Presented to the LIBRARY Of the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES SAM DARLING'S REMINISCENCES WITH 8 ILLUSTRATIONS IN PHOTOGRAVURE AND 42 IN HALF-TONE MILLS & BOON, LIMITED 49 RUPERT STREET LONDON Published 1914 CONTENTS PART. | ff CHAPTER I PAGE Earty Days ‘ : ? : : 4 1 CHAPTER II ACROBAT AND OTHER WinNING Mounts é 10 CHAPTER III THE BEGINNING OF BECKHAMPTON . f . 20 CHAPTER IV CONCERNING JUMPERS . ; é . 24 CHAPTER V RACING ON THE FLAT . p é : 33 CHAPTER VI Mr. GUBBINS AND His [IRISH DERBY , ; 39 Vv v1 CONTENTS CHAPTER VII Mr. GUBBINS AND GALTEE MORE CHAPTER VIII THE SALE OF GALTEE MORE . CHAPTER IX From BECKHAMPTON TO SouTH AFRICA . CHAPTER X ARD PATRICK . : CHAPTER XI VoyAGE TO EcyPT. CHAPTER XII From MARSEILLES TO THE NILE CHAPTER XIII LIFE ON THE NILE CHAPTER XIV THE GYMKHANA AT LUXOR PAGE 46 55 60 82 8&9 100 110 117 CONTENTS CHAPTER XV On DONKEYS TO THE ASSOUAN DAM CHAPTER XVI A SHIPWRECK OF SORTS CHAPTER XVII AGAIN AT BECKHAMPTON PART II CHAPTER I STRAY FANCIES CHAPTER II MarInty Axspout JOCKEYS CHAPTER III SoME OwNnERS I HAVE TRAINED FOR CHAPTER IV A STABLE AND Its PROPORTION OF WINNERS vil PAGE 129 137 152 159 166 173 187 vill CONTENTS CHAPTER V TRAINING AS IT WAS AND IS. CHAPTER VI MopERN CONDITIONS AND DIFFICULTIES . CHAPTER VII More Tries AND TRAVELS CHAPTER VIII East AFRICA CHAPTER IX HomME DETAILS PAGE 195 206 213 225 230 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PHOTOGRAVURES Sam DarRiine . : : ‘ : : Frontispiece FACING PAGE Front Virw oF BsrcKHAMPTON House 20 GaLTEE More . 48 WILDFOWLER 60 Arp PaTRICK . 84 SLIEVE GALLION 166 WILLOoNYx 182 CaP anD BELLS 194 HALF-TONES Otp Sam Dar.ine on Isaac, WITH HIS TWO SoONs, Harry AND SAM 2 Oxtp Sam Dariine on HIs Pony CHuRCH . 4 Oxtp Sam Dartine’s Cup oF 1846 8 Mrs. Sam Dar.Line . i 14 Batuirr’s House, GALTEE More Farm 22 CoRONET : j 24 Battot Box. 15 Hanps, 4 Incu 26 Views oF YEARLING YARD 32 KILcocK . : . ; 36 WILDFOWLER CoTTAGES, OCCUPIED BY CHAUFFEUR, GARDENER, HEAD CARTER, AND GROOM 40 ix x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE CoRNER OF THE Back YARD oF BECKHAMPTON STABLES THE GALTEE MorE CHEQUE. : A » Mr. SAM J. E. Hearp ., : c : : , DARLING AND HIS SoN FRED. . : : : ERNEST DaRLING.. é ; , 4 CoRNER VIEW oF KITCHEN GARDEN . ; d Mrs. Mr. RicoarpD Marsu, Mrs. STannina, AND Miss OLIVE DaRLIne. ; L : a : : Harotp Daring. ‘ « : ! : Mrs. STANNING : f , ; 3 é Mr. W. ALLISON AND SaM DaRLING AT THE PYRAMIDS, © THE Mr. Mrs. MR. Eeyrt Arp Patrick CHEQUE b : : : : S. H. Dariine. : : : : . ; Sam Daruina, Mrs. STANNING, AND Mr. Dovatas DaRLine . ; : : f . FrepD DARLING . ‘ . . : : é BURGUNDY ; , ‘ x A ‘ 3 DUNDONALD. : ; , L d F THE THE Start oF RocKINGHAM’sS LEGER ’ ‘ ; Finish oF RocKINGHAM’s LEGER Jack SNIPE. : : : , ; BrapGaTtE Cur, Warwick, Won BY Sam Dartine’s ** ACROBAT.” SILVER SHIP, FROM C. E. Howarp, Ese., TO Sam DaRLING, IN COMMEMORATION OF Hieh WeicHt Puate, Ascot, Won ~ By ‘“* WEATHERCOCK.” CotTswoLD Cup, CHELTEN- HAM, Won sy Sam _ Dartine’s “ CoLiine- BOURNE. MopEL oF SportsMAN WILD Fow. 54 58 64 70 86 100 120 130 134 142 152 164 168 170 174 176 178 178 180 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS SHOOTING, IN COMMEMORATION OF Xl FACING PAGE ** WILD- FOWLER'S” St. Leger. Goip Cup, Ascot, Won BY “ WILLONYX,” PRESENTED By C. E. Howarp, Esq. STOCKBRIDGE Cup, Won sy “ KiLcock,” THE PROPERTY OF CAPTAIN GREER AND SAM DarLine. CHESTER Cup, Won By ‘“ WILLONYX.” Jockry CiusB Cup, Atso Won By ‘“‘ WILLONYX,” PRESENTED BY C. EK. Howarp, Esq. . WILLONYX STABLE YARD AND GARAGE Mr. J. GuBBINS AND Sam DaRLING . Part oF BECKHAMPTON VILLAGE, WITH PapDDOCKsS BrEHIND ., 5 : 5 b : . CoRNER OF THE Front YARD OF BECKHAMPTON STABLES . : : A Sipe View or BeckHampton House SipE VIEW oF BEcKHAMPTON HoUSsE Mr. Doveitas DaRLING . : : Mr. anp Mrs. Sam Daruina anp Mr. and Mrs. STANNING . : A : ; A SOME OF THE PrRIzE CarDS Won BY MY HAMPSHIRE Down SHEEP, CATTLE AND Roots, BOURERS Lone SEeRvICE MEDALS Wittonyx Housrt, WHERE I Now RESIDE Mrs. RicoarpD Mars Miss O1ive DarLine AND La- 184 192 196 198 202 206 208 216 222 224 230 232 236 SAM DARLING'S REMINISCENCES PART I CHAPTER I EARLY DAYS Many times have I been asked to write my remini- scences, but have been reluctant to do so, par- ticularly as I have not kept a diary or notes of any description. When I was on the eve of my retire- ment I was again approached, and after considera- tion I decided to place my record of a busy racing career before the public. Although the first person may appear too often, I must humbly ask my reader’s indulgence, and to be kindly let off with a caution. I was born on March 11, 1852, at Bourton Hill, Moreton-in-the-Marsh. I was one of six in family, and the favourite of my grandfather and grand- mother, who was a Bethel, the same family as Lord Westbury. My grandfather owned, trained, and rode the famous grey horse Isaac, but sold him 1 2 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES to Mr. Collins of Warwick, for whom he won most of his races, many of which were four-mile heats. His name will be always chiefly associated with Hesperus and Isaac, two really wonderful horses. Old Sam The former was introduced to him in fatalnibis 1824, and was ridden by him in eighty- and Isaac six races during that and the six follow- ing seasons. Hrsprerus won thirty-four of these races, and so great was the fame of the horse and his jockey that they were commanded to be specially paraded before the royal carriage, in which was the Duchess of Kent, mother of Queen Victoria. This was after Hesperus had won the Worcester Cup. Curiously enough HEsPERUS would not give his running for any jockey but my grandfather, and on this point there was once a big wager, a jockey named Callaway being backed to win on him, with the result that he bolted out of the course. My grandfather rode him the following day, when he beat the same lot of opponents with the greatest ease. It was in 1835 that the connection between my grandfather and his marvellous grey gelding, Isaac, commenced. He and a friend named Tom Speed bought Isaac for a trifling sum. He was then a four-year-old, and had run his first race at Liverpool, showing some sort of form which ‘NVS GNV AUWVH.SNOS OMDL SIH HLIM SOVVSIT NO YNITUVG WVS GIO EARLY DAYS 3 attracted the notice of my grandfather, who was riding in the race. He only won one race however that year, and one the year following; but in the three years after that Isaac came to his own, for he won thirty-eight races out of fifty-three starts. He carried right on up to 1846, when he was fifteen years old. Then he broke down in a hurdle race, and lived happily for six years afterwards. During his twelve years on the Turf, Isaac won an immense number of all sorts of races. He scored no less than twenty victories at Worcester and Warwick. A contemporary writer declared that at such places as Oxford, Worcester, and Warwick, “ Darling was King, and his throne old Isaac’s back.”’ My grandfather rode winners of the Chester Cup four times ; he also rode seventy-six winners in Winning ON year out of 176 mounts, and that the St. Leger before there were many railways. To at Doncaster : ° and four most of the meetings he would ride a jotted hack, with a light saddle slung round at = his back. My _ grandfather rode RocKINGHAM to win the St. Leger in 1833, and after the race he was asked by his confréres to stay and have a jollification that evening at Doncaster. He refused to do this, and borrowed Sim TEMPLEMAN (a brother jockey’s hack), and rode away to Sheffield, where his own hack was awaiting him. By the aid of his hack. 4 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES called CourcuH, and the coach, he reached Shrews- bury, riding the winners of four races there the next day. What would jockeys of these days think of that ? The pedigree of Isaac on page 5 will interest breeders of the present day, it is so full of Herop and Matcuem blood; and in five removes, even so far back as those days, contained no line without a Bruce Lowe figure— Mr. Watt’s colours (the owner of RockInGHAmM) were harlequin, and when I owned horses I The harlee decided to have black body and _har- quin colours Jequin sleeves, for old association’s sake. My grandfather had a habit of closing one of his eyes, and one day when on a race-course (Doncaster, I believe), a friend met him and said: “T beg your pardon, Mr. Darling, but you owe me £50.” ‘What?’ he said, and opened his eye. “Oh, I’m so sorry ; it was a one-eyed man I bet with.” Sam called him back and paid! My father rode, but did not train, and died when I was quite young. I then went to live with my Schooling of grandfather, and to school at Alcester, all sorts Warwickshire. My first experience at school was a subtraction sum which the head master set me, viz. I had to subtract my height from that of Goliath of Gath, the Philistine, whom ‘HOWOHO ANOd SIH NO YONITUVG WYVS AIO i . } . i - 7 be 7 é ‘ ’ % n : é a ’ . ?, - ' / ( ‘ - ” ‘ a. +“ d T Pe. a iA a f iar vs f 2 ra Ks = - \v . A 2 . ‘ ia : , ~ . = : ‘ a ay c- 1 Ya s ca 2 4 Haphazard 35 (br, 1797) Ficaro 11 (br, 1819) Dau. of (b, 1810) ISAAC (Grey Colt, 1831). Sorcerer 6 (bl, 1796) Dav. or S (gr, 1810) Dau. of (gr, 1797) Sir Peter 3 (br, 1784) Miss Hervey (ch, 1775) Selim 2 (ch, 1802) Y. Camilla (b, 1787) Trumpator 14 (bl, 1782) Y, Giantess (b, 1790) Precipitate 24 (ch, 1787) Dau. of (gr, 1785) Highflyer 13 (b, 1774) Papillon (br, 1769) Eclipse 12 (ch, 1764) Clio (gr, 1760) Buzzard 3 (ch, 1787) Dau. of Herod 26 Rachel Snap 7 Miss Cleveland Marske 8 Spiletta Y. Cade 4 Old Starling Woodpecker 7 Misfortune Alexander 13 Dau. of Highflyer Woodpecker Z | Herod 26 (ch, 1773) Miss Ramsden Camilla Trentham & (b, 1778) Coquette Conductor12 | Matchem 4 (ch, 1767) Dau. of Snap Brunette Squirrel £ (br, 1771) Dove Diomed 6 Florizel & (chai) Dau. of Spectator Giantess Matchem #4 (b, 1769) Molly Long Legs | . Mercury 9 Eclipse 12 (ch, 1778) Tartar Mare Dau. of Herod 26 (b, 1779) Maiden Highflyer 13 Herod 26 (b, 1774) Rachel Tiffany Eclipse 12 (gr, 1775) Laburnum’s dam 6 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES David slew with sling and stone. I have forgotten the answer. I was very small just then. When about eight years old I was very anxious to learn to ride. The first opportunity, I mounted the horse of a visitor who had come to see my grandfather, which ran away with me over some deep stone quarries. I managed to stick on; had I not I should probably have broken my neck. Half the village turned out when we returned, riding, they said, as if nothing had happened. They didn’t expect to see the little boy Darling on the horse’s back again ! When about nine years old I went to