AN ADMIRABLE TRIAL HORSE 81 



employed. But he found himself and Park House 

 quite equal to the strain. Amongst the additions 

 were Whipper In and Shotover. On becoming 

 familiar with Whipper In, Porter was impelled to 

 admit that he was the most admirable trial horse he 

 had ever possessed, or was ever likely to possess 

 Superior to Xi, as a test of other ' form,' and better 

 than Lictor. He was the trustworthy tell-tale over 

 all courses ; the key to the stable for five successive 

 seasons, in fact up to the year 1886. ' He tried 

 everything,' every distance up to a mile and a half, 

 and never made the ghost of a mistake. A con- 

 sideration of the remarkable strength of the stable 

 at this time, which will be readily recognised in the 

 respective ages of the horses mentioned, points to 

 the following group : St. Blaise (2 yrs.), Shotover 

 (3 y rs> )> Whipper In (3 yrs.), and Geheimniss (3 

 yrs.). Take Shotover to begin with. She was a 

 beautiful but extremely delicate mare, who exhibited 

 small promise, at the commencement of her career, 

 of becoming as good as she eventually proved. To 

 put it otherwise, there was nothing about her that 

 looked like the making of a Two Thousand or 

 Derby winner. However, she carried off both 

 prizes, and thereby started that brilliant succession 

 of victories on the Turf which John Porter was 

 enabled to achieve for the Duke of Westminster. 

 In view of the Two Thousand there was a trial at 

 Kingsclere on April 18, 1882, which came out as 

 follows : 



