304 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



Apparently that trial was arranged for the 

 special benefit of Ossory, brother to Ormonde, 

 and it looks as though he had, during informal 

 work on the Downs, ** shown " something he 

 failed to display in this gallop. We did not 

 race him till the autumn, when he won the 

 Criterion Stakes at Newmarket, his only effort 

 as a two-year-old. Another of the Duke of 

 Westminster's two -year -olds that season was 

 Orbit, by Bend Or. He won three races as a 

 juvenile. The following year Orbit began by 

 winning the Craven Stakes at Newmarket. He 

 was placed third in the Two Thousand Guineas 

 to Ayrshire and Johnny Morgan, fifth in the 

 Derby, and second in a Triennial at Ascot. 

 Ossory finished last of six in the Guineas, and 

 won the Prince of Wales's and St. James's 

 Palace Stakes at Ascot. Then came the Eclipse 

 Stakes at Sandown, in which both Ossory and 

 Orbit competed, ridden by the two Tom Cannons, 

 father and son. The " old 'un " was on Orbit. 

 The Duke was staying at Kingsclere at the time, 

 and, after the horses had left for Sandown, I said : 

 " Of course you are going to see your horses 

 run, your Grace." ** No," he replied, ** they 

 are both moderate, and I am not interested." 



When I returned to Kingsclere that evening 

 the Duke was sitting under a tree in the garden 

 reading a book. As I approached him he greeted 

 me with: " Well, how did you get on.^ " ** You 



