The Modern British Thoroughbred 45 



the name of candor if Blair Athol was a failure what was a success? Blair Athol 

 headed the list for four seasons and was four times second, once to his own sire, 

 Stockwell, and once each to Thormanby, Buccaneer and Lord Clifden. Stockwell got 

 St. Albans and Doncaster, both of which reached second place but never attained the 

 premiership; and he also got Citadel, Thunderbolt, Ostreger, Glenlyon, Breadalbane, 

 Gang Forward, Bothwell and a dozen other good sires but none of them was ever 

 better than fifth ; and it was not till Galtee More won "the triple crown" in 1897, that 

 any horse whatever from Stockwell's line, outside of Blair Athol, attained the first 

 honors of that year which went to Kendal. In 1899 Orme was premier through the 

 victories of Flying Fox, that being the second time the male-line of Stockwell was 

 ahead of the once despised line of Blacklock. If Blair Athol was a failure after four 

 years of premiership and four years as the runner-up, what would you call the other 

 sons of Stockwell ? Now then, having disposed of "the accursed blood of Blacklock" 

 up to the middle of the last century, let me hark back to the Eclipse and Herod lines 

 since 1834. 



Sultan was by far the greatest Herod stallion since the days of Sir Peter, one of 

 whose sons was oultan's maternal grandsire. Sultan got Bay Middleton, Derby and 

 St. Leger winner in 1836 and sire of the Derby winners Flying Dutchman and Andover, 

 and the Two Thousand winner of 1853, The Hermit. This horse, not to be confounded 

 with the Newminster horse that won the Derby of 1867, was out of Jenny Lind by 

 Touchstone and also won the Royal Vase at Ascot, after which he was sold to 

 Australia. Look over the achievements of all the great stallions of the nineteenth 

 century and you will agree with me that the three great speed sires between 1820 and 

 1870 were Sultan, Partisan and Orlando, ranking in the order named. Give me Bird- 

 catcher, Touchstone, Melbourne, Sultan, Sweetmeat and Blacklock, and you can have 

 all the rest of the English Stud Book. Sultan is the only stallion in history to get 

 five winners of the Two Thousand Guineas, run over the Rowley Mile. Partisan got 

 just one great stayer in his whole stud career of seventeen seasons, the big and 

 beautiful Glaucus, who won the Ascot Cup at 2 l / 2 miles at 2 :3O P. M. and the Eclipse 

 Foot, 3 miles, at 4:15. He beat Rockingham and Samarcand in the former race and 

 Consol (afterwards imported to America) and two others in the latter. The Eclipse 

 Foot was an ink well made of the hoof of Eclipse, shod with gold and set upon a 

 neat golden salver. I have heard nothing of this trophy in many years. 



ORLANDO bred more speed than any other son of Touchstone and his preeminence 

 as a sire for he headed the list for three seasons against Newminster's two was 

 almost entirely due to the short races won by his get, all of whom came to hand early. 

 Orlando got 4 winners of the July Stakes and 3 of the New Stakes, but none of 

 the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, run at a full mile up to 1870. Touchstone is the 

 only horse to get 4 winners of the Champagne at the old distance, as against 3 each 

 for Whisker,' King Tom and Flying Dutchman ; and 2 each for Partisan, Sultan, Bay 

 Middleton and Stockwell. Orlando got but one real stayer, Teddington, a little polo 

 pony, that won the Derby and Doncaster Cup at three and defeated Stockwell in the 

 Emperor of Russia's Cup at Ascot, carrying 129 pounds to Stockwell's 126. All the 

 rest of Orlando's get were flashy, notably Fitz Roland and Fazzoletto, both winners 

 of the Two Thousand. Orlando got this great gift of speed from his dam Vulture who 

 was a marvel of speed and won at a mile with 136 pounds. Vulture was sadly deficient 

 in sire blood which accounts for the fact that Orlando never got a premier sire while 

 Newminster got three Hermit for seven years and Lord Clifden and Adventurer for 

 one each. Lord Clifden's branch seems now to be the strongest of the three, that of 

 Adventurer having dropped away down and now in a fair way of extinction. 



RATAPLAN, brother to Stockwell and a much better race horse, though inferior to 

 him as a sire, demands a few lines of space right here. He was quite as heavy aj 

 horse as Stockwell though not as tall and had such tremendous action that no 1 15- 

 pound boy could ride him. He ran third to West Australian and The Reiver (brother 



