THE DUKE OF PORTLAND 



she won the only other three engagements that she 

 fulfilled that season, though it must be admitted 

 that she had not much to beat in any one of them. 

 About the beginning of the following April 

 Memoir and Semolina were tried together with 

 a view to the One Thousand Guineas, and the 

 latter, who was more forward in condition than 

 her stable companion, won fairly easily. Doubt- 

 less this result was very gratifying to the Duke, 

 for not only is there a natural feeling in favour 

 of an animal one has bred, as against one that has 

 been bought, but Semolina is out of his prime 

 favourite, Mowerina. Accordingly he declared 

 to win with her, and it was very fortunate that 

 the precaution was taken to make this declaration, 

 for an extra month's work had done wonders for 

 the bigger filly, and George Barrett had to pull 

 her very hard to allow Watts to beat him by three- 

 parts of a length, on Semolina. Had there been 

 any doubt after this as to the respective merits of 

 the pair, the result of the Newmarket Stakes would 

 have removed it, as Memoir beat Blue-green by a 

 short head, the two coming right away from Le 

 Nord, whose second to Surefoot in the Two 

 Thousand made him a red-hot favourite, and a 

 field of nine others. Thus, though no declaration 

 was made in the Oaks, and both Memoir and 

 Semolina were backed at very nearly the same 

 price, there is no doubt that the expectations of 

 the stable were centred in the former. Not that 

 these expectations could have run very high, as 

 the unbeaten Signorina had to be encountered. 

 She was backed against the field, although it was 

 pretty generally known that she had not been 

 doing too well in the early part of the year, and 

 the strong pace set by Semolina found out her 

 weak spot, and assisted Memoir to beat her by 



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