GREEN; YELLOW SLEEVES, BELT, AND CAP 



buying him by Fred Archer, who had ridden Barcaldine 

 a gallop and declared that "he could not stride over a 

 straw." Peck saw what was lacking in the horse's con- 

 dition, and built him up, so that as a five-year-old 

 he proved the wisdom of his owner, winning the 

 Northumberland Plate, ridden by Archer who had found 

 reason to alter his opinion, with the heavy burden of 

 9 St. lolb., the last of the four races he contested in 

 1883, he having previously beaten Tristan, a Goodwood 

 Cup winner, and others at Kempton. I have a long 

 letter from Robert Peck giving a full history of Barcal- 

 dine, but it would scarcely perhaps be pertinent to quote 

 it here. Wickham was also notably well bred, his sire 

 Childwick having been a son of St. Simon and 

 Plaisanterie, winner of the Cesarewitch and Cambridge- 

 shire of 1885. Sir J. Blundell Maple paid 6000 guineas 

 for Childwick as a yearling, the highest price that had 

 ever been given at that period. Wickham was sixth 

 for the National Hunt, only eight of the twenty-seven 

 starters having completed the course, and the following 

 season he flattered his friends until the last fence had 

 been jumped. 



The favourite in 1908 was Captain J. F. Laycock's 

 Rory O'Moore, a son of Royal Meath. Rory O'Moore 

 did excellent service for his owner for several years, and 

 so much was thought of him at Warwick that as little 

 as 4 to I was taken about him, in face of a demand for 

 another of Mr. Bibby's in addition to Wickham, a 



152 



