1 8 The English Horse. 



in 1846, beating Sir Tatton Sykes by a neck. Having 

 such stout blood as Defence's in his veins from his dam, 

 it was expected he would have been a success at the 

 stud — that, as is often the case with expectations, was not 

 realised (the blood on his dam's side was too good to allow 

 of his being a successful sire) — however, he was the sire 

 of the celebrated Virago, winner of the One Thousand 

 Guineas in 1854. But to return to Bay Middleton, his 

 dam Cobweb (herself winner of the One Thousand 

 Guineas, 1824) was by Phantom out of Filagree, by 

 Soothsayer out of Web, by Waxy, &c. He was a bay 

 colt, but in after years more nearly brown than bay, and 

 mottled on his quarters ; standing nearly 16 hands and 

 a half, without white, except on three of his coronets. 

 Although not what could- be called a symmetrically 

 made horse, yet he was a splendid animal, and full of 

 character. He ran first without a name, and in the 

 Newmarket Craven Meeting won the Riddlesworth 

 Stakes of 200 sovs. each, beating, among others, his half 

 sister. Destiny, the winner of the One Thousand Guineas. 

 He won as he liked. He had been considered a bad 

 tempered horse up to this time, but after winning his 

 race he was changed into a high-couraged one. For the 

 Two Thousand Guineas he met Elis and five others ; the 

 Cobweb colt beat Elis on the post by a neck ; ' the 

 others were beaten off an immense distance by the 

 extraordinary severity of the pace ;' he was then named 

 Bay Middleton. Elis was not in the Derby, 1836, which 

 was won by Bay Middleton by two lengths, with such 

 horses as Gladiator, Venison, and Slane, respectively 



