282 TRAINERS WITHOUT TRAINING. 



were gamblers at heart, and Barber as fond of billiards 

 as he was of racing, or any other species of gaming. 

 The two were as eccentric in manner as characteristic 

 in dress. Barber always wore a black suit, loose- 

 fitting trousers, resting in wrinkles on a substantial 

 boot, a swallow-tail dress-coat, with a clerical necktie 

 and hat to match. Fancy wearing such a dress in a 

 betting- ring, by the side of his partner, who resembled 

 a badly-dressed keeper, if you substituted trousers for 

 the leggings generally worn by the game-killing frater- 

 nity ! I should very much doubt if either of these 

 sages ever saw a racehorse till they saw one on the 

 racecourse. From fortunate speculations on other 

 people's horses, they formed a stud of their own. 

 Saxon was thought to be the trainer, and Barber to 

 attend to the commissions ; though 1 think, in most 

 matters, they acted conjointly, and like so many 

 cooks, spoiling their own good things. From what 

 date their confederacy commenced must be a matter 

 of surmise ; for Barber ran many horses in his own 

 name, as did Saxon also. The latter in 1851 had 

 Black Doctor, who did him good service ; but, like 

 Yellow Jack, he was more noted for the number of 

 times he ran second, than for the races he won. He 

 was second for the Chester, Manchester, Doncaster 

 and Ascot Cups, being beaten by Joe Miller in the 

 latter very easy. These were disappointments ; but 

 a greater one befell him subsequently, when Mary had 

 to put up with running second to Sultan for the 



