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BILL'S CHANCE. 



" Well, Daubeney, do you fancy your mount ? " 



" Yes, sir. I think that McGregor has them all safe. You 

 know he can stay, sir, and he is as fit as hands can make him. 

 Have you seen him yet ? " 



" No, I've not seen him since he made such hacks of his 

 field the last time he was at Newmarket. But do you 

 think he can carry the weight ? " 



" Oh ! yes sir. Bonnie Marie is now the only one we are 

 afraid of, and they have let her in very lightly ; but I don't 

 think she can stay the distance. Here he is, sir." 



The two speakers were a well-known owner of racehorses 

 and a young jockey who was rapidly pushing his way into 

 the front rank. Steady and reliable, an excellent horseman, 

 with a fine knowledge of pace, his services were in frequent 

 requisition by others than the stable which had first claim, 

 and it was becoming more and more apparent that on a 

 nervous or bad-tempered horse he had few superiors. 



"Well, Ferguson, you mean to pull off the cup with 

 McGregor, Daubeney tells me. I must say that his 

 looks do you credit ; he looks fit to run for a man's 

 life." 



" Yes, Mr. Dalton, the Dainferry stable has turned out the 

 winner of the Didcot Gold Cup three times in nine years, and 

 I think that this is the best horse I ever trained for it. He's 

 a picture, isn't he ? and a child could ride him. You see, he 

 is so even-tempered, he never bothers about anything, and 

 that's worth two pounds. He's as game as a pebble too. 



