128 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS. 



right horse ; to do so, was left to a gentleman up to that 

 time, not celebrated as a purchaser of yearlings. So much 

 for the judgment of good judges. 



Mr. Gerard Sturt (now Lord Alington) asked me to buy 

 him two yearlings, if I liked any, of Sir Tatton Sykes, at 

 York. He had but one restriction to make, and that was : he 

 would have them out of mares that had bred a winner, no 

 matter of what, or how few races. I bought him ElcJio and 

 Prince Imperial (as they were afterwards called), for lOO 

 guineas each. The latter was claimed, in a Selling Race at 

 Doncaster, and the other won the Doncaster Nursery, Good- 

 wood Stakes, and the Metropolitan, beating Asteroid and 

 Caractaciis, the Derby winner of the same year, giving him 

 2 stone 5 lbs. He was a little horse, but stayed well, an 

 additional instance of the goodness of little horses. I would 

 much prefer having three or four yearlings for i,ooo guineas 

 than pay that sum for one ; and there are many good-looking 

 ones that may be had for 200 guineas each or less. But such 

 is the rage now-a-days for fashion, that dwarfs or giants, legs 

 crooked or straight, are alike quickly bought, at any, even 

 enormous prices, often to their new owners' sorrow. 



I do not for a moment say that you should disregard 

 particular breeds, such as are distinguished as having pro- 

 duced runners. I say rather : " Buy them if you like their 

 appearance, and you can do so at a reasonable rate." But 

 rather than give extravagant sums for fashionably bred weeds, 

 or overgrown brutes without legs or anything but flesh to 

 recommend them, I would buy something to look at, out of a 

 young mare, even if by a young stallion. For many so bred 

 turn out well. On the other hand, I have seen many 

 fashionably bred yearlings fetch large sums, that after the 

 fall of the hammer were never heard of again, except at the 



