154 KINGSCLERE 



(Ladas second, and Ravensbury third) ; she easily 

 won the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood (defeating 

 Maundy Money and La Nievre), and, to every 

 one's astonishment, not excluding that of the stable, 

 she won the Doncaster St. Leger. ' T' Leger ' 

 has more than once provided a sensation in the 

 shape of an upset of a public favourite by an out- 

 sider ' dropped from the clouds.' Commentators 

 on Throstle's race compared it, as a surprise, to 

 the victory of Dutch Oven over Geheimniss and 

 Shotover in 1882, and Caller Ou's defeat of the 

 Derby winner Kettledrum, in 1861. They were 

 nearer the mark in the latter than in the former 

 comparison. The defeat of Geheimniss has been 

 somewhat accounted for in these pages. With 

 regard to Kettledrum's overthrow by Caller Ou, 

 although the sight of her old-fashioned head in 

 front no doubt astonished the backers of the 

 favourite, and also those of Kildonan and Lady 

 Ripon, and other participators in that remarkable 

 field of eighteen, the daughter of Stockwell and 

 Haricot had a few backers from the wolds, and 

 Teesdale, and thereabouts. Mr. William Scarth 

 Dixon, in his admirable book, ' In the North 

 Countree,' thus speaks of one : — ' A party of 

 sporting farmers went from the North of Yorkshire 

 to see the race, and the majority of them were very 

 sweet on the favourite, whilst one or two of the 

 party were loud in their praises of Lady Ripon, 

 whom they entrusted with their money, but whose 

 public performances scarcely justified her position 



