GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER 197 



the liberality of his patronage. Before he came 

 to Kingsclere his colours had twice been carried 

 to victory in classic events ; in 1861 Diophantus 

 won the Two Thousand Guineas, and in 1863 

 Lady Augusta was successful in the One Thousand. 

 This was rather a meagre harvest, inasmuch as 

 at one time Lord Stamford had sixty horses in 

 training. 



In 1 88 1 it was my good fortune to buy for 

 Lord Stamford the filly Geheimniss. Foaled 

 in 1879, she was a brown daughter of Rosicrucian 

 and Nameless, the latter a mare by Blinkhoolie. 

 Geheimniss was a most beautiful creature. She 

 stood over a lot of ground, and was one of the 

 speediest animals I have had anything to do with. 

 If somewhat slow in getting into her stride, 

 when she did get going her pace was terrific. 

 She was bred by Mr. John Watson at the Waresley 

 Stud, in Worcestershire, and at Doncaster, as 

 a yearling, was bought by Tom Cannon for 

 330 guineas. Having regard to what Geheim- 

 niss afterwards did, this seems a ridiculously 

 small price ; in reality it was quite a good one, 

 for the dam. Nameless, was a mare who had 

 never raced, and her only living foal. Friendless, 

 born two years before Geheimniss, had not then 

 been seen on the Turf. 



In the spring of 188 1, when a two-year-old, 

 Geheimniss won races at Sandown Park and 

 Bath. Tom Cannon then asked me if I had a 



