232 " MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE ! " 



wards Lord Esher), lived at Esher and soon became 

 actively concerned in Sandown Park, where his adminis- 

 trative experience enabled him to render invaluable 

 service, and it was he who later on arranged for the card 

 selling by Vivandieres, which used to be a pleasant 

 novelty. Sergeant Walker was ground manager from 

 the first and the general manager was Mr Whitaker Bushe, 

 between whom and " Pavo " of The Morning Post there 

 was a deadly feud. 



I do not profess to know the inner workings of Sandown 

 Park^since its early stages, but it certainly went on from 

 strength to strength, and it is a thousand pities that the 

 military authorities should have injured it and other 

 race-courses so needlessly. 



After this brief retrogression I must get forward to the 

 Cobham sale of I7th June 1876, which totalled 14,170 

 guineas for the Company's forty-one yearlings. The colt 

 by Blair Athol out of Vergiss-mein-Nicht, who had been 

 such a grand foal, was equally attractive as a yearling. 

 He was bought by Mr Gerard (afterwards Lord Gerard), 

 for 2300 guineas, and, being a January foal, he was a 

 rare sort for a June sale, but he did not grow, and when 

 I saw him at Newmarket the next season he seemed very 

 little bigger than at the sale. He was named Lord Lovell, 

 and being a brother to Lady Love, should have raced, 

 but he proved useless. The Blair Athol- Jocosa colt had 

 died of pneumonia the year before, and though his close 

 relative out of Madame Eglentine had survived, his sides 

 were denuded of hair, as a result of blistering. Charles 

 Blanton gave 1150 guineas for him at the sale. The name, 

 Centenary, was given him and he won many races. Among 

 other good winners disposed of at that sale was Strathfleet, 

 by Scottish Chief, out of Masquerade, who was bought by 

 Major Barlow for the Duke of Westminster for 1050 

 guineas. Altogether, things were going very well for the 

 Stud Company, and after our last lot had been knocked 

 down for 210 guineas to Mr G. E. Paget she proved to 

 be Empress of India I went to the luncheon tent to 



