42 RACEHORSES IN AUSTRALIA 



anything which can be called great, with the exception of Poitrel, who 

 undoubtedly was a very excellent stayer indeed. At a mile, and, perhaps, at a 

 mile and a half, Eurythmic was superior to game little Poitrel, but we only once 

 saw them meet over a distance of ground, and that was in the Melbourne Cup. 

 Here, giving ten pounds, Poitrel won cleverly, with Eurythmic a good fourth. 

 At weight-for-age, Poitrel would have been giving his rival only six pounds. 

 So that it certainly looks as though the Poitrels "had it on the voices." But 

 there is just a lingering feeling in the mind that Eurythmic had not yet quite 

 come to his own on that fine spring day when the Cup was decided, and his 

 subsequent form showed very distinct improvement. We shall see. But the 

 name of Poitrel is assuredly one of those "that glow from yonder brass." 



Chapter XIV. 



Queens of the Turf. 



Of course, there have been infinitely fewer great mares on the turf than 

 there have been famous and great horses. And this is peculiarly noticeable 

 in Australia, for what reason I am unable to say. Thus, since the St. Leger 

 was first instituted in this country until to-day, a mare has only won the race 

 six times. In England, on the other hand, during the same span, a mare has 

 been hailed the winner on fourteen occasions. Perhaps it is for this reason 

 that, w^hen a mare does stamp herself as the best of the year, and perhaps of 

 her generation, she catches the affection of the public even more firmly than 

 does some great horse hero of the course. It may be, too, that there is more 

 sympathy felt by everyone for the weaker vessel, and that naturally, for the 

 crowd, who are composed more of men than of ■women, it is easier to love 

 anything female as opposed to male. Whatever may be the cause, there it is, 

 anyhow. If you let your mind run back during the last sixty years or so to the 

 racing in the Old Country, the love manifested by the mob for Regalia, 

 Achievement, Caller Ou, Formosa, Hannah, Apology, La Fleche, Sceptre and 

 Pretty Polly was far more firm and enthusiastic than for all the Ormondes, 

 Isonomys, Donovans, Robert the Devils and Persimmons, no matter what 

 their achievements have been. And w^hen it has come to a contest between 

 a colt and a filly in a classic race, the hearts of the people have always seemed 

 to go out to the mare. One can never forget that year, perhaps the most 

 sensational in the history of the turf, when Hermit won the Derby. Whilst 

 this great colt was making romance and story, there was a beautiful mare. 

 Achievement, who was gripping the hearts of everyone interested in the sport 

 of horse racing. She had not had a career of uninterrupted success. And this 

 fact, in a mare, in no way alienates the affection of the people. On the 

 contrary, sympathy flows out to the defeated filly. During the autumn, in 

 the Doncaster St. Leger, she and the Derby winner were destined to meet. I 

 cannot recall a year in which such universal interest was taken in a race. My 

 own household were on tip-toe, and we awaited the result with bated breaths. 

 We w^ere all for "the mare." There was no rapid dissemination of news in 

 those days such as we "suffer under" to-day. Indeed, we were lucky, or 

 thought ourselves lucky, if we happened to hear a result before the delivery of 

 the morning papers at about ten o'clock next day. We were all at tea on the 

 evening of the great event. It w^as one of those quiet, warm, brooding days of 

 early autumn, when sounds travel to a great distance. Suddenly we heard the 



