CHAPTER IV 



TRAINING, RACES, THE FIRST DERBY 



The advent of Childers was in a way accidental. His 

 mother, Betty Lecdes, disregarding her other lovers, fell 

 in love with her son, the Darley Arabian, who had been 

 used in the stud vicariously, or as a ' teazer ' only. She 

 evinced such a decided fondness for him, that she was 

 finally permitted to indulge her preference. The result 

 was Childers, who subsequently earned for himself the 

 sobriquet of ' Flying.' 



The progeny of the Darley Arabian was so wonderful, 

 that he was continually in demand in the stud, and 

 became the most famous entire horse of his time. 



Flying Childers ran against the best horses of his era, 

 and his record is almost unique, in having never once 

 been defeated. He w^as acknowledged to be the fleetest 

 courser ever bred. 



Eclipse emulated the example of Childers, whose fame 

 he shares. Matchem and Highflyer earned glory for 

 themselves, and won vast sums of money for their owners. 

 Matchem's fees, during his nine years in the stud, 

 amounted to over ;^i 2,000, while Eclipse's services greatly 

 exceeded this sum. 



It is said, even now, that the more crosses one finds in 

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