CHAPTER XXI 



The Cobham Stud, 1874 My First Visit York and Doncaster 

 Apology and Lily Agnes Prince Charlie's Last Triumph 

 Life in Town In a Pleader's Chambers Claremont wins 

 the 2000 Guineas First Sight of Galopin A Night at 

 Cremorne Sir Charles Dodsworth determined to bet 

 Great Result I become a Director of the Cobham Stud 

 The Purchase of Doncaster and Marie Stuart prevented by 

 a Solicitor A London Season Sandown Park 



IN June, 1874, I made my first acquaintance with the 

 Cobham stud, where the Stud Company Limited 

 was in its early days, and apparently on the high road 

 to success. They had bought Blair Athol and all the best 

 of the old Middle Park stud's brood mares and foals two 

 years earlier, and the world seemed to be going very well 

 with the Company. I cannot ear-mark the exact date of 

 my visit to Cobham, but it must have been during a hasty 

 visit to town for the purpose of keeping my term at the 

 Inner Temple. Lindsay Smith went with me, and we went 

 on the Guildford coach as far as the White Lion at Cobham, 

 walking the rest of the way to the stud. The manager 

 was not at home, but we saw Mrs Bell, and under the 

 guidance of Joseph Griffiths, the stud groom, interviewed 

 Blair Athol, and all the famous mares, such as Margery 

 Daw, Madame Eglentine, etc., also the yearlings that were 

 soon coming up for sale. Among these I remember a 

 beautiful chestnut colt by Blair Athol, out of Alcestis, by 

 Touchstone, and another chestnut by the same sire out of 

 Circe, by Dundee. They made long prices at the sale, being 

 bought by Captain Machell, but neither did any good on 

 the turf. In fact, the yearlings of 1874 were (saving always 

 for the two cheap lots, Coronella and Bella, sold for 60 

 guineas and 40 guineas respectively) the worst that the 



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