in favour; neither the first nor 

 second in the race was in the odds until Thursday the 27th, 

 when Crucifix stole into the market, and at 9 to 2, and 5 

 to 1, secured a trifle for those who had been fortunate 

 enough to " get the office." On the Monday after, she rose 

 to 5 to 2 ; but on the following Thursday, her noble owner 

 declared that it was uncertain whether she would run ; this, 

 without affecting the odds, frightened her backers, and put 

 an end, for a time, to all business on the race. 



Matters continued in this state until the morning of the 



