Another Beresford-Durbangah horse won the Alipore Plate and Bolero the Jubilee Purse. At Tollygunge, though that good horse Prospero won the Handicap Chase, poor Tim Whiffler, who had such a habit of falling, this time turned head-over-heels when running for the Ballygunge Cup, breaking his thigh and having to be shot.
Bad luck seemed to be dogging Lord William’s footsteps at this time, for Mercury, who had been doing so well, and from whom great things were hoped, caught a chill, followed by fever, from which he died. Then again, after the annual move to Simla, and he was running Little Nell in the Bazaar Stakes, on the Annandale Course, though he won with her, there was a good deal of unpleasantness attached to the race, owing to Captain Wood, of the 8th Hussars, who was also riding a pony for a brother officer, and who came in second, lodging a complaint directly after the race, saying Dunn, Lord William’s jockey, had jostled him. This rather spoilt the pleasure of the meeting for everyone. The race had been witnessed by a number of people, friends of both parties in question; several thought they could explain it all, and proceeded to air their views, hoping by so doing to ease matters and straighten it out, instead of which, further complications ensued. This was followed a little later at Calcutta with fresh annoyance over the Arab named Euclid, belonging to the Confederacy. Lord William heard some people had been making remarks about the performances of this horse, which they seemed to consider unsatisfactory; he therefore at once asked the stewards of the Calcutta Turf Club to inquire into the matter and give their opinion; this they did, saying they found nothing leading to any such conclusion as had been suggested. So Lord William came out on top.
For years Lord William declared no Australian horse could touch the English, but Mercury caused him to change his mind, this horse’s performances having been almost phenomenal. In consequence of being bitten with the grey Australian, and not content with having between twenty and thirty horses already in training, he gave the well-known Australian dealer, Mr. Weekes, a commission to bring him one or two of the “real things” from Melbourne.
When the dealer returned from Australia, he brought with him two horses for Lord William, Myall King and Golden Gate. I do not remember hearing of the latter doing anything encouraging, and Myall King made a poor show to begin with, and his new master said a few things not altogether complimentary to the dealer in connection with his selection, but before long changed his mind, Myall King becoming his greatest favourite, winning three Viceroy’s Cups for him, the first on December 24th, 1887, value 7000 rupees. When Lord William was leading his horse in after the race, thoroughly pleased and happy, the excited and delighted Mr. Weekes, who had purchased the horse for his lordship and who had been brooding over the names he had been called when first he brought Myall King over, rushed up to Lord William holding out his hand for joy, saying, “Now do you still say I am a something something thief?”
“No,” replied Lord Bill, taking the proffered hand; “indeed you are all something something right.”
“Then you will come and stay with me in Melbourne, won’t you?”
“Of course I will,” said his lordship, only too anxious to move on.
Myall King also won the Durbangah Cup, £150, on the 30th of the same month.
In the summer of 1887 Lord William bought up the lease of the Dehra Doon course, over which he spent some time and trouble, getting it into good order; he kept it up entirely at his own expense until he left India. He removed all his horses there, also the Viceregal horses, being a good climate for them.
People in India were beginning to be rather frightened of Lord William’s string of horses, saying it was no use entering theirs against him, that they had no chance. I remember hearing a good deal of this at Lucknow, but it was not quite a fact, as his lordship found out to his cost occasionally. He certainly had a formidable string of horses, and he wanted to be on top, where to a certain extent he was, but in racing there is always the element of chance to be reckoned with, horses going wrong, jockeys making mistakes, and no end of other things to be taken into consideration. He sent his horses to all parts of India for race meetings, even to Poona.