244 " MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE ! " 



I will not dwell on the race, for which Rob Roy was 

 favourite, and looked a perfect picture, with Custance up in 

 brand-new Tartan colours. Nay more, he would almost 

 certainly have won and Robert Peck was of this opinion, 

 too had he not run out very wide indeed at Tattenham 

 Corner. As it was, Silvio won cleverly from Glen Arthur, 

 with Rob Roy third and Altyre close up. It was a great 

 day indeed, and the Cobham yearlings on the Ascot 

 Saturday, Silvio having won the Prince of Wales' Stakes 

 meanwhile, with the full penalty, made 20,610 guineas. 



Is it to be wondered at that I thought more and more 

 of the Stud Company, and even bought some mares of my 

 own, four or five of which were very good purchases from 

 John Porter, on the occasion of my first visit to Kingsclere ? 

 One of these was Scotch Reel (1874), by Scottish Chief, out 

 of Masquerade, in foal to Dutch Skater; another was 

 Sweet Marjoram (1870), by Adventurer, out of Lady Flora 

 by Stockwell, with a filly by Scottish Chief, and in foal to 

 Carnival, whom we had brought back from the Continent 

 to Cobham the year before ; and another was La Neva 

 (1866), by Monarque, out of Etoile du Nord by the Baron, 

 with a filly by Musket and covered by King of the Forest. 

 I also bought several at the break up of the Dewhurst 

 stud that year, and beautifully bred ones they were, such 

 as Lady Ravensworth (1865), by Voltigeur, out of Lady 

 Hawthorn, with a colt by King of the Forest and covered 

 by Scottish Chief ; Lavinia (1863), by The Cure, out of 

 Lady Louisa by Touchstone, with a colt by The Palmer 

 and covered by Scottish Chief; and others which it is 

 needless to mention. 



I have a horror of being prolix over this well-remembered 

 time, so will dash on to narrate how we went to Scarborough 

 that August and September. Scarboiough was then a 

 very different place from what it is now, and that was a 

 very great season, uninvaded by masses of trippers as in 

 these later days. It was at Scarborough that I met an 

 old friend of my father-in-law. His name was Curwood 

 and he was the Town Clerk of Leeds. As soon as he knew 



