LINES OF BLOOD 293 



Kendal is a big horse, but not the least on the leg now, 

 whatever he may have been in his running days, and his 

 two-year-old career was a wonderful one. He won the 

 Mostyn Stakes at Chester, was second to Saraband in the 

 New Stakes at Ascot, then scored a grand succession of 

 victories, winning a Post Sweepstakes of i^joo at Stock- 

 bridge, the July Stakes at Newmarket — wherein he beat 

 Mephisto and St. Mirin — the Ham Stakes at Goodwood, 

 the Convivial Stakes at York, and the Municipal Stakes at 

 Doncaster. Shortly after the last-named race he hit his 

 leg when galloping, and in consequence in the Rous Stakes 

 at Newmarket he succumbed to Volta, and did not run 

 again. Since those days it has frequently been stated in 

 print that Kendal was the superior of Ormonde at home, 

 and Mr. Osborne goes so far as to say that Kendal and 

 Ormonde were tried twice, and that on both occasions 

 Kendal won. John Porter however, in his book Kingsdere, 

 says, " And yet the story of Ormonde's magnificent career 

 may be written in two sentences. He won all his engage- 

 ments. And he ran practically untried." Further on, how- 

 ever, he says that there was a trial on October 7th, which 

 resulted as follows : — 



Kendal, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 lbs. . . . i 



Ormonde, 2 „ 8 „ 8 „ . . .2 



Whipper In, 6 „ 9 „ 6 „ . . .3 



Whitefriar, 2 „ 9 „ 6 „ . . .4 



Won by a length, a length between second and third, and 

 two lengths between third and fourth. The report adds that 

 Ormonde was stripped for the first time on this occasion, 

 and was not very fit ; therefore we must conclude that 

 " practically untried " means that as far as Ormonde was 

 concerned it was only a " Yorkshire gallop," or a " rough-up." 

 Of a second trial there is no mention in Kingsdere, but 

 this defeat of Ormonde, even as it was, and Kendal's public 

 running as a two-year-old suggest that the last-named was 

 a great horse, and he has certainly begotten one of the 

 best of modern times. Nevertheless, I am of opinion that 



