82 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



Mr. Vyner's good mare, " Fabiola," the dam of 

 " Cunctator," and winner herself of many races, used to 

 have, it was said, one extraordinary peculiarity, and that 

 was that she never could win unless she was in foal ; 

 and she never became in foal unless she was in training. 

 This awkward combination necessitated a constant change 

 from the racing-stable to the harem, and vice versa. At 

 one time it used to be considered fatal to a mare's chance 

 of winning if she had ever been at the stud, and this used 

 constantly to be told me in the days of my youth. Like 

 many other superstitions it has been exploded long ago, 

 and I find I have passed much of my life in discovering 

 to be fallacies some of the most cherished truths taught to 

 me in early days. 



I was once riding a three-year-old mare, " Sorrus," 

 at Southampton in the Welter Eace, which was won by 

 a mare called "La Sorrentina," ridden by Mr. Arthur 

 Yates. After the race the trainer of " Sorrus " said to 

 me, " There now, here's a go ! That mare belonged to 

 me till the other day, when I found out that she had had 

 a foal, so I never rested till I got rid of her. I thought 

 she could never be any good, and here she has come and 

 beaten us." That was the first rude shock given to that 

 false belief, which further experience has only confirmed. 

 In later years I ran a mare — " Camaltha " — in a mile and 

 three-quarter's race at Derby ; she was third, and was very 

 fit to run on that occasion. I had a foal from her the 

 following year, and, after it was weaned, put her into 

 training again. She was getting very fit, and was entered 

 for the same race at Derby again, when, unfortunately, she 

 ran a stake deeply into her chest, exactly seven weeks 

 before the day of the race. For a whole month she was in 



