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CHAPTER IX 



A splendid quartette— La Fleche— A record price for a yearling— 

 The Prince of Wales's excellent judgment— Undefeated at two 

 years old— Ought to have won the Derby— A question of jockey- 

 ship— The mare's other races— Orme : a late blossom— Orme, 

 La Fleche, and Watercress 'together' — The poisoning of Orme— 

 Discovery of the symptoms — Veterinary and other opinions — The 

 voluminous horse-dentist— A vexed and heated controversy- 

 Offer of a reward for the apprehension of the poisoner— The Press, 

 serious and humorous, on Orme— The horse's restoration and 

 splendid victories— Orme' s place in the St. Leger accounted for — 

 The second Eclipse, ' the greatest race of his life'— Matchbox not 

 a tip-topper — The unfortunate Bullingdon. 



There were four wonderfully fine two-year-olds at 

 Kingsclere in 1891, namely Goldfinch, Orme, La 

 Fleche, and Windgall. ' Pretty hot, weren't they ?' 

 remarks John, as he glances off the book of winnings 

 in which the quartette are credited with 17,222/. 

 in stakes. ' Pretty hot,' indeed ! Take Goldfinch 

 first. This happily named son of Ormonde and 

 Thistle began by winning the Kempton Park 

 Biennial. He followed up his initial success by 

 carrying off the New Stakes at Ascot, and then 

 suffered his only defeat, an honourable one, being 

 done by a head by Flyaway in the July Stakes at 

 Newmarket. ' Brilliant, but unsound.' When he 

 ran in the July he was virtually a broken-down 

 animal. To end with him, as he ended in the Two 



