ENTRIES OF 'PROMISED LAND.' 423 



that he turned his toes out and was narrow in his 

 hips, and I thought £700 a lot of money for one 

 shaped as he was. However, on my offering him 

 £500 for the half of him we clinched the bargain — 

 and a good one, as it afterwards turned out, for us 

 both. I was to have the whole management of him, 

 as usual. Being such a good-looking horse and so 

 well bred, I engaged him rather heavily, putting him, 

 as a two-year-old, in the New Stakes at Ascot, Findon 

 at Goodwood, and the Criterion Stakes ; and in the 

 following year in the Two Thousand and the Derby, 

 and at Goodwood, and in the St. Leger, and the 

 Grand Duke Michael Stakes ; and the next year in 

 the Claret Stakes of 200 sovs. each. He passed 

 the winter well, and when Mr. Robinson came to see 

 him in the spring he thought he had grown and 

 improved. Soon after I tried him, when, as I thought, 

 he was fit, at 14 lb. with Happy Land. It was a 

 high trial ; but from what I had seen of his going at 

 exercise I thought he would win. Bevis and Ninirod 

 were in at a stone under him. The result was Happy 

 Land won easily, the other three close together, 

 Promised Land being just second-best. This greatly 

 astonished and disappointed me ; but I would always 

 rather know the worst of things than flatter myself 

 into thinking that a horse is better than in reality 

 he is. I don't think that that day he would 

 have beat Happy Land, T.Y.C., at 2 St., and I 

 gave up all hopes of his ever^doing very much good. 



