ST. ALEXIS 21 



for), and St. Alexis. This was in July 1863. At 

 Doncaster in that year he won for Sir Joseph two 

 small races — the first he tried for — with Washington 

 and Columba — little fish, but under the circum- 

 stances ' exceeding sweet,' and a lucky beginning for 

 the cherry jacket in the new hands. It was, however, 

 with St. Alexis that Porter was enabled to first show 

 his new master a taste of his quality. This deli- 

 cately constitutioned son of Stockwell and Mendicant, 

 with his highly nervous and excitable temperament, 

 had run badly the year before. Even Lord Glasgow, 

 proverbially unfortunate in matchmaking, had de- 

 feated St. Alexis with one of his, while the horse 

 had been nowhere in Caractacus's Derby, and last 

 in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot. More- 

 over, he had lost heart and was apparently good 

 for nothing. Such, at any rate, was the owner's 

 opinion, but the trainer was persuaded that he had 

 good reason to think otherwise. Porter began by 

 riding St. Alexis about as a hack, and as man and 

 horse got to know each other mutual confidence was 

 established, and the hitherto impracticable St. Alexis 

 put on condition and confidence, his nervousness 

 disappeared, and he became as tractable as a well- 

 educated collie. When requested to sanction the 

 entry of St. Alexis for the Great Eastern Handicap 

 at Newmarket, Sir Joseph Hawley said, ' What is 

 the use ? He is not a bit of good. Besides, if he 

 were, he won't try a yard.' Assured that the horse 

 was not by any means the nervous, erratic creature 

 he had been, and that he might be implicitly relied 



