TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS 57 



two such men as Jem Robinson and Frank Buckle, his 

 riding was the wonder of all who saw it. 



Yet Chiffney lacked the courage of Bill Scott : he was 

 rather funky when leading with a large field in his rear — 

 a predicament, I hasten to add, in which he seldom placed 

 himself. But Scott, on the contrary, always shone best in 

 front, when, clapping on all sail, he would try and sap the 

 heart's-blood of the horses following him. He never threw 

 away a chance by waiting till some worse animal had stolen 

 upon him a la Chiffney ; but " if he had quality," to quote 

 his own expression, he always made use of it, and choked 

 off the poor devils contending against him in the first half- 

 mile. If, however, he had a slug under him, Bill would, by 

 force of whip, thew, and sinew, lift him, if possible, to the 

 front first past the post. He only won the Derby on 

 Mundig in 1835 by riding him " energetically," as he put 

 it (Bill was, as I have said, partial to long words), till within 

 the distance, and finally landed him first by sheer hard 

 riding. 



To one of the traits of character essential for a finished 

 jockey, as specified by " Nimrod," namely, an insensibility 

 to provocation bordering on apathy, Bill Scott had no 

 pretensions ; strong proof of which appeared when he had 

 won the Oaks in 1838 upon Lord Chesterfield's Industry. 

 On that occasion he and Arthur Pavis, who was riding 

 Lord Suffield's Calypso, were seen, as they came struggling 

 neck and neck towards the winning-post, to be far more 

 intent on punishing each other than the animals they 

 bestrode. It should, however, be mentioned that Pavis, in 

 his anxiety to win, began the attack ; but Scott, having 

 succeeded in getting the rails, had the whip hand of his 

 opponent — an advantage he was not slow in availing 

 himself of, as Arthur's back, and his own well-stuffed 

 pocket-book on the following Tuesday, could amply have 

 testified. 



The late James Goater used to tell a most amusing 

 incident that occurred to him on the first occasion of his 

 wearing Lord Portsmouth's colours. Very many years 

 ago, at Oxford races. Lord Portsmouth's trainer went to 

 Goater and asked him if he was engaged for the next race. 



