ii7 



CHAPTER VIII 



A trial of Friar's Balsam — A great week for Kingsclere at Goodwood 

 — Why and how the Portsmouth barber followed the stable — The 

 accident to Friar's Balsam — What really occurred — Orbit— Ormuz, 

 the stable slave — Purchase of the son of Springfield and Sanda — 

 He (Sainfoin) sold to Sir James Miller with contingencies — Sain- 

 foin's Derby no fluke — Two unlucky horses — The Baron de 

 Hirsch's horses at Kingsclere — A neglected sire — ' Do we want 

 stayers?' — The slow coming of Common — He 'wanted time' — 

 The trial for the Guineas — The oracular opinion of Newmarket — 

 Common's races — Views on taking such slowly maturing horses 

 out of the trainer's hands at the end of their three-year-old career. 



Of Orbit, 'who was only moderate,' Ossory, and 

 one or two others in the stable, a few words presently. 

 It will be convenient here, by way of preface to 

 another important chapter in the annals of Kingsclere, 

 to mention a couple of trials which took place in 

 1887. Each of them was designed to test the 

 capabilities of Friar's Balsam (by Hermit out of 

 Flower of Dorset). The first occurred on May 21, 

 and was as follows : 



SIX FURLONGS 



Friar's Balsam, 2 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb. . . .1 



Mon Droit, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 lb 2 



The Rose, 2 yrs., 7 st. 4 lb 3 



Won by a length ; four lengths between second and third. 



