84 A HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



February, 1845. Chance himself was not a product 

 of a specially-ordered mating. Any one of several 

 precocious bull calves running with some heifers 

 might have been his sire. His mother, called Vic- 

 toria, had been bred by Turner of The Noke, Leomin- 

 ster, and was deep in the best John Hewer blood run- 

 ning back to old Sovereign. This was rugged old 

 stock, strong enough it seems to withstand even 

 breeding from the very closest affinities. At any 

 rate, this "double Chance " came into the world via 

 Nature's own route, and he soon began making his- 

 tory. 



At the Eoyal Society's show at Newcastle in 1846 

 the "future great" was introduced to the public, 

 winning first in the bull calf class. He had been 

 bought at the Newton sale for 100 guineas by Mr, 

 I. N. Carpenter of Eardisland, Herefordshire, who 

 dubbed him Sir David in honor of Mr. Williams, 

 owner of the dam, but Edward Price of Court House 

 had taken a great fancy to the bull and bought him 

 for service at Pembridge. Here he developed into 

 the sensation of the day, his wonderful scale, vigor, 

 flesh and general character marking him as the most 

 extraordinary bull the breed had yet produced. He 

 was a winner at the Herefordshire shows of 1847 and 

 1848 and at the Norwich Eoyal of 1849 swept all be- 

 fore him. Later in the season, at Ludlow in Septem- 

 ber, he won the Challenge prize open to all breeds 

 in the United Kingdom, and first prize for bull with 

 four of his get. One of the latter, Pembridge (721), 



