MEN OF MY TIME. 



receiving, on his return to the scales, an ovation 

 at the hands of the general public that greater men 

 for accomplishing greater deeds might have been 

 proud of. Alfred, no doubt, was a good jockey ; 

 which is as much as modesty permits one brother to 

 say of another. But, like other men, he was not 

 infallible. In this race, at least, in spite of the public 

 praise given him, he made a mistake. For had Buck- 

 thorn not been very much better than the rest of the 

 horses, he would have been beat to the greatest 

 certainty on earth. And yet everyone thought that 

 no horse could have been ridden better. But as a 

 fact, to ride him so hard for so great a distance was 

 more than a mistake. The horse did not get over it, 

 and never afterwards ran so well in public. If this 

 be public opinion, we cannot wonder that ' doctors 

 disagree, and soundest casuists doubt.' For my part, 

 I have seen too many races lost by similar riding to 

 have any misgiving on the subject. Fisherman, Mario- 

 nette, and Julius, at Stockbridge, were all beat by 

 lying so far out of their ground, by horses to which, 

 on their public form, they could have given 21 lb. ; 

 and proved that form by beating their vanquishers 

 afterwards. Yet, on those occasions, the riders were 

 not lauded to the skies for a display of good jockey- 

 ship. 



In 1842 I won the Southampton Stakes for his 

 lordship on Tliona, beating eight others, all being 

 placed, an unusual occurrence showing the severity 



