176 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



I did send out another really good St Simon stallion 

 some few years later. This was Haut Brion, who was 

 bought by Mr Samuel Hordern, father of the present 

 Sir Samuel Hordern, and he did very well at the stud, 

 but the bulk of the exports since those days have tended 

 only to damage the Australasian stock, while we have 

 benefited immensely by importing some of their very 

 best horses, such as Trenton and Carbine. 



The late Mr W. R. Wilson was a racing enthusiast. 

 I have told many times how it was through him that I 

 bought Merman to win the Cesarewitch for Mrs Langtry, 

 which he did in the year of his arrival ; but I have 

 never told how it came about that Mrs Langtry bought 

 Aurum, by far the best horse Mr Wilson ever owned. 



It was during Merman's Cesarewitch week and I 

 received a cable from Mr Wilson " Guineas Aurum. 

 Think Derby a certainty.'* 



We were in the habit of using Bedford M 'Neil's code, 

 and there the word " Guineas " js stupidly given as a 

 code word for "Am willing to negotiate." I inter- 

 preted the cable to mean that Mr Wilson would sell 

 Aurum, whereas he was really only informing me that 

 the colt had won the Caulfield Guineas equivalent 

 to our Two Thousand Guineas. 



I showed Mrs Langtry the cable, and she was at once 

 very keen to make a deal if possible, for Aurum was out 

 and away the best of his year. 



So then negotiations were opened, which soon dis- 

 closed the code mistake, but ultimately a bargain was 

 made that Aurum should be bought for 5000 guineas, 

 half down and half on shipment ; to run out his 

 few three-year-old engagements in Australia and Mrs 

 Langtry to have half the stakes won. 



