THE DUKE OF PORTLAND 



days after the St. Leger, so that there was not 

 much time for an alteration of form. This was the 

 most valuable race ever contested in this country, 

 and met with a remarkable amount of support for 

 a few seasons, but was soon dropped. The distance 

 was seven furlongs, and although Seabreeze again 

 won, Ayrshire ran her to three-parts of a length, 

 making a very different show from the one he had 

 given at Doncaster. There were no fewer than 

 twenty -four runners, and amongst those that 

 finished behind the Oaks and Derby winners 

 may be mentioned Le Sancy, Enterprise, Friar's 

 Balsam, and Melanion. Ayrshire brought his 

 work for the season to a satisfactory conclusion 

 by securing the Great Foal Stakes at the New- 

 market First October, in which, however, he had 

 very little to beat. 



He commenced his short career as a four-year- 

 old in the Kempton Park Royal Stakes of 10,000 

 sov., another of the mammoth prizes which did not 

 '' come to stay." The betting upon it was of a 

 very curious character. His defeat of Minting in 

 the Champion Stakes of the preceding autumn had 

 quite rehabilitated Friar's Balsam in the good graces 

 of the public, and he was made a red-hot favourite 

 at 5 to 4 on. Then the three-year-old Melanion, 

 also the property of the Duke of Portland, was 

 freely supported at 100 to 30, whilst 6 to 1 could 

 be had about Ayrshire. As Melanion's best public 

 performance up to that time consisted in defeating 

 a very moderate trio in the Column Produce 

 Stakes at the Craven Meeting, he must have done 

 something big at home, and it is a well-known 

 fact that one of the connections of the stable, who 

 had accepted either 6000 to 1000 or 3000 to 500 

 about Ayrshire from Mr. R. H. Fry, was told 

 enough to induce him to give £50 to have the odds 



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