Gcoro^e IV. 1 1 ^ 



whether Fleur-de-lis, or The Colonel, or Zinganee, or 

 all started, and to ride which he Hked. He accord- 

 ingly chose Zinganee ! but the horse was so light, 

 and wasted on the day, that he was quite unable to 

 make a shadow of a fight, and was a bad last to 

 Lucetta. His royal owner was then on his death- 

 bed, and had he ever risen from it, there is no doubt 

 that he would have given the Chifneys their price, 

 3500 guineas, for Priam, after the Derby, and made 

 a last St. Leger effort. Still, ill as he was, he felt 

 so anxious about the result, that he sent Jack Rat- 

 ford specially over to Epsom, charging him to come 

 back express with the news, the instant the horses 

 had passed the post. The love of the sport was with 

 him to the very last ; and, as far as royalty is con- 

 cerned, with him it seems to have died. Hence, 

 despite all his faults, real turfites can never think 

 of him but with deep pleasure, and wish that in 

 these more degenerate days of light-weights and 

 handicaps, they could see fewer money-grubbing 

 propensities among our Chiefs at the Corner, and 

 more frequent glimpses of the genuine racing spirit 

 which pervaded their sires on those Heath afternoons 

 of old, when — 



*' The Royal heart of Wales was there, 

 Still rushing to the front." 



The Duke of York, Colonel Mellish, and "Beau 

 Brummell," were each an epitome in themselves. 

 Brummell used often to be a guest along with the 

 Duke of York when the Duke of Rutland kept court 

 at Cheveley Park during the race meetings, and had a 

 bedroom sacred to him both there and at Belvoir. 

 He generally dressed for the course in a tight green 

 shooting-coat, leathers, and topboots, and was rather 

 a carriage man than one of the regular Newmarket 

 Cavalry, with whom he every now and then indulged 

 in a bet, just to keep up a wholesome excitement, 



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