Anecdotes of Racehorses 85 



She ran once more that autumn, fourteen days after- 

 wards, when she won the Borough Members' Handicap, 

 one and a quarter miles, at Tiverton. This was an 

 extraordinary instance of what judicious management 

 could do, and few trainers would have dared to throw- 

 up a horse for three weeks, within less than five weeks 

 of running, and with only ten days remaining in which 

 to gallop her again, and yet in two days she secured 

 three races, and finished third in a fourth. 



In the following spring she ran but once before 

 going to the stud. She was then seven years old, and 

 though she had been running in many races, ever since 

 she was three years, yet her last performance was de- 

 cidedly the best in her whole career. Starting in the 

 Metropolitan Handicap at Epsom, she finished third, 

 carrying 6 st. 11 lb., the race being won by that good 

 horse " Hampton," three years, 6 st. 3 lb. ; " Templebar," 

 three years, 5 st. 12 lb., being second; while unplaced 

 were those grand stayers, " Trent," " Scamp," and " Bugle 

 March," with four others of less celebrity. This was 

 rising to a very much higher level than selling races, 

 " winner to be sold for 30 guineas ! " 



I can give yet another instance of how short a pre- 

 paration may suffice to bring a horse out at his very 

 best, after being eased in his work when getting stale. 

 During my absence at the Ashanti War, in 1873-74, a 

 horse of mine, " Fortal," had done a very great deal of 

 work, he being a very hot-headed animal, very difficult 

 to catch at his best. I returned to England on the 

 26th March, and after giving the horse only one six- 

 furlong gallop every other day — when he always ran away 

 from start to finish — I won a Hunter's two-mile hurdle 



