322 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



he began to show real improvement, but when 

 the desired change did at last become manifest, 

 he gathered strength fairly rapidly. No attempt 

 was, however, made to race him as a two-year-old. 

 Had we forced him at that stage the consequences 

 would probably have been disastrous. 



In the early spring of 1891 he shaped 

 splendidly, and I was not at all surprised when 

 he won a trial to which we subjected him on 

 April 23 with a view to discovering what sort 

 of a chance he had in the Two Thousand Guineas. 

 The result of the gallop was as follows : 



One Mile 



Common, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb. . . Webb i 



Gay Minstrel, 3 yrs., 8 st. . . . Griffith 2 

 Gone Coon, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb. . . Barrett 3 



Won by half a length ; two lengths between second 

 and third. 



Gay Minstrel had already that season run 

 twice without showing much form ; on April 

 16 Gone Coon ran Friar Lubin to a head in 

 the Craven Stakes at Newmarket. 



When Common went to Newmarket for the 

 Two Thousand Guineas, he travelled in a horse 

 box for the first time since his arrival at Kings- 

 clere as a yearling. During the journey he dis- 

 played considerable nervousness, especially when 

 passing through the tunnels between Ludgate 

 Hill and King's Cross. The fright he then got 



