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HOW THE GREAT MUSKET WAS SAVED SAVEDThe The Australian turf owes much to the old English trainer Tom Dawson who was the means of ofsaving saving that peerless sire Musket from being killed when he was considered of no account as a twoyearold Iord Glasgow at whoe stud Musket was foaled used to have periodical battues whereat wholesale execution was done on the useless and unpromising members of his stud After Lord Glasgows death the stud was left to General Peel and Mr Payne without option of sale and a condition of the will necessitated a continuance of these executions Among the victims led out into the yard one day fur slaughter was a brown colt by Toxophilite which was judged on his early trials to be hopelessly slow Tom Dawson thought there was promise in the colt and interceded Happily Mr Payne was one of those to whom yes came easier than no He gave way somewhat grudgingly it is said and Musket was saved savedAs As a threeyearold Musket was good enough to win the Ascot Stakes under 124 pounds hut the field was not of much class and undoubtedly his reputa ¬ tion as a race horse rested on his performance that autumn in the Shrewsbury Cup a twomile race then of considerable importance He beat at even weights the fouryearold Cardinal York just fresh from a Cesarewitch victory with 1015 pounds up The Cardinal could go fast is well as stay as was shown by his second in the Cambridgeshire Musket supple ¬ mented this by a victory next year in the Alexandra Plate AAhcn the conditions of Lord Glasgows will expired Musket was sold for 00 and thus Australia through the indirect influence of Tom Dawson hecn me the fortunate possessor of a stallion which founded the greatest line of stayers iu our history
