12 THE CONDITION OF HUNTERS 



only out of two or three of his best mares that he could 

 get a winner. This has also been very strongly 

 exemplified at the last Newmarket meetings by the 

 produce of the Duke of Grafton's famous mares 

 winning aU before them.^ 



It is much to be lamented that among sportsmen 

 the prejudice against mares is so strong, as, in con- 

 sequence, the value of many good hunters, and, sub- 

 sequently, many good brood mares, is never known ; for 

 being so generally rejected by those persons who would 

 give them the fairest chance of distinguishing them- 

 selves, they fall into the hands of farmers and others, 

 who cannot for obvious reasons give them that oppor- 

 tunity. If we look back to the great performances 

 on the road against time, we shall find that by far 

 the greater number of them were by mares ; and 

 Eleanor ^ winning the Derby and the Oaks (in 1801), and 

 the running of Lord Grosvenor's Meteora,^ were 

 perhaps never excelled if equalled by horses. The 



' The produce of Coquette, Diana, Piquet, Miltonia, Parasol, 

 Medora, Prudence, and Penelope, won (thirty times), in 182;;, 

 prizes amounting to ;£ 11,317. 



* This excellent mare when in training had forty-nine engage- 

 ments, and was the winner of twenty-eight prizes : she was the suc- 

 cessful competitor for both the Derby and Oaks at Epsom ; she also 

 won the King's Plates at Newmarket and Lincoln ; the Gold Cups 

 at Oxford, Newmarket, and Egham ; and ;£2567, 59. in specie. 

 Eleanor was dam of Nell by Johnny, Muley by Orville, Troilus by 

 Walton, Active by Partisan, My Aunt Nan by Pioneer, etc. etc. 



^Meteora's career was truly brilliant. In addition to £i^io, she 

 won the Oaks at Epsom, the Royal Plate at Chelmsford, two Classes 

 of the Oatlands, the Audley End Stakes, twice one-third of 25 gs. 

 Subscription, the Jockey Club Plate, two Cups at Stamford, 

 the Somerset Stakes, and the Cup at Brighton. She died in 

 1821. 



