THE DUKE OF PORTLAND 



harm was done. Being somewhat backward, he 

 was not tried until nearly the end of May, and 

 then failed by a neck to give 21 lb. to Maiden 

 Belle over five furlongs. Still, this was a severe 

 task, for Lord Hastings' filly, who was also a 

 two-year-old, could gallop a bit, and was good 

 enough to win an All- Aged Plate at the Epsom 

 Summer Meeting. Doubtless, on the strength of 

 this, when Ayrshire made his debut in the rich 

 Whitsuntide Plate at Manchester he was backed 

 down to 5 to 2 in a field of nineteen, and, though 

 he did not quite realise expectations, finishing 

 third to Briar-root and Caerlaverock, only a neck 

 and a head divided the three, and Mr. Douolas 

 Baird's filly subsequently proved equal to winning 

 the One Thousand Guineas. Less than a week 

 later Ayrshire was only a bad third to Friar's 

 Balsam and Seabreeze in the New Stakes at 

 Ascot, but then the winner was an altogether 

 exceptional animal, who would probably never 

 have known defeat had he kept well, and Sea- 

 breeze, at her best, was always a bit in front of 

 the Duke of Portland's colt. For the remainder 

 of the season Ayrshire's tasks were of an easier 

 nature, and he scored five times off the reel. 

 Probably his best performance as a two-year-old 

 was accomplished in the Champagne Stakes, 

 which he won easily by a couple of lengths, 

 completely turning the tables upon Caerlaverock, 

 and beating smart performers like Crowberry 

 and Van Diemen's Land very easily indeed. 

 Unfortunately he hit his leg in this race, and was 

 compelled to miss the Middle Park Plate and his 

 other engagements of that season. 



A nice rest made him quite sound again, and, 

 though he started coughing early in the spring, it 

 was only a slight attack and soon passed off, leav- 



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