284 ON RACING. 



three years later, when Hermit, galloping 

 as Chris Flemming declared he had never 

 seen a horse gallop before (after breaking 

 a blood-vessel but ten days previously), beat 

 handsomely Marksman and the stout-hearted 

 Vauhan, "with such horses as Flaudlt, Julius, 

 and the Middle Park winner. The Make (who 

 had met with a similar mishap), " squan- 

 dered " like hacks in their rear ! I don't 

 know if horses were pluckier in those days, 

 but I think owners were. At least, they 

 did not all seem so mighty afraid of a horse 

 with a big reputation, but would have a 

 " cut at the cracks " again and again, often 

 with satisfactory results. They seemed to 

 think more, too, of the glory and honour 

 of winning than of the mere value of the 

 stakes. Thus Custance, the ex-jockey, re- 

 ferring, in his " E-iding Recollections," to 

 the Queen's Plate at Lincoln in 1867, con- 

 tested by Regalia, Lord Lyon, Sundeelah, 

 and Rama (on which last he had the winning 



