ST. BLAISE 2^3 



the horse before the sale, stooped down and 

 licked the dressing with his tongue in order to 

 find out what it was made of 1 It was a hint 

 from Matt that caused me to stop bidding for 

 St. Simon. Indeed, he gave me more than a 

 hint, for he told me plainly I might as well give 

 up because he had instructions to buy the colt 

 for the Duke of Portland. He silenced his 

 opponents with a bid of 1600 guineas. That 

 seemed at the time a fair price, for St. Simon had 

 not yet run. Though he was reported " smart,'* 

 nobody, of course, had the ghost of an idea that 

 he was the marvel he proved himself to be. 

 It goes without saying that he was the biggest 

 bargain ever secured in an auction ring, for he 

 earned a huge fortune as a stallion. I have often 

 been asked for my opinion concerning the merits 

 of St. Simon. Naturally, I share the universal 

 view that he was a very great horse; at the same 

 time, I am convinced he was no better than, if 

 so good as, Ormonde. Neither suffered defeat. 

 In favouring Ormonde I am influenced by the 

 character of the horses they met and defeated. 



To return to Duke of Richmond, he was not 

 entered for any of the classic events, and his first 

 race as a three-year-old was for the Royal Hunt 

 Cup at Ascot. Handicapped at 8 st. he started 

 favourite at 4 to i, and was beaten a length by 

 Acrostic, a four-year-old to whom he was giving 

 23 lb. This was a very fine performance. The 



