'RATAPLAN'S' A PPEA KANCE. 291 



the total expenditure. He had at this time a horse 

 running at York, which, from prudential motives, he 

 ostensibly sold to a friend for £300, with the con- 

 dition that that sum should be put on the horse for 

 the race for which lie was engaged next day. On 

 Mr. Parr's arrival at York, it is said that, owing to 

 some little inattention on his part, or it may have 

 been the want of some formality in respect to a bill 

 transaction, he was politely invited to visit the Castle; 

 which he did, and remained till the next day, when 

 the success of his horse enabled him to give consider- 

 ation for the document to which his valuable auto- 

 graph was attached, and he was enabled to leave, 

 delighted at the fortunate result. 



From this date we see him associated with Rata- 

 plan, who, though raced in his name, was, I believe, 

 always the property ot Mr. Thellusson, as he ran as 

 his the following year. Rataplan was such a curiously 

 made animal that a description of him may not be 

 uninteresting. He was own brother to StocJcirell, and 

 half-brother to King Tom, by the Baron out of 

 Pocahontas; a good horse over a distance of ground, 

 but extremely plain. He was a dark chestnut with 

 white legs, long fore-pasterns almost amounting to a 

 deformity, plain head and Koman nose, short neck 

 and bad shoulders, with a large barrel, so cow- 

 hocked that his hind-legs nearly touched each other — 

 indeed he walked more like a Guernsey cow than 

 a racehorse, and galloped very little better, more 



19—2 



