PERO GOMEZ 137 



by Adventurer out of the Venison mare Ferina, 



who was twenty-two years old when this son of 



hers was born. Adventurer " got " him the 



first season he was at the Sheffield Lane Stud. 



Messrs. Johnstone and Jardine bought Pretender 



as a yearling from his breeder, Mr. Sadler of 



[Doncaster. Before competing for the Middle 



iPark Plate he had run three times. After two 



i failures, he won at York the North of England 



[Biennial, and so earned the penalty he carried in 



[the Middle Park Plate. 



At the Newmarket Houghton Meeting, Matt 



Dawson had the satisfaction of seeing his faith 



[in Wild Oats justified, for the son of Wild Dayrell 



dead-heated for first place in the Criterion Stakes 



[with Pero Gomez at level weights. The stakes 



^ere divided, and Pero went back to Kingsclere 



to take things easily until the following spring. 



lelladrum, who, after his defeat by Morna at 



)on caster, had won five more races, was, at 5 to 



.1, the winter favourite for the Derby. Pero 



)mez was second in the list, followed by Wild 



>ats and Pretender. There was no getting 



Lway from the chance possessed by Pero Gomez; 



It the same time, I did not look upon him as 



being within many pounds of Rosicrucian at the 



same stage of his career. 



During the winter all went well, and Pero 

 Gomez was fairly fit by the time the Newmarket 

 Craven Meeting came round in April. He 



