MINTING AND ST SIMON 279 



Fox. None of these great trainers ever knew what 

 was their really best, any more than I do, who have 

 seen them all ; but the solid fact remains that Isonomy 

 established a line which will certainly be permanent, 

 and has already done immense good to the British 

 thoroughbred. 



His sire, Sterling, was another horse whose reputa- 

 tion was gained chiefly in handicaps and a grand 

 individual he was but he was not in the top class as 

 a weight-for-age horse, and was beaten by Bothwell for 

 the Two Thousand Guineas. Bothwell afterwards went 

 wrong in his wind, but he was no wonder anyway, and 

 Sterling, though a great weight-carrier in handicaps, did 

 not really stay beyond a mile. 



That he was a remarkably good horse I know, having 

 much information from his earliest trainer ; but the fact 

 remains that he excelled as a weight-carrier in handicaps, 

 and was not really brilliant at weight-for-age. It may 

 seem sacrilege to write of Sterling in this fashion, but 

 all the same it is mere truth. 



Until Willonyx won the Cesarewitch, with 9 st. 5 lb., 

 the record for that race was held by Sheen, who, in 1890, 

 carried 9 st. 2 lb. to victory, and no one will claim that 

 Sheen was a horse fit to rank with good classic winners. 

 He was a fine, strong- backed stayer and the weight did 

 not seriously trouble him. 



I have no manner of doubt that St Simon would 

 have beaten Minting at ordinary racing weights of 

 9 st. each, one mile, but the result would have been 

 different if the conditions were 10 st. 7 lb. each, for 

 Minting was well able to carry such a weight at racing 

 pace, while St Simon would have been overloaded. 



A fine weight-carrier, without serious pretensions to 



