FLYING FOX 391 



kid them, and so got where I did. I always consider 

 that, however much of a " general " I may have been in 

 some races in my career, I can shake hands with myself 

 on that Middle Park Plate being the greatest achievement 

 of my life. 



After the race Lord William Beresford, Charlie Mills, 

 and others came round, saying what a marvellous horse 

 Caiman was. But they wouldn't give me any credit for 

 the win ; they kept on repeating that Caiman was the 

 greatest of his age in training. And they stuck to it too, 

 even though I told them he was far behind horses which 

 were unquestionably inferior to Flying Fox. 



Sloan goes on to state that he was convinced 

 Flying Fox was the best horse he had seen 

 in England. No one will accuse the famous 

 American jockey of ever having been guilty of 

 hiding his light under a bushel ; still, there is 

 perhaps a good deal of truth in his explanation of 

 the way in which Flying Fox came to be beaten 

 in the Middle Park Plate. I am not adopting 

 lis story as ** gospel **; I merely quote it as an 

 interesting expression of opinion. 



A fortnight later Flying Fox won the 

 Criterion Stakes, giving Sinopi (a gelding by 

 ;Marcion, who had won the Findon Stakes at 

 Goodwood) 12 lb. and a length-and-a-half 

 beating. This achievement brought Flying Fox*s 

 two -year -old career to a close. That season 

 he had taken part in 5 races, and won three 

 worth ;^268i. It was not a bad record, but 

 one which ought to have been improved upon. 



