3 o2 'LORD OF THE ISLES.' 



trainer has the hardest week's work of the year. 

 Horses to exercise, sales to attend, then the racing 

 itself, and afterwards a search for the best-looking 

 yearling, or, at any rate, those that are worth search- 

 ing for, bring a long and hard day's work to a 

 close. It was on such an excursion, the search for a 

 treasure of the kind, that I was bent, on the Wednes- 

 day evening of the St. Leger of 1853, when I was 

 led to inspect the Sheffield Lane, Mr. Johnstone's, 

 3*earlings. Here I found a colt that I knew not whether 

 to admire most for his fine shape and quality, or his 

 breeding — being by Touchstone out of Fair Helen, by 

 Pantaloon ; a bright bay with white legs and a star 

 on his forehead. In shape lie resembled his sire, but 

 without his power. He was lengthy and deep in his 

 fore-ribs, but light over his loins, and stood a little 

 upright on his fore-legs. But taken altogether, he 

 filled the eye and bore scrutiny. At the fall of the 

 hammer to my last nod for £350, he became Mr. 

 Merry's, for whom I bought him. 



I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Merry long 

 before this, having been of some service to him in 

 trying the high-priced Robbie Noble for the Cam- 

 bridgeshire — an event to which I shall recur pre- 

 sently, I have now to do with Lord of the Isles, as 

 this handsome colt was subsequently called. He 

 went to Woodyates, and was trained there with the 

 rest of my horses ; proving to be nice tempered, 

 though showing much courage and determination 



