442 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



lengths, and then carried a lo lb. penalty to 

 victory in the Cambridgeshire, for which, at 1 1 

 to lo, he started the hottest favourite in the 

 history of the race. At the stud Polymelus has 

 of course been a conspicuous success. Bred by 

 Lord Crewe, he was a horse with beautiful action, 

 but during the time he was at Kingsclere I never 

 had him quite to my satisfaction. More often 

 than not he was " staring " in his coat — a sure 

 sign that all is not as it should be. 



Polymelus in 1905 won CS^^S ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ 

 £,^2^1 : I OS. credited to my horses that year. 

 Plum Centre accounted for ;^2025. He belonged 

 to Lord Alington and Sir Frederick Johnstone. 

 Sir Frederick had joined the Kingsclere stable in 

 the time of Sir Joseph Hawley, and here he was 

 with me to the very end. During all those years 

 our relations were always of the most amicable 

 character, and I am sure our long association 

 was severed with mutual regret. On October 

 24, 1905, Polymelus won the Gatwick Stakes. 

 He was the last of the long list of winners trained 

 at Kingsclere during my time there. 



Towards the end of 1905 I came to the 

 conclusion it was time I relieved myself of the 

 anxieties incidental to a trainer's life. I had 

 been " in harness *' forty-two years, dating from 

 the time when I became allied with the fortunes 

 of Sir Joseph Hawley. Moreover, experience 

 had proved to me that the emoluments I received 



