146 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



Siderolite gave Midsummer 3 lb. and beat him 

 a neck. They met on the same terms in the 

 Match, and with odds of 6 to 4 laid on him 

 Siderolite won in a canter. As a four-year-old 

 he was successful in five of the seven races in 

 which he took part — the Gold Vase at Ascot, 

 and four Queen's Plates. Many people would 

 have turned Siderolite out of training as a two- 

 year-old, assuming him to be useless; but we 

 had an idea he might develop into a stayer, and 

 he did. The older he got the better he became. 

 It was about this time that The Sporting Times 

 made its savage attack on Sir Joseph Hawley. 

 We had three horses entered for the Liverpool 

 Autumn Cup of 1869 — Blue Gown, Siderolite, 

 and Lictor. It was a race on which there was 

 then a considerable amount of ante-post betting. 

 When the weights appeared, the public, en- 

 couraged by some of the sporting papers, 

 backed Blue Gown and Siderolite in preference 

 to Lictor. In the meantime Sir Joseph held 

 his own counsel; but on the Monday of Liver- 

 pool week, four days before the race, he decided, 

 after hearing my report about the condition of 

 his horses, to rely upon Lictor. The other two 

 were at once scratched. Starting second favourite 

 at 6 to I — Sir Joseph had about ;^500 on — 

 Lictor won the Cup, beating Lord Westmore- 

 land's Cocoa Nut by a length, with the favourite, 

 Lopez third, a head behind. 



