FAMOUS HORSES 85 



Portland had declared to win with her stable companion 

 Semolina, having a natural preference for an animal he 

 had bred over one he had bought ; for Memoir was 

 purchased by auction at a Royal stud at Bushey Park 

 for 1,500 guineas, little more than a quarter of the sum 

 which was paid two years after for her sister La Fleche. 

 In the Oaks, however, no declaration was made, it 

 being obvious that Memoir was the better of the pair, 

 and she won this race, following it up with the St. 

 Leger, a success which may or may not have been 

 affected by a scrimmage which took place at the bend 

 — a rare event in the great race at Doncaster. She 

 was a good mare ; but if she is so rated Amphion must 

 be accepted as a very good horse, in spite of the fact 

 that he never took part in any of the classic races, for 

 which his owner, General Byrne, had not entered him. 

 Amphion was trained for his first races at Stockbridge 

 on ground leased from Tom Cannon, and a more 

 charming horse has rarely been seen. It was not 

 often that such animals as he ran at the Croydon 

 meetings, where "class" was seldom well represented, 

 and it is a somewhat curious fact that he and 

 L'Abbesse de Jouarre, who won the Oaks, should 

 have made their first appearance there in the same 

 race. Amphion's total of winnings gives him a place 

 in the list, but he cannot be rated as a stayer in view 

 of the ease with which Sheen beat him over the last 

 two miles of the Cesarewitch course, giving him a 

 couple of pounds, moreover, when there is no doubt 



