302 The Post and the Paddock. 



straight neck. Young Whisker, by Whisker out of 

 Memina, travelled this country about 1838- 1842 ; 

 and coming from Lord Stradbroke's just after 

 the Alpheus colts were selling well, he had a 

 great run of popularity, and actually died from 

 over-service. His colts, however, though wiry and 

 saleable, were soft and bad as hunters, probably 

 from his Smolensko blood. He had been severely 

 injured in a wire fence in Lord Stradbroke's park, 

 when a yearling, which prevented his being trained, 

 and thus he came to travel the country at an 

 early age. After this. Lord Stradbroke's Sycophant, 

 by Muley, out of Clare by Marmion, came out, one 

 of the greatest peacocks that man ever saw, and the 

 largest thorough-bred horse too ; in short, a fine 

 coach-horse looking animal, with an extraordinarily 

 high fore-end, and feet like cheese-plates, which he 

 dished about sadly as he went along. The farmers 

 were delighted with him, and he got some coach and 

 cab horses for London, but they were rather of the 

 flatcatcher sort, and, like himself, often made a noise 

 in the world. The bad success of these colts at last 

 somewhat sickened farmers of breeding from a "blood 

 hoss." " If such a fine animal as Sycophant," they 

 argued, " could not get horses to pay, what could .''" 

 He eventually went to Russia, after having no mares 

 here for a season or two, and it is to be hoped 

 they liked him ; still, to give him his due, he got a 

 fair racehorse in Tufthunter. Sir R. S. Adair had 

 a small horse called Linkboy, by Caesar out of Bril- 

 liant, by Lamplighter, for some years, who has got 

 some good chargers and harness horses. Mr. J. G. 

 Sheppard (at Ash High House) kept old Lamplighter, 

 who was quite a model, for a season or two, about 

 1835 ; but he had but few mares, and being over 

 twenty years old, the colts he left were small, though 

 very handsome and wiry. The late Sir Edward 

 Gooch bought Weatherbit for 200/. from the Duke of 



