12 8 The Post and the Paddock. 



too long with the magnificent Voltaire, in Rowton's 

 year, and that if he had come sooner, or if the race 

 had been fifty yards further, he would have won. The 

 latter notion is probably correct, but no man with 

 Chifney's fine knowledge of pace dared hurry his 

 horse, and try to live with Rowton, at the tremendous 

 bat at which Scott sent him along, without the 

 semblance of a pull, from the hill. All he could do 

 was to keep creeping up inch by inch, and trust to 

 the little chestnut " coming back" under such terrible 

 treatment, and then catching him close at home. It 

 was one of Bill Scott's bruising days ; and when he 

 and Sam talked over the matter privately, he con- 

 fessed that he was so confident that he could win by 

 twenty yards, that he " drove the horse till he was 

 fairly drunk." The Voltaire party, headed by John 

 Smith, his trainer, who was always very jealous of the 

 Duke's southern division, were anxious to have a 

 match, and to put John Day up ; while the Chifneys 

 and Bill Scott were so eager to bring them up to the 

 scratch, that they offered, with Mr. Petre's permission, 

 and through Colonel Cradock, to lay 2000/ to 1000/., 

 and run the two at even weights, or to lay 1000/. 

 even, and give /lbs., on the following Friday. Chifney 

 was to have ridden Rowton in the second bout, as it 

 was his riding which had been so especially attacked ; 

 but Lord Darlington, seeing that Scott and Sam were 

 so perfectly agreed as to the St. Leger running, 

 declined to lend his horse, and defeated Laurel, 

 Fleur-de-lis, &c., with him for the Cup on the 

 Thursday. 



In the case of Marcus, Sam's St. Leger luck was 

 more gloomy than ever. This son of Emilius — who 

 was purchased by the Duke from Mr. Thornhill, when 

 a yearling, for 250 guineas — had won a race at New- 

 market in the spring of that year, and had beaten 

 Chorister easily in a rough gallop, when the Duke's 

 Northern and Southern lots met at exercise on Don- 



