26o The Life of Fred Archer 
of Ormonde, and of Ornament, who later brought Sceptre into 
this world. 
As a mare on the tracks, Lily Agnes was described as a 
" light-fleshed, ragged-hipped, lop-eared filly," but she could 
race, and won no less than twenty-one events, including such 
events as the Northumberland Plate, the Doncaster Cup, 
and the Great Ebor Handicap. She soon commenced to throw 
good stock, for her second foal. Farewell, was a winner of the 
One Thousand Guineas, and then came Ormonde, by Bend Or. 
Ormonde was such a wonderful horse that he is worth an 
extended reference. Chapman, the Duke of Westminster's 
stud groom, said " Ormonde was an extraordinary foal. When 
he came into the world his mane was already three inches 
long. His mother had carried him twelve months, although for 
two or three weeks she had shown the normal signs of approach- 
ing foaling. 
" For several months Ormonde stood very much over at 
the knee. I have never before, and have never since, seen a 
foal with this characteristic so pronounced. It seemed im- 
possible for him ever to grow straight. But he did, though the 
improvement was very gradual. 
" He was one of the slow maturing sort. In his early days 
he was a three-cornered beggar that might be anything or 
nothing. When he did begin to develop on the right lines 
he went ahead very quickly, and when he left Eaton to go to 
Kingsclere to be trained looked a high-class horse." 
The late John Porter relates how when he received the 
colt he told the Duke of Westminster he was the best colt he 
had ever sent him, and he was quite right, although the Duke 
hardly thought so at the time. During the winter Ormonde 
had splints under both knees so badly that they prevented 
him flexing his knees properly. The trouble gradually dis- 
appeared, but the effects were such that in his first season 
Ormonde was not put into serious training until August, and 
after a few gallops was given a rough trial with Kendal. 
