THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 9 



finished second, beaten half a length. I rode 

 my first winner the following year at Brighton, 

 where I was successful on Overreach, a two- 

 year-old filly by Birdcatcher out of Virginia, 

 the dam of Virago. She defeated Flageolet by 

 half a length. George Fordham, riding at 5 st., 

 was on one of the unplaced horses, and so was 

 my old school-fellow, Tom Ashmall. At the 

 Newmarket Houghton Meeting that year I had 

 four mounts. One of them finished second in 

 a Selling Handicap (the winner of which was 

 ridden by Flatman), and on Overreach I won a 

 half-mile Sweepstakes, beating the only other 

 runner, who was favourite, by a neck. In 

 1856 I rode in two races, one at Salisbury and 

 the other at Epsom. Both efforts were unsuc- 

 cessful. 



I did not ride again in a race until the Derby 

 of 1858, won by Sir Joseph Hawley's Beadsman. 

 On that occasion we started three horses — 

 Eclipse (who finished fourth), Sedbury, and 

 Carmel. Fordham and Jim Goater were on 

 Eclipse and Sedbury respectively. My mount, 

 Carmel, was a chestnut colt by Loup-garou. 

 He was an unconsidered outsider, and when 

 making the descent to Tattenham Corner broke 

 down badly. Returning to the stands, long 

 after the race was over, I had to thread my way 

 through the crowd that had surged on to the 

 course. To the best of my recollection this was 



