THE DUKE OF PORTLAND 



were brought into an adjoining paddock, so that we could 

 not possibly have been afforded a better chance of a thorough 

 inspection. The first to appear was Havoc, by Thunderbolt 

 — Hubbub, a model of a hunter sire whose stock have been 

 wonderfully successful in the show ring, and the tenantry 

 are indeed fortunate to be able to obtain the services of such 

 a horse at a merely nominal fee. He was followed by Child 

 of the Mist, about the best of Blair AthoPs surviving sons. 

 I have always had a great fancy for this horse, who is 

 beautifully bred on both sides, was a real good performer in 

 his day, and, considering his very limited chances, has not 

 done at all badly at the stud. He, too, was placed at the 

 service of the tenants last season, when no thoroughbred 

 mares were received at Welbeck, owing to the epidemic that 

 had prevailed there ; but he is too good for that sort of 

 work, and I still hope that he may be afforded the chance of 

 siring a good winner or two, and thus working himself back 

 into his proper sphere. Raebm-n, who was the next to 

 appear, is only five years old, and has, therefore, had no 

 time to thicken or let down. He is a horse of exquisite 

 quality, though I should like him better if he had a little 

 more bone, especially below the knee. The late Nat 

 Langham's proudest boast was that he was " the only man 

 who beat Tom Sayers " ; and, in like manner, Raeburn has 

 earned undying fame as the only horse that ever finished in 

 front of the mighty Isinglass. His owner gave us some very 

 interesting particulars of his trial for that memorable 

 Lancashire Plate. He was galloped on the Limekilns with 

 Mrs. Butterwick and Simony, and, conceding 8 lb. to the 

 winner of the Oaks, beat her in a canter by half-a-dozen 

 lengths. " Allowing 10 lb. for this beating," said the Duke, 

 " and remembering that Raeburn would receive 10 lb. from 

 Isinglass, we came to the conclusion that the Derby winner 

 would have to be more than a couple of stone in front of the 

 Oaks winner if he could beat Raeburn. I did not fancy he 

 was that, and told all my friends to back mine." The result 

 exactly bore out the correctness of this argument, and it is 

 quite evident that the race was no fluke, and that Isinglass, 

 on a course that was scarcely long enough to bring out his 

 best qualities, was attempting an impossible task. 



Scarcely had Raeburn, who, like all his breed, is all fire 

 and life, danced out of the paddock, than " Old Jack " made 

 his appearance, half led and half dragged by Cunningham, 



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