I 



MY START AS A TRAINER 8i 



Handicap. He was, however, beaten in this, as 

 in all the other races in which he ran that season. 

 These two horses were also '* matched '* in the 

 spring. Then, however. Hermit was to have 

 given The Palmer 13 lb., but his owner was 

 content to pay the £2^0 forfeit. 



Matches were very much the vogue in those 

 days, especially at Newmarket. Sir George 

 Chetwynd, in his Racing Reminiscences^ gives us a 

 description of the way in which they were gener- 

 ally arranged. When the cloth had been removed 

 after dinner at the Jockey Club Rooms, and the 

 snuff-box, made out of Eclipse's foot, had gone 

 round, those present willing to make Matches 

 wrote on slips of paper the names of the horses 

 they wished to run. Admiral Rous would 

 examine the slips, consult the owners of two of 

 the horses, refer to his well-thumbed handicap 

 book, and then, addressing the owners, say: 

 " Gentlemen, put your hands in your pockets. 

 You shall run the last five furlongs of the Abing- 

 don Mile for 100 sovs., 50 forfeit. The Blank 

 colt shall carry 8 st. 10 lb. and the other 8 st. 

 2 lb.'* The owners then withdrew their hands 

 from their pockets. If it was found that both 

 held money the Match was made, and the half- 

 crowns went to the Admiral; if only one held 

 money, the non-content paid him; if neither 

 held money, there was no Match and no exchange 

 of coin. 



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