336 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



competed for the Lancashire Plate at the Man- 

 chester September meeting. It was a prize of 

 ;^ 11,000 for two-, three- and four-year-olds, with 

 liberal allocations to the owners of the second 

 and third, and also to the nominators of the 

 three placed horses. There were nine runners, 

 and Orme was one of four two-year-olds that 

 took part. He was carrying considerably more 

 weight than the other juveniles. Orme finished 

 second, beaten half a length by Signorina. This 

 result was naturally disappointing to ourselves. 

 As a two-year-old in 1889, Signorina was, of 

 course, extraordinarily brilliant and won all the 

 nine races she ran. The following season, 

 however, she lost her form, and was successful 

 only once in five outings. In 1891 she had 

 been beaten twice at Ascot, finishing second each 

 time, before she met and defeated Orme at 

 Manchester, and thereby occasioned us much 

 discomfiture, for the Lancashire Plate was 

 worth £Sgyi to the winner. By finishing second 

 Orme placed ;^i5oo to the credit of the Duke. 



Let me add that I have no desire to make 

 it appear we grudged the Chevalier Ginnistrelli 

 his triumph. Signorina, a daughter of the mare 

 Star of Portici, whom he brought with him from 

 Italy when he settled down here, was " the 

 apple of his eye,** and he was entitled to a full 

 measure of praise for the wonderful success 

 which attended her efforts on the Turf, because 



