178 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



With regard to the Cesarewitch, Mr. Gretton, 

 I believe, backed Westbourne to win only and 

 Isonomy merely to get a " place." It was said 

 that he stood to clear jC§o,ooo over Westbourne. 

 When Isonomy received the bump from West- 

 bourne which nearly knocked him over, he was 

 making a splendid effort to catch Chippendale, 

 who had taken up the running at the Bushes, two 

 furlongs from home. Chippendale won by a 

 length and a half from Westbourne, and it is my 

 firm belief that, with a clear run, Isonomy would 

 have beaten him. Our two horses were running 

 on their merits. Westbourne was third favourite 

 at loo to 15, but backers of Isonomy got 66 to i. 



After the Cesarewitch, Westbourne at once 

 became a public fancy for the Cambridgeshire. 

 He was, however, scratched because Mr. Gretton 

 could not get what he considered fair odds to the 

 money he wished to put on. This action caused 

 a rare hubbub. Mr. Gretton retaliated by stating 

 that he would win the Cambridgeshire with 

 Harbinger, a five-year-old by Pero Gomez. We 

 also had the three-year-old Falmouth in the race. 

 As a matter of fact. Harbinger was no longer 

 at Kingsclere ; he had gone to his owner *s place 

 and was being looked after by a groom. In the 

 circumstances the public laughed at Mr. Gretton *s 

 brag, and backed Falmouth, who had started at 

 14 to I for the Derby that year, and not run since. 

 While under my care Harbinger had shown 



