1 64 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



Jockey Club, or elsewhere, he was always the 

 same — stern, straight and fearless. It was per- 

 haps given to few to see the more tender side 

 of his nature. That this softer trait was not 

 wanting I have been able to indicate. Whenever 

 he came to Park House his first concern was not 

 the condition of his horses, but the welfare of 

 my wife and children. His solicitude regarding 

 them was displayed in many little ways. As for 

 his generosity, it was unbounded. He was a 

 man of vast learning, but with it all a man of 

 the world who, while resolute in maintaining his 

 own rights, was not unmindful of the rights of 

 others. 



As a breeder he was extraordinarily successful. 

 Possessing only a small stud, it was remarkable 

 how, year after year, he sent good horses into 

 training. This was due, no doubt, to the skill 

 with which he mated his mares. Though he 

 kept stallions of his own, he studiously refrained 

 from using them when he thought his mares 

 would be better suited elsewhere. In short, it 

 may properly be said of him that he brought 

 practical common-sense and a shrewd business 

 acumen to bear on all his transactions. If he 

 was famous as a heavy bettor at a time when heavy 

 betting was rampant, it was not the mere greed 

 of gain that inspired his gambling. He held, 

 with Lord George Bentinck, that money was the 

 guerdon of success on the Turf. If we apply 



I 



