TRAINERS OF DERBY AND OTHER HORSES. 107 



been many Days on the turf. Old Mrs. Day, it is 

 recorded, saw four of her sons riding in one race. The 

 first, ' Honest John ' of Danesbury, trained for the 

 Dukes of Grafton. Alfred Day's name is famous in 

 the annals of turf horsemanship ; one of his races was 

 on Andover, for the Derby, by the victory of which 

 horse a great stake was landed for the patrons of the 

 Stockbridge stable. The late John Day continued the 

 fame of the family, training in his time many of the 

 most famous race-horses of England ; his name for a 

 long series of years was as a household word in turf 

 circles. The celebrated ' Old John Day' died in 1860; 

 and there are still alive many who remember him 

 dressed in his customary suit of solemn black, looking 

 more like a clergyman than a man connected with a 

 racing-stable. Years afterwards the John Day of more 

 modern times died at Danebury. ' He was a man of 

 genial disposition, kindly nature, hospitable, and an 

 exceedingly amusing companion.' 



As is well known, many of the men connected with 

 the training of the Derby winners of the last half 

 century are yet alive, and amongbt the number are 

 Mr. Alex Taylor,-of Manton, and Mr. Matthew Dawson, 

 of Exning, who had a horse running for the ' Blue 

 Ribbon ' half a century ago ! Mr. Robert Peck, who 

 trained for Mr. Merry, and Mr. Thos. Jenniugs, who 

 enabled France to avenge Waterloo, are still living, 

 also Mr. John Porter, of Kingsclere, who trained some 

 of Sir Joseph Hawley's horses. 



