SUNDOWN AND IXIA 155 



Sundown and Ixia came up among the very first lots 

 on the third day of the sales, and I had just got a cable 

 from Mr Keene, to whom I had reported progress : 



" Have cabled ^"6000 your credit with Tattersall. Very 

 pleased. You can exceed instructions if you think fit." 



On this I left breakfast and hastened to Park 

 Paddocks, for I was now determined to buy these two 

 beautiful mares. It was before the days of the Figure 

 Guide, but I knew well the value of that blood. 



Captain Machell had also come in a hurry to secure 

 the same two names, but fortified by Mr Keene's cable 

 I outbid him for both of them. Sundown proved to 

 be of really priceless value, but Ixia died a year or 

 two after she reached Kentucky, not, however, before 

 she had produced Tripping, who won seven races. 



It would be tedious to elaborate on these old-time 

 happenings, but I venture to think that the portraits of 

 some of the mares and foals, as they were at Cobham 

 in 1893, w iM be of interest, for they have assisted very 

 largely in making American Turf history. I bought 

 a good many more for Mr Keene at later periods, 

 such as Lady Minting, Rose Garland, etc., but those 

 I have referred to specially remain as the first loves, 

 and deservedly so. 



I have culled a few facts about some of them from 

 the American books, and it will perhaps be of interest 

 to publish them here : 



SUNDOWN (cost 1000 gns.) is dam of Peep o Day 1 

 (the great sire and winner of nineteen races), Noonday 

 (winner in England and America, and dam of the 

 winners of over sixty races, including Besom, winner 



1 Actual produce of the original mares printed in italics. 



