yockeys, 1 1 1 



line of Newmarket riding, he determined " to walk in 

 the Hght of the constitution," which once forbade buU 

 beef to be eaten unless it was baited, and kept up the 

 usage most strenuously on the Mill Hill. Latterly 

 his cattle fancy took a more orthodox turn, and he 

 was wont to employ his York race mornings in buying 

 the primest oxen or cows he could find, and sending 

 them to graze at his farm near Peterborough. During 

 his first residence in that town, he thought nothing of 

 riding the ninety-two miles to Newmarket, for trials, 

 and back at six o'clock to tea. To praise his riding 

 would be to gild gold ; but many still stick to it that 

 if they turned him once round after a race he would 

 not remember anything about it, and that, if he was 

 turned round twice, he would forget even what horse 

 he had ridden. His shape and seat were exquisite, 

 albeit he was so small that he came very little beyond 

 Robinson's shoulders, but he always sat remarkably 

 high. 



Durinpr his thirteen years in Robson's ,. ^ , . 



1 , ,^^ _• »» 11 • 1 J'^n Robinson. 



stables, Our Jim would promise another 

 lad half his plum-pudding on Sunday, to rack up his 

 horse, in order that he might run off to the Heath and 

 watch "Frank" ride. His own maiden race came at 

 last, and Mr. Delme Radcliffe little dreamt what " a 

 feather" was running second to him on something of 

 Mr. Kit Wilson's. One of his earliest matches was on 

 Conviction against Buckle on Pigmy, in which the 

 latter bolted away forty yards first, and ran out from 

 distress in the cords. " Don't come that trick over me 

 again, young unP' said the indignant senior, when they 

 returned to scale, but assigned no reason for his wrath. 

 Matters stood very differently between the two in their 

 great match with Abjer and Ardrossan ; the latter of 

 whom was so savage that he tried to tear Robinson 

 out of his saddle. In vain Frank shouted at the post, 

 / Stop, a?td let me get up to you^ But '' I cant, hell 

 worry you; follow me, and F II wait for you',' was the 



