GREAT SALE AT COBHAM 223 



ring-side, but I am not going to write more on that subject, 

 except that it was a happy incident. 



The yearlings made 14,885 guineas, an average of 

 391 guineas for 38, and among them was Dee, by 

 Blair Athol, sold for 500 guineas ; Macaroon, by Macaroni, 

 out of Margery Daw, sold for 1700 guineas to Mr Gerard ; 

 Orleans (brother to Claremont), sold to Captain Machell 

 for 1500 guineas ; the Rover (sire of St Gatien), sold to 

 Mr T. Brown for 1800 guineas ; and Altyre, sold to Mr 

 Beddington for 520 guineas. A filly by the Earl or the 

 Palmer, out of Alabama, which I had bought at Thirsk, 

 when the squire, F. Bell, died, made 170 guineas, R. Peck 

 being the buyer. I had bought her for 50 guineas for 

 the Company and came near to having bought Kaleido- 

 scope on the same occasion, as already recorded. 



All this, however, by no means completed the sales 

 that were big with fate, for Mr J. T. Mackenzie, who then 

 owned Hatchford Park, but had no idea of owning a 

 race-horse, became excited by the proceedings, and started 

 bidding for the chestnut colt by Blair Athol, out of Columba, 

 and perhap , he regretted having done so when the hammer 

 fell to his offer of 390 guineas. That colt was Rob Roy, 

 whose successes on the turf may be truly said to have 

 changed the tenor of Mr Mackenzie's life. He became an 

 intimate friend of the Prince of Wales, and he also became 

 Sir J. T. Mackenzie. Rosy Cross (then a yearling) was 

 also sold on that same occasion for 400 guineas, and finally 

 Macaroni, then fifteen years old, who had been leased for 

 two years by the Company at the rate of 2500 guineas 

 a year, came up for sale, and he made 7100 guineas, being 

 knocked down to Mr Oldaker, who bought him for the 

 Mentmore Stud, where King Tom (aged twenty-four) 

 was then still alive. 



In that year, 1875, George Frederick had arrived at 

 Cobham, where also his sire, Marsyas, was standing ; and 

 Blue Gown had been secured in Germany to make his 

 return to his native country and this particular stud, so 

 that four Derby winners were brought into combination. 



