TOD SLOAN 



But one morning, two days before the Liverpool 

 Cup, Lord Derby, then Lord Stanley, sent a letter 

 to me saying he wanted me to ride a mare of his 

 in that race. She had a nice light weight, and 

 they fancied her chance. Here was a dilemma ! I 

 replied most respectfully that I had finished my year's 

 riding at Newmarket, that I had been playing cards 

 until very late at night ; that I had been drinking 

 whiskys and sodas, and that I should neither do myself 

 justice nor would it be right in his own interests for me 

 to accept the mount, for the race might easily be 

 thrown away on account of my being quite out of 

 training. I expressed my deep regret and thanked his 

 lordship very much for the offer. I am afraid that 

 that letter of mine gave rise to considerable misunder- 

 standing. The mare ran with a boy on her back and 

 only lost by a head, so (although I say it myself) it 

 could be assumed that had I been at my best and 

 riding, she would have been first instead of second. 

 This is another explanation to add to what I have 

 already said to Lord Derby. 



At the regular dinner at Newmarket when the topic 

 of Codoman was mentioned, the late Captain Machell 

 told Mr George Lambton that he had already backed 

 Codoman : " Sloan has put me on 33 fifties." 



Of course this got about, even before the race. As 

 a matter of fact a lot of my money went on at 33 to 1, 

 and I had obliged the Captain with a share. I may 

 as well say here that the sum I should have cleaned 

 up had Codoman beaten Berrill was about sixty-six 

 thousand pounds. 



There was another incident which happened that 

 year and which I fear prejudiced me. A member of 

 the Jockey Club came up and spoke to me as I was 

 going out to the paddock. He told me that he wanted 



i88 



