CHAPTER XX 
In 1886 — the last year of Archer's Hfe — he won the Derby 
and the St. Leger on " the mighty Ormonde," whose history 
was highly romantic. Mr. Edward Moorhouse in his books 
gives some particulars of the breeding of one of the greatest 
horses of all times, and he states : — " In the year 1844 old 
John Osborne, father of ' Honest John,' the famous jockey, 
happened to attend Shrewsbury Races. During his stay in 
the old Border town he bought for 14 sovs. a brood mare 
named Annette, a daughter of Priam. She had at foot a filly 
foal. 
"In due course the youngster received the name of Agnes 
and became the founder of the group of thoroughbreds knows 
as the Agnes family, than which none more distinguished is to 
be found in the Stud Book. When the then Sir Tatton Sykes 
was forming his stud at Sledmere, on lines very different from 
those pursued by his venerable father, he bought from the 
Osbornes Miss Agnes (the second produce of Agnes), together 
with her daughter. Little Agnes. 
" As the result of an alhance with The Cure, Miss Agnes 
produced Polly Agnes, who was so small and delicate a foal 
that Sir Tatton gave her to his stud groom, John Snarry, on 
ocndition that he took her away from Sledmere." 
That was where the luck came in, for Sir Tatton never 
dreamed what he was parting with, but the romance of racing 
is full of such instances. Snarry sent the fiUy to his son at 
Malton, where she was brought up as a brood mare. She was 
eventually put to Macaroni, and produced Lily Agnes, the dam 
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