THE REMOVAL TO KINGSCLERE 



The horse Xi, to whom reference was made in 

 the previous chapter, was an individual of con- 

 siderable consequence. His value will not be 

 ascertained by examining the record of his per- 

 formances on the race track. He won several 

 races, but it was the service he rendered as a 

 ** schoolmaster," and trial horse, that caused 

 me to regard him with special affection. He 

 was anything but fashionably bred, for his sire 

 was General Williams (a son of Womersley) 

 and his dam a mare named Lambda, by Umbriel, 

 son of Touchstone. Foaled in 1863, he was 

 bought as a yearling by John Osborne senior, 

 and at north-country meetings won six of the 

 seven races he ran as a two-year-old. John 

 Osborne died that year, and in September his 

 horses were sold by auction. Xi was the only 

 lot that ran into four figures. Sir Joseph Hawley 

 gave 2100 guineas for him, and allowed Sir 

 Frederick Johnston^ to have a half-share. Speed 

 was his forte, six furlongs being his best distance. 



As a three-year-old (1866) he ran second for the 



100 



