i 3 o KINGSCLERE 



could boast of no two-year-old ' brackets.' The son 

 of Isonomy and Thistle was one of those great, big, 

 awkward, unfurnished youngsters, that cannot with 

 safety be trained for their two-year-old engagements. 

 If ever a colt 'wanted time,' as the expressive 

 phrase has it, he did. There was plenty of him — 

 rather too much of him perhaps — but he was 

 angular and overgrown, with weak-locking joints, 

 which to the superficial eye appeared as if they 

 would never stand work. Common was the stamp 

 of animal that, in view of his lineage and prospects, 

 his possibilities in fact, is a source of ceaseless 

 trouble to the trainer. Unremitting patience, the 

 gentlest treatment, and the slow development of 

 his latent qualities, gradually produced the desired 

 effect. Every difficulty was in turn surmounted, 

 and though as a trained three-year-old he appeared 

 light, all apprehension as to his ability to accomplish 

 the tasks which awaited him had disappeared by the 

 time he had to be despatched to Newmarket to fulfil 

 his first engagement. That, it is scarcely necessary 

 to observe, was in the Two Thousand. Before send- 

 ing him to headquarters he was tried with two very 

 moderate animals (as will be seen) as follows : 



ONE MILE 



Common, 3 yr$. (Webb), 9 st. 7 lb. . .1 



Gay Minstrel, 3 yrs. (Griffiths), 8 st. o lb. .2 

 Gone Coon, 3 yrs. (G. Barrett) . . .3 



Won by half a length ; two lengths between second and 



third 



