46 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



the kindliest recollections of him, for he was a 

 real good friend to me. The first racehorses 

 he owned were two or three he bought from 

 Mr. Blake. These animals were at the time being 

 trained by Goater, and were allowed to remain. 

 Lord Westmoreland also placed some horses 

 with William Day at Woodyeates, but those he 

 had with us were the more successful. Among 

 them were Merry Hart, a chestnut colt by The 

 Fallow Buck; and Bones, a chestnut colt by 

 Colsterdale. Both were two-year-olds in 1862. 

 The previous year a friend of Goater *s, George 

 Bartle, who was a watchmaker at Brigg, in 

 Lincolnshire, sent word that he had two yearling 

 colts for sale. I was packed off to inspect them. 

 When I saw them they had never been in a stable, 

 nor even had a head-collar on. They resembled 

 two Shetland ponies. However, they seemed 

 promising, and I bought the two for less than 

 ;^ioo. They were Merry Hart and Bones. 

 Bones won three races as a two-year-old, and 

 one the following year, when owned by John 

 Nightingall, but he was extremely moderate. 

 One of his juvenile successes was gained in a 

 Match over half a mile at the Liverpool Summer 

 Meeting against Mr. W. G. Craven's Elsie 

 Venner. Bones is referred to in the Calendar 

 report of the contest as ** Lord Westmoreland's.** 

 I have reason to believe, however, that he was 

 then temporarily the property of Lord Sefton. 



