132 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



The weights carried by the two-year-olds in 

 that gallop show we already had a very high 

 opinion of Pero Gomez. If he had been formally 

 tried previously, I have no record of it. At 

 Ascot that year Xi — " Hexeye " as some of 

 the bookmakers persisted in calling him — had 

 successfully given 3 st. all but a pound to the 

 Duke of Newcastle's two-year-old Abstinence. 

 At Stockbridge this filly won the Hamilton 

 Stakes; at Newmarket ran Ryshworth to a neck 

 in the July Stakes, and Chatelherault to a head 

 in the Chesterfield Stakes; while in the autumn 

 she won the Hopeful Stakes. We were, there- 

 fore, justified in asking Xi to give Morna 3 st. 

 in the trial, and the result gave us a good idea 

 of her chance at Doncaster. One of the horses 

 we had to beat in the Champagne was Mr. 

 Merry's colt Belladrum, who had won five of 

 his six races, including the Woodcote at Epsom, 

 the New Stakes at Ascot, and the Ham and 

 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood. His one defeat 

 was suffered in the Troy Stakes at Stockbridge, 

 in which he failed by a head to give 3 lb. 

 to Ryshworth. Speculators at Doncaster were 

 asked to lay odds of 5 to i on Belladrum, and 

 many put their money down cheerfully, thinking 

 they were presented with a fine opportunity of 

 making their week's expenses. Their opinion 

 was not shared by Sir Joseph Hawley. I have 

 stated that at Newmarket, in July, Abstinence 



