128 THE PURCHASE OF YEARLINGS. 
the right horse ; to do so, was left to a gentleman up to that 
time not celebrated as a purchaser of yearlings. So much 
for the judgment of good judges. 
Mr. Gerard Sturt (now Lord Alington) asked me to buy 
him two yearlings, if I liked any, of Sir Tatton Sykes, at 
York. He had but one restriction to make, and that was: he 
would have them out of mares that had bred a winner, no 
matter of what, or how few races. I bought him £7/cho and 
Prince Imperial (as they were afterwards called), for 100 
guineas each. The latter was claimed, in a Selling Race at 
Doncaster, and the other won the Doncaster Nursery, Good- 
wood Stakes, and the Metropolitan, beating Asteroid and 
Caractacus, the Derby winner of the same year, giving him 
2 stone 5 lbs. He was a little horse, but stayed well, an 
additional instance of the goodness of little horses. I would 
much prefer having three or four yearlings for 1,000 guineas 
than pay that sum for one; and there are many good-looking 
ones that may be had for 200 guineas each or less. But such 
is the rage now‘a-days for fashion, that dwarfs or giants, legs 
crooked or straight, are alike quickly bought, at any, even 
enormous prices, often to their new owners’ sorrow. 
I do not for a moment say that you should disregard 
particular breeds, such as are distinguished as having pro- 
duced runners. I say rather: “ Buy them if you like their 
appearance, and you can do so at a reasonable rate.” But 
rather than give extravagant sums for fashionably bred weeds, 
or overgrown brutes without legs or anything but flesh to 
recommend them, I would buy something to look at, out of a 
young mare, even if by a young stallion. For many so bred 
turn out well. On the other hand, I have seen many 
fashionably bred yearlings fetch large sums, that after the 
fall of the hammer were never heard of again, except at the 
