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best were very common to look at, and, on the other hand, 

 some of the best looking very moderate performers. By 

 far the handsomest I ever saw was Signorina, but La Fleche 

 was a mean-looking little thing when in training, though 

 she grew upon one, and " pulled to pieces well." Another 

 jumped-up little mare was Semolina, and neither Mrs. 

 Butterwick nor the stringhalt- afflicted Amiable was very 

 grand, but all had the gift of going, and in our time 

 there has not been seen elsewhere such a series of de- 

 scendants of one strain with such beautiful action. 



St. Simon, in his running days, was quite at the top of 

 the tree, but owing to the death of his nominator, Prince 

 Batthyany, he had no chance of distinguishing himself in 

 classic events. He was purchased at auction for the Duke 

 of Portland for less than ^2,000, and his new owner, losing 

 all the nominations, had to make fresh engagements for 

 him. The upshot was that he commenced active life at 

 Goodwood when as a two-year-old he won the Halnaker 

 Stakes, and beat a solitary opponent in a maiden race on 

 the following afternoon. He next ran in the Devonshire 

 Nursery at the Derby September Meeting, and in a field 

 of twenty won very easily with 8 st. 12 lbs. in the saddle. 

 In the following week, at Doncaster, he was pulled out 

 again to contest the Prince of Wales' Nursery of a mile. 

 In this race, for which twenty-two ran, he put up 9 st., giving 

 away a stone and upwards all round. Nevertheless he won 

 with a lot in hand, thus showing that he was probably the 

 best of his year. He won once again as a two-year-old, beat- 

 ing Duke of Richmond in a ;^500 match at Newmarket, and 

 retired for the winter with an unbeaten certificate. 



His first appearance as a three-year-old was in a Trial 

 Stakes at Newmarket, when he met Tristan (then a six- 

 year-old and the winner of the Ascot Cup in the previous 

 year) at weight for age, St. Simon won without the least 

 difficulty, and this thoroughly proved — if any proof was still 

 wanting — how lucky it was for the owners of St. Gatien 

 and Harvester that St. Simon could not take part in the 

 Derby. At Epsom he was allowed to walk over for the 

 Gold Cup, and at Ascot he again beat Tristan in the 



