126 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



and malpractices calculated to bring the Turf 

 into disrepute. 



Blue Gown's next race after the Derby was 

 the Ascot Cup, and this he won very easily from 

 Speculum and King Alfred. I have already 

 explained that this achievement did not prove 

 him to be endowed with stamina ; it simply 

 showed that his opponents were not real stayers. 

 At Doncaster he won the Fitzwilliam Stakes, 

 beating six opponents, including Vespasian. He 

 then competed in the Cesarewitch. Carrying 

 8 St. II lb. he started third favourite at 1 1 to i , 

 but was unplaced. A fortnight later, in the 

 Cambridgeshire, he gave one of his finest 

 performances. Handicapped at 9 st. he con- 

 ceded 12 lb. to See-Saw, to whom he finished 

 second, beaten a length and a half only. Blue 

 Gown's chance, with so much weight on his 

 back, was sadly prejudiced by a long delay at 

 the post and several false starts, in all of which 

 he came some distance. One critic writing of 

 the race declared that " Blue Gown's running 

 makes him out the best horse we have seen for 

 a great number of years." Sir Joseph was one 

 of the first to adopt the idea that horses at the 

 top of a handicap had a good chance of winning. 

 He used to say: ** Give me a good horse and 

 never mind the weight." He was about right. 



We often hear growls about the iniquities of 

 the starting gate, but it would be ridiculous to 



