LINES OF BLOOD 331 



Eclipse. It should be mentioned that Sorcerer, the great- 

 grandsire of Melbourne, though only fifth in descent from 

 the Godolphin, was closely inbred to that celebrity, as he 

 had a double cross through Trumpator, and no less than 

 four crosses through his great-grandam. Young Giantess. 

 Indeed, Melbourne was full of the blood, and, all told, no 

 fewer than thirty-seven strains of the Godolphin are to be 

 found in his pedigree. He is described as having been a 

 i6-hand horse of immense power, with a neat head, a 

 rather short, thin-crested neck, and of great length from 

 his shoulder-point to his hips. He was also knuckle-kneed 

 from foalhood ; but this malformation seems to have done 

 him little harm, for he won a number of races, mostly over 

 distances of ground. He did not aspire to classic honours, 

 but he held his own among the Cup horses of the day, 

 and at some time or other he beat such as Lanercost and 

 Industry. He was altogether a successful sire, and amongst 

 his produce were Blink Bonny (one of three fillies who 

 have won the Derby), Sir Tatton Sykes (winner of the 

 St. Leger), West Australian, and Young Melbourne, from 

 whom that good stayer Carlton was descended. The line 

 in tail male from the Godolphin Arabian is as follows : — 



Godolphin Arabian or Barb 



Matchem 



Conductor 



Trumpator 



Sorcerer 



Comus 



Humphrey Clinker 



Melbourne 



West Australian 



Solon 



Barcaldine. 



West Australian was doubtless the greatest racehorse 

 sired by Melbourne, and perhaps no horse of a past genera- 

 tion was more talked about or more popular with the 

 " crowd." It used to be the fashion for Yorkshire folk to 



