A GREAT YEAR 



Mars. Desmond made one more appearance, in the 

 Sandown Foal Stakes, when he confirmed the impres- 

 sion that it was time to withdraw him from training. 



His offspring soon began to show promise, and his 

 original fee of 25 guineas was raised to 35 guineas in 

 1904, when he was announced as full. A filly called 

 Isalian Beauty was the first of his stock to make a 

 mark, as she did by winning the Free Handicap for 

 which that season there was an altogether unusual 

 field of seventeen. In 1905 nineteen of his children 

 won 38 races between them, Earla Mor, Athi, Land 

 League and The White Knight prominent among 

 them. A couple of years later we find him with 62 

 races to the credit of his young ones. Saxham and 

 Sir Archibald were two who helped his score. Charles 

 O'Malley, Desmond's Pride and Declare came soon 

 afterwards, followed by Hall Cross, Combination, 

 Knockfeerna and Lomond. Fairy King, Stornoway, 

 Craganour, Aboyeur, Glorvina and Hapsburg helped 

 to give him supremacy in the list of winning sires, and 

 by this time his fee had increased to 250 guineas. It 

 may be noted as strange, by the way, that Craganour 

 and Aboyeur who finished with only a head between 

 them for the Derby should both have been sons of 

 Desmond. 



I think it was the following season, 1 913, that I 

 watched the Grand Prix in company with Lord Dun- 

 raven, who at the time was not aware of the unfortunate 



160 



