THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 273 



one day, " No one would imagine that horse was a 

 good one to see him go." Yet he was a good horse ; and 

 it was lucky for Ormonde that I won a race with King- 

 wood on the Tuesday of the July week of 1887, instead 

 of saving him to oppose the Derby winner, who would 

 have had to give him 7 lb., for Whitefriar, who was more 

 than a stone worse, woke up the great horse in his race, 

 as the spur marks on his sides showed after it was over, 

 and as his rider, Tom Cannon, than whom there is no 

 "finer judge, himself admitted. Personally, I am glad I 

 did not run Kingwood. I could not have backed my 

 horse freely, and should have been sorry to have spoilt 

 Ormonde's unbeaten record when perhaps he was not in 

 his best form. 



What might have happened none can tell. 

 If Sir George Chetwynd's surmise was correct, 

 then I can only say I fully share his satisfaction 

 that Ormonde was spared a beating. Mr. 

 Somerville Tattersall has, however, told me that 

 Tom Cannon informed him, when they discussed 

 this particular race one day, that if Kingwood 

 had run, Ormonde would have beaten him just 

 as easily as he did Whitefriar. 



Ormonde went back from Newmarket to 

 Kingsclere, and there he remained until the 

 autumn. When he left my stable to go to the 

 Eaton Stud I felt there was a great blank. I 

 saw him go away with intense regret — a regret 

 I had never experienced before. And yet his 

 departure removed a great load from my mind. 

 He had given me two seasons of anxiety, which 



I 



