A GREAT YEAR 



of Petrarch and Magdalene, won all the sixteen 

 races for which he started, and there was some idea 

 that Prince Soltykoffs Mephisto (Robert the Devil — 

 Meg Merrilees) might be a not unsuccessful rival to 

 the best. Bread Knife again (Craig Millar — Slice) 

 was another of whom much was thought ; doubtless 

 he would have done better than he did had he not 

 failed in his wind. 



At the end of 1885 I edited for Messrs. Longman 

 a book entitled The Tears Sport. The chapter on 

 the " Two- Year-Olds of the Season " was kindly 

 supervised by Tom Cannon, and after discussing 

 Minting and Saraband, the remark was made : " It 

 is impossible to get a direct line about these two and 

 Ormonde ; but from his make and shape, and the 

 style in which he gallops, it is very likely that he may 

 prove himself better than either." At the same time, 

 admirably as Ormonde fulfilled all requirements, 

 I always thought that there was a certain lack of 

 quality about him, due perhaps to the shortness of 

 his neck, which it will be seen his trainer admits, nor 

 can ears with a tendency to lop be regarded as an 

 adornment. 



John Porter gives an account which is much too 

 good to miss of what happened when he took the colt 

 to Newmarket to run for the Two Thousand Guineas. 

 Ormonde had not been tried ; his well-being was 

 evident and what he could do sufficiently well known. 



140 



