390 



Ghuznee was only a pony— just 14| hands— but she had the best of 

 legs, which old Perrin still describes as being of iron. He also says 

 that Elvina was the most beautiful mare he ever set eyes on, and 

 that John Scott often said the same of her. 



As an instance of the long journeys which horses had to travel to 

 race meetings in former days, I may mention that in 1836 Scott's own 

 mare, Cyprian, was walked from Whitewall to Epsom, where she won< 

 the Oaks, thence back to Newcastle, where she won the Northumber- 

 land Plate, and returned to Whitewall within six weeks, doing on an 

 average twenty miles of road work every day. 



She was a very vicious mare, and continued so till her death at the 

 age of nearly thirty. Perrin showed me the stall where her colt 

 Artful Dodger with a kick knocked the brains out of his lad who was 

 at the time combing his iail. The Princess was another devil, and 

 seemed to hate everyone at Whitewall. She and Cyprian were more 

 dangerous and caused more trouble to shoe and to look after than all 

 the other horses. 



" Nobbling " favourites was in vogue in those days much more than 

 it is at present, and the Malton stable was often visited by ruffians 

 for the purpose of destroying a horse. Scott had, therefore, to be ever 

 on the alert, and for the better protection of the place he got a huge and 

 ferocious Cuban bloodhound which had been trained to hunt and 

 capture runaway niggers. 



This dog many times did good service, notably with Attila before the 

 Derby of 1842, when a determined attempt Avas made to get at him,, 

 but his faithful guardian nearly tore to pieces the scoundrel who tried 

 it. This horse when not so protected was nobbled three or four times 

 afterwards. 



Jereed in 1835 w&s tried to be as good as Touchstone at weight for 

 age, and so was considered to have a great chance for the Derby, but 

 he was got at one night, and with a hammer the tendons of both fore- 

 legs were battered fearfully. 



An onslaught was made at Leatherhead on Cotherstone just before- 

 the Derby of 1843, but it was frustrated by Bill Scott, who, like the 

 bloodhound, nearly killed the rascals. 



More than once Mrs. Scott saved her husband's horses from these 

 fellows, and, assisted by the shoer and the dog, on one occasion she 

 captured three of them, to whom were given such a ducking, with a 

 subsequent towelling and dressing, they never again visited Whitewall. 



Magistrate in Scott's Forest days ran a desperate race at York with 

 the famous Blacklock. It was four miles, and such was the effect upon 

 the horses that neither ever recovered, and it ended their racing- 

 West Australian, although a magnificent yearling, was for a time a 

 backward and unpromising colt, and it was not until Scott tried him 

 with Longbow a short time after the Two Thousand that he found 

 what a jewel he had. The stable then planked the money down for 

 the Derby and Leger, and won a tremendous stake. Epirus was the 



