MORE RACING 189 



extraordinary rapidity and nerve, and Eton won. 

 I remember talking to his uncle, Captain F. 

 Featherstonehauoh concerning this event, and he 

 remarked : "If the boy lives to rise to the top of 

 the tree in any profession he may take up he will 

 never feel such a proud man as he was the day he 

 pulled the match out of the fire for Eton." 



In these days to obtain realisation of anything 

 worthy of celebrity, money is essential. To acquire 

 a rjerby winner an outlay of considerable capital is 

 necessary. Even with unlimited resources in that 

 respect, how few achieve their ambition ! One of 

 the luckiest deals I have ever heard of was when 

 the late Sir James Miller purchased Sainfoin from 

 an owner in John Porter's stable. The late Colonel 

 Gough, commanding the 14th Hussars, recounted 

 to me how when holding office in the orderly room 

 Sir James Miller showed him a telegram saying 

 that he (Sir James) could have Sainfoin for ;^8ooo. 

 "Of course you will have him," said the Colonel. 

 " Right," said Sir James, and the deal was effected. 

 John Porter never believed that the horse would 

 win, but he did, and that fairly easily from Le 

 Nord and Orwell. This was, I should think, the 

 cheapest "ready to hand" Derby horse of modern 

 times. Spearmint fetched only ;!^300 as a yearling, 

 but expert judges, when he was at that age, vowed 

 that he would never stand training. This horse, 



