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CHAPTER XII. 



THE SALE OF LORD GEORGE'S STUD. 



IN the early part of 1846 Lord George Bentinck 

 often expressed to me his deep regret that, by 

 reason of the severe pressure of his parliamentary 

 duties, he found himself unable to devote as much 

 time as he could wish to managing, engaging, 

 and watching the running of his race-horses in 

 training. The inevitable consequence of this pre- 

 occupation was, that the great pleasure which his 

 extraordinary devotion to the Turf had afforded 

 him was now at an end. It so happened that on 

 the evening of the third day's racing at Good- 

 wood in 1846, after the Cup had been won by Mr 

 O'Brien's Grimston, some of the guests assembled 

 round the Duke of Richmond's table fell to discuss- 

 ing the magnitude of Lord George's racing estab- 

 lishments, and the large number of horses that he 

 had in training. Suddenly his Lordship, who ap- 

 peared to be more than half asleep, struck into 

 the conversation with the question, " Will any of 



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