1 68 MY HORSE ; MY LOVE 



with Sir J. Willoughby's Harvester, as the race between them 

 was a dead heat, and the stakes were divided. St Gatien 

 won the Ascot Cup and the Cesarewitch the same year. 

 Lord Hastings' Melton, by Master Kildare, won the Derby 

 in 1885, and Mr Abingdon's Merry Hampton, by Hampton, 

 out of Doll Tearsheet, in 1887, but in 1886 Ormonde, the 

 son of Bend Or and Lily Agnes, owned by the Duke of 

 Westminster, made his name for ever famous. In his 

 three engagements, he was ridden by the jockey Tom 

 Cannon, and won the Derby, the St Leger and the Two 

 Thousand, all in the same year. 



During the celebration of the Queen's Jubilee in 1887, 

 the Duke of Westminster did not ride Ormonde in the 

 procession, which was such a disappointment to his 

 friends, that the Duke telegraphed for him to be sent up 

 at once to London. As he was being led through the 

 streets, well covered by his blanket, a cabby called out 

 to the groom, ' Wot yer got there ? ' ' Ormonde,' replied 

 the groom quite truthfully. ' Ha ! ha ! ' laughed the cabby, 

 ' that's a good 'un ! tell that to the marines ! ' 



But when Ormonde appeared at the garden-party, he 

 seemed to understand that he was being shown off, and 

 made himself very agreeable. He endured all the petting 

 and admiration and adulation, with a dignity and gentle- 

 ness, not often found as attributes of famous racehorses. 

 Ormonde was said to be the greatest horse of this century. 

 Mr Porter, his trainer, said of him that 'they never knew 

 at home, how great he was, while his extraordinary 

 achievements abroad were unexampled.' He never had 

 a moment's anxiety about Ormonde, although he ran 

 practically untried, and won all his engagements during 

 his magnificent career. Unfortunately Ormonde was a 



