CHAPTER V 



TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS 



Old John Day, the famous patriarch of Danebury, was the 

 hero of more good stories than any other trainer, past or 

 present. He was generally known as " Honest John Day," 

 but at any rate he had none of the simplicity which is 

 sometimes erroneously supposed to be a concomitant of 

 honesty. On the contrary, John was emphatically a smart 

 man. Nevertheless, cute as he was, he occasionally made 

 stupid blunders, and on one occasion was fairly beaten at 

 his own game — taken in and done for in the most delicious 

 manner. The circumstances were as follows : — The Bath 

 Summer Meeting was a favourite fixture with old John, and 

 he was always to be seen there in great force. In the year 

 183 — (it is not necessary to particularise the date) the Bath 

 races were patronised by the veteran trainer as usual, and 

 he brought a fairish string of horses with him to do great 

 things and astonish the " Zummerzetshire volks." Among 

 the events set down for the second day was a very hand- 

 some plate given by the Grafton Club, with a sweepstakes 

 of five sovereigns added for horses of all denominations ; 

 thoroughbreds 10 lbs. extra; gentlemen riders. John Day 

 had a horse entered for this race, which he knew to be so 

 wretchedly bad that he took the liberty of laying the odds 

 against it to a fifty-pound note at 15 to i — as safe a 

 bit of speculation as ever the old man had indulged in. 

 This wager was laid on the evening of the first day of 

 the races. 



There was in those days in Bath a hostelry named the 

 Golden Lion, long since pulled down, I believe, which 

 was noted as a snug sporting crib, where the better 

 class of sportsmen were in the habit of putting up. It 



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