222 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



produced Lady Angela (a good winner) after about three 

 days, and returned to England with the foal and carrying 

 Full Cry by Flying Fox. The late Duke of Devon- 

 shire gave me 1 500 guineas for the mare and foal, and 

 for him she produced not only Full Cry, but Marcovil, 

 while Lady Angela won him four races in succession 

 as a two-year-old. 



It was in those early days that Sir John Robinson 

 started breeding blood stock at Worksop Manor, and 

 he has proved to be one of the stayers. In some 

 of his early experiments he was associated with the 

 late Mr Ashley of The Sportsman. I have good reason 

 to remember one of these ventures, for poor old Tom 

 Vigors, who thought he could do what he liked for 

 Mr Gubbins, had bought Arcadia (dam of Cyllene), in 

 foal to Kendal, for 2000 guineas at the July sales in 

 1901 for that gentleman, who promptly repudiated the 

 transaction as soon as he was advised of it by wire. 



Vigors came to me at the Rutland Arms the following 

 morning and said that he could transfer the mare to 

 Sir John Robinson if I would go with him and recom- 

 mend the purchase. This was not an altogether agree- 

 able task, but I thought that no possible harm could 

 come of the purchase of Cyllene's dam, certain in foal, 

 at such a price, and I therefore accompanied him to 

 where Sir John (then Mr John) Robinson was staying. 

 I recommended Arcadia (in foal to Kendal) in all good 

 faith, and the more so as Kendal was by Bend Or out 

 of a Macaroni mare similar breeding to Bona Vista, 

 the sire of Cyllene. Sir John said he would take over 

 the purchase if Mr Ashley, who was not at Newmarket, 

 would go halves with him, and this ended in my having 

 to recommend Mr Ashley to do so, and it was done. 



