Lord William’s racing partner, His Highness the Maharajah of Durbangah, was most anxious to be a winner of the Viceroy’s Cup, and Pennant being in Lord William’s opinion the likely winner, with his characteristic kindliness sold the horse to His Highness just before the race, so that the Durbangah colours might be carried. The horse won easily, greatly to his new owner’s pleasure.
That wonderful pony, Lord Clyde, won the International Pony Race.
Speaking at the Turf Club dinner Lord William confessed he thought a big stable a mistake. In spite of having gained this experience, which led people to imagine he intended to reduce his stable, he added to it, and for the first time sent some of his horses to Madras to see what he could do there. At the Autumn Meerut Meeting he had no luck this year with his horses, chiefly owing, no doubt, to their usual jockey, Dunn, who knew their temperaments and little ways, being away at the time ill, which was hard on the horses and hard on their owner.
BEAUTIFUL BLITZ
PILOTEER WINNING A TROTTING PRIZE
The big Calcutta meeting on December 26th, 1889, saw the beginning of the Presto row, which most racing people will remember. The horse was entered for the Walter Locke Cup, and was expected to win, Dunn riding, but was not even placed! It was suggested that it was the result of getting off badly at the start, the horse swerving round, losing several lengths. This caused some comment and much disappointment, which reached boiling point two days later, when on the 28th Presto again ran with Dunn up for the Kooch Behar Cup, 1¼ miles, winning easily, there never being a moment’s doubt from start to finish that the race was his, even leaving Moorhouse, a very fast horse, and several others hopelessly behind.
The public were now thoroughly upset, though on the face of the thing it seemed natural that if the horse lost so many lengths at the start in the race on the 26th, it would quite account for relative positions at the end of the two races. There were, however, those who considered Dunn’s riding was at fault, therefore the Stewards of the Turf Club held an enquiry into it. Mr. Gasper, the clever lawyer who has already been introduced, and from whom Lord William bought Mercury, appeared to uphold the complaint. Whether Dunn was in any way to blame for this different running of Presto I am not able to state, but be that as it may, he stood very little chance in any case with Mr. Gasper up against him, he being the most brilliant criminal lawyer Calcutta had ever seen, and he at any rate believed Dunn to blame, and waxed eloquent in consequence.
After a long and tedious investigation, over which there had been some feeling, the Stewards fully exonerated Lord William, and while not stating Dunn pulled, they were of the opinion he deserved censure for bad riding, which had certainly justified the enquiry.