PERO GOMEZ 139 



satisfactory explanation. It might be that these 

 two jockeys were so busy watching each other 

 that they let the others ** slip '* them. On the 

 other hand it was possible that Pero Gomez 

 was that morning in no humour for racing. 

 We could only hope he would show us very 

 different form in the Derby. Lictor, who is 

 thus introduced to the reader, was a colt by 

 Lambton out of Parasol. Running in the name 

 of the trainer Drewitt, he won a selling race 

 (winner to be sold for ;^50o) two days after Pero 

 Gomez carried off the Middle Park Plate. He 

 |was not sold then, but Sir Joseph Hawley bought 

 ihim shortly after, and a very useful servant he 

 was to us at Kingsclere. I almost rank him 

 with Xi as a reliable trial horse. But, as we 

 shall see presently, he was the innocent means 

 of bringing a number of people into serious 

 ; trouble. 



We did not win the Derby, but Pero Gomez 



was beaten a head only by Pretender, who started 



I favourite at 11 to 8. Pero Gomez at 11 to 2, 



ind Belladrum at 6 to i, were the only two of 



the winner's twenty-one opponents seriously 



^backed to beat him. It was an unsatisfactory 



race in more ways than one. Approaching 



Tattenham Corner there was a scrimmage, due 



to Thorwaldsen swerving in front of Duke of 



Beaufort and nearly bringing him down. Wells 



afterwards told me that Pero Gomez, thrown 



