MALTON. 23 



that perhaps more money has been lost by trust- 

 ing to the time test than by any other means by 

 which the respective merits of racehorses are 

 tried.* 



Blink Bonny only bred three foals, but they 

 were all racehorses, and many sensational inci- 

 dents are connected with two of them. Borealis 

 was a useful performer enough, and won Mr, 

 I 'Anson some good races. But the interest 

 which centres round Blair Athol and Breadalbane 

 puts all her performances into the shade. Blair 

 Athol never started in a race till he went to 

 Epsom, and he is one of the few instances on 

 record of a horse making his debut and gaining 

 his maiden victory in such an important race as 

 the Derby. He was heavily backed by the 

 general public who called to mind their old 

 favourite, Blink Bonny, and the stable put a 

 heavy commission into the market. 

 • General Peel, who was about the top of the 

 two-year-old form, was a good favourite for the 

 Derbv, and it seemed as if Lord Glaso-ow's 



* As an instance of the little dependence there is to be placed 

 on time as a means of testing the capabilities of racehorses, may 

 be mentioned the fact that Kiagcraft ran the Derby in 2m. 45s., 

 whilst it took The Flying Dutchman 3 minutes to do it in, yet 

 surely no one M'ould assert that Kingcraft was the better horse of 

 the two. Again, the time in Lord Clitden's St. Leger is nearly 

 the best on record, and has only been beaten by Apology, Achieve- 

 ment, Don John, and Reveller— and his was not a very strong 

 run race, neither was Apology's. 



