

TRYING TO BEAT FORFARSHIRE 



to see how I was — immediately broke in with : 

 " You've done with racing for to-day." 



" Then who's to ride Democrat ? " I asked. 



I shall put Cannon up," he answered. 



No I am going to ride Democrat," I replied. I 

 think if any other jockey had been mentioned I should 

 have been content to lay there, but as it was I got up 

 soon after without the brandy. The next race was for 

 two-year-olds. Forfarshire was in the field. I was 

 only beaten a head. Lord William always thought 

 that it was my unfit condition after the injury which 

 cost him the race, but I can confidently say that it 

 was the best race I ever rode in my life. What is 

 more Forfarshire had 28 lbs. in hand that day, but 

 he was messed about a bit in the race by a horse 

 ridden by Madden. Sam Loates, who rode Forfar- 

 shire, blamed me for it afterwards and there looked 

 like being a fight, but — leave it at that. Lord William 

 always had too great an opinion of Democrat. As a 

 matter of fact he was a very ordinary horse, and I am 

 sure that had a jockey of the old-fashioned school 

 ridden him on that day he wouldn't have been in the 

 first six. I am not taking too great credit for myself 

 in saying this, for if a rider like Johnny Reiff or Frank 

 O'Neill or Milton Henry had been up they would very 

 likely have done as well as I did. Later on, by the 

 way, Democrat was given to Lord Kitchener for a 

 charger. The next race that day was a two mile or 

 a two mile and a quarter affair — I forget which — and 

 the doctor, Lord William, and others were all furious at 

 my attempting to ride. But I had my way and I won 

 the race, all the time suffering such tortures as I never 

 had known before. Altogether that uay I won three 

 racesi — without brandy mind you. However, I was 

 paid out for my foolhardiness by being kept in bed 



63 



