TOD SLOAN 



I had met Mrs Langtry and she told me the same thing 

 — that she had to listen to what Robinson said, and 

 couldn't move in the matter until she had consulted 

 him. In fact each of them was running about looking 

 for the other. Then I saw Mrs Langtry again and 

 said frankly to her : 



" You always told me you'd be a good friend to me ; 

 now here I am without a mount and in the Gold Cup 

 too. One thing I promise you : I'll bring your horse 

 back to the paddock after the race as good as he went 

 out. He sha'n't be knocked about at all ; he can win 

 in his own way. After all it's the Gold Cup and 

 Merman is a good horse." 



All the jockeys had weighed out and the time was 

 almost up when at last Mrs Langtry and Robinson 

 finished their talk and decided to run Merman. 

 Robinson said to me, " It isn't quite fair to run him 

 but they are doing so to please you, I suppose." 



I was late at scale and I didn't get half a scolding 

 from Mr Manning. Anyhow out we went. I was told 

 that in the Ring they were laying 33 to 1 against 

 Merman. I know that some of my followers got 25's. 

 They laid odds on Perth III. who had been sent over 

 from France and was ridden by the late Tommy Lane. 



Merman was such a nice horse to ride. I could do 

 anything with him. In the race things broke just as 

 I anticipated ; I tacked on behind and had the wind 

 break for over a mile and a half, and, as the race was 

 run, really a worse horse might have won it. Round 

 we went and I could feel Merman was full of running, 

 and when he felt like going along I let him out 

 and won from Scintillant and The Grafter with the 

 favourite nowhere. I had an idea that Robinson 

 wasn't altogether pleased, for of course they had 

 missed a golden opportunity of backing a good -priced 



176 



