^' Sam Chifney, 95 



from White's as a present to Will, who comforted 

 himself, as he sipped it, with the reflection that he 

 could not have had Sam to ride Wings for him, and 

 that no other disengaged jockey could have won on 

 her. Unrivalled as Sam's " fiery rush" has always been, 

 Will Chifney still said that his great races on the flat 

 were invariably won before the horses reached the 

 cords, and when the crowd knew nothing of it. As in 

 the case of Wings, it was his innate knowledge of pace 

 which enabled him, although seemingly beaten at the 

 start, to steal up inch by inch to his opponents, and 

 still, have the materials of a rush left in his horse when 

 they were close at home ; and his riding of Blooms- 

 bury and St. Francis were very brilliant specimens of 

 this peculiar style. 



At this period both brothers were fast approaching 

 their zenith on the Turf, and well-known in the Thur- 

 low country, whose staunch master, Charles Newman, 

 in spite of the tempting proximity, could never be 

 drawn into blending the gorse with the Heath. Sam 

 was still on the right side of forty, and had won five 

 Oaks and two Derbies, and was installed in one of 

 the best houses in Newmarket. Mr. Thornhill's horses 

 had been under his charge since the autumn of Sam's 

 Derby year (1818), and Lord Darlington's horses came 

 to his stables in the following spring. Will, who 

 managed their training, refused every ofl*er to enter 

 into an engagement, but kept himself clear and inde- 

 pendent of all employers, and stood what money he 

 liked about the horses. Mr. Thornhill was often 

 anxious to become Lord Darlington's confederate ; 

 but although he allowed Will to communicate with 

 him fully about his horses, his lordship had not for- 

 gotten his dispute with the Prince, and refused to run 

 such risks again. The Prince, too, had not forgotten 

 his old Chifney associations when, with Mr. Delme 

 Radcliffe as manager, and William Edwards as 

 trainer, he again appeared on the Turf in 1826, 



