JOHN DAY'S RETIREMENT 23 



owner and trainer for their patience by winning 

 the Ascot Stakes. In 1855 Little Harry was 

 beaten a neck in the Ebor Handicap at York. He 

 may be summed up as a good horse for his inches, 

 but an unlucky one. 



Rataplan made his appearance on the Turf 

 as a two-year-old in 1852. For a time he was 

 described as ** Brother to Stockwell," who was 

 a year older. Carrying the colours of Mr. 

 Thellusson, his only success as a juvenile was in 

 a Sweepstakes at Brighton ; he was unplaced in 

 the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, and also in a 

 Nursery at Goodwood. It was as a three-year- 

 old, and a three-year-old only, that he ran for 

 Mr. Pad wick, for by 1854 he had been passed on 

 to Mr. Tom Parr (whose horses were trained 

 at Ilsley or Wantage), for whom he picked up 

 Queen's Plates all over the country. As a five- 

 year-old Rataplan once more raced as Mr. Thellus- 

 son's. It may be, of course, that this gentleman 

 had only leased him to Mr. Padwick and then to 

 Parr. Anyway, Mr. Thellusson adopted Parr's 

 plan, and exploited Rataplan as a Queen's Plate 

 hunter. In the two years following the one he 

 was at Michel Grove he ran 62 times and won 

 36 prizes. Some years afterwards Parr pursued 

 the same tactics with Fisherman, and with even 

 more satisfactory results. 



While at Michel Grove, Rataplan ran fourth 

 to West Australian in the Derby and third in the 



