292 TRAINERS WITHOUT TRAINING. 



closely resembling in appearance the bovine than the 

 equine tribe. His performances for such a misshapen 

 animal were wonderful. Out of twenty-nine races he 

 ran in 1854, he won eighteen ; many over long 

 courses, and at heavy weights. Here again it seems to 

 have been impossible for Mr. Parr to divest himself 

 of his plating proclivities. For Ave "find this good 

 horse doing the drudgery of a hack, and actually 

 despatched to Pontefract to run for a prize of the full 

 value of £15, which he won without the resemblance 

 of a race for it ; and again sent on further similarly 

 useful missions. With him in 1854, Saucebox in 1855, 

 and Fisherman in 1856, Mr. Parr may be said to 

 have had luck which few merited, and no other 

 trainer hardly met with. In the hands of a man who 

 thoroughly understood his profession, what, it may 

 be asked, might not the three have achieved ? That 

 he made the worse rather than the better of them we 

 shall see. Saucebox won the St. Leger, and Mr. 

 Parr should have won a really good stake. But he 

 had prepared his own disappointment. The horse 

 had lost the Great Ebor Handicap at York, simply 

 because he was palpably unfit, whilst Mr. Parr 

 thought he was well and sure to win. and lost a great 

 stake over the race. In the meantime, this and other 

 races in which he took part had been gradually pre- 

 paring the horse for the great event; but without his 

 owner s knowledge, who in his ignorance could not 

 take advantage of his great opportunity. And just 



