94 



ashgill; or, the life 



brother-in-law, went together to Mr. Chilton's 

 to look at a yearhng named Norton by 

 Voltigeur. Mr. Williamson at once took a 

 fancy to Vedette; he was a first foal, and a 

 little rough colt. Mr. Williamson asked the 

 price of him, and they put him up at £100, 

 and Mr. Williamson at once closed with the 

 bargain. 



" Voltigeur, the sire of Vedette, was very 

 late when he went to the stud his first season, 

 and he had very few mares. Vedette was taken 

 to Lord Zetland's place at Aske to be trained 

 by George Abdale, who married my sister in 

 '56, if I am not mistaken. Abdale was with 

 my father as a boy in the Ashgill stable, and 

 remained there about nine years. He then 

 went to Aske to train for Earl Zetland (uncle 

 to the present Earl), who never had any family. 

 The first year Abdale began well, as he trained 

 Ivan, who was second for the St. Leger. He 

 got charge of Lord Zetland's horses in the 

 autumn of '53 ; he remained at Aske till '59, and 

 died shortly afterwards. Vedette was the best 

 horse he trained; but before liim he had 

 Fandango, with whom he won the Metropolitan 

 and the Ascot Cup; also Zeta, who won the 

 Northumberland Plate; then there were Skir- 

 misher, Ignoramus, and Qui Vive (a sister to 

 Vedette) — all good class animals. George 

 Abdale had been with Mr. Field at Richmond 

 for a short time before he came to my father. 



" As a four-vear-old Vedette was beaten bv 

 Odd Trick for the Port Stakes at Newmarket, 

 but he won the Ebor Handicap the same year 



