SOME EARLY VICTORIAN OWNERS. 



475 



which good horses win. I have often referred to it ; but the subject is inexhaustible, 

 especially in view of St. Simon's stock at the present time. Persimmon and Sceptre 

 proved certainly as good as they were beautiful. Beeswing' was a beauty ; so was 

 Pantaloon. Little Rowton was exquisitely proportioned. Gimcrack had not a lovely 

 head, but if he is added to Highlander, Meteora, Midas, or Mickey Free, you get an 

 average of fourteen-two, which could carry anything from 8st. to i2st., and win at 

 all distances from one mile to four. The largest horses whom " The Druid " 

 remembered as having run successfully were Wild Dayrell, Filho da Puta, and 





" West Australian '' by " Melbourne " (1850). 



Birmingham, who was sixteen-three, or as big as the French Vinicius in the Derby 

 of 1903. For power and size combined with speed he picked out Stockwell, Longbow, 

 and Lord George. Even of West Australian the same writer, describing his sale 

 for 4000 guineas to France, thought that "he is only an ordinary horse to look 

 at when his head is out of sight." But when he strode, with his beautiful white 

 reach head aloft, into the ring, it was, " Here comes the pick of England." In 1854 

 he had won what was then the fastest race ever run for the Ascot Cup, beating 

 Kingston and Rataplan. 