Warwick College. One day of the races, while at school there, I dodged behind a screen, got out of school without my hat (mortar-board), and ran on to the race- course (Warwick), where I saw SALAMANDER win the Grand Annual Steeplechase, and said, “I'll go into the stables and be a jockey ; that’s the life for me.” My people had arranged for me to go into a bank, but my persuasion prevailed, and I went to Mr. Weever’s at Bourton Hill, in Sept. 1866, leaving school to go there as apprentice. I rode with more or less success on the flat as The die 2% Ught weight. My first mount was east for CHIMNEY Port, for Lord Coventry, at mit Knighton, Wales; weight, 5 st.121b. Did not win. My first winning mount on the flat was EARLY DAYS 7 on a horse called Rumpus, for Mr. Tom Golby at Croydon, in the Nil Desperandum Stakes, which was very cheering to me, as I had said I would never despair. When I was living at Bourton Hill I was riding a mare called CLlyTEMNESTRA (belonging to the man who owned Buiair ATHOL) in a trial, and after running about two furlongs a hare rose out of her form, and simultaneously with her rising, the mare caught her with her foot and broke her leg (the mare’s) so badly that the hoof swung right round, only hanging by a bit of skin. Perhaps very few people have ever heard of such an occurrence. The mare very quickly pulled up on three legs, and she had afterwards to be destroyed. I came off scot free. When at Bourton Hill with Weever I went to ride at Prestbury, Cheltenham, and stayed with William Archer, Fred and Charlie Archer’s father, and he said to me: “T think I’ve got a boy ”—introducing Fred Archer—“‘ who would make a good jockey. Where would you send him ? ” I advised him to see Mathew Dawson, who was then training at Newmarket. This was highly satis- factory, as history proves. About this time Fred Archer was the owner of a very small pony called Tue Cuow, a miniature Fred Archer 8 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES race-horse, little bigger than a Newfoundland dog. His father said to me: “T don’t think Fred can quite manage the pony. I’ve matched her for £50 over a mile at Warwick. Will you ride her for me?” I agreed to do so. She was matched against a pony belonging to Mrs. Willan (generally called Mrs. ‘‘Croppy ’ Willan, because she wore her hair short, and gaiters), who raced considerably under Pony and Galloway rules. Her husband was one of the stewards under these rules. My opponent was quite a big roan pony. In the race we got off together and lay side by side until we got to the turn, when I let THE Cuow go, and she won many lengths amidst much cheering. We could hardly get back to the paddock, for a lot of my old schoolfellows were there, and almost carried the pony and myself into the enclosure. It was ludicrous; nobody could believe. that this miniature horse could have raced a mile. That was really my first winning mount. After living at Bourton Hill for six years I went to Mr. Golby at Northleach, Glos., riding and managing there for twelve months. Afterwards I went to Mr. Tom Wadlow at Stanton, assisting in stable management, gaining knowledge of the profession. I did not ride in public at Mr. Wadlow’s. At this time I was riding 9 st. 6 lb. in trials only, as OFRT TO TNO S,ONITUVG WVS aTO - 3 EARLY DAYS 9 I was now too heavy to ride on the flat. I was with Mr. Wadlow about twelve months when my two or gr@ndmother died and my grandfather three years fell ill. As he was living alone, except with old see for his housekeeper and two servants, Darling I left Mr. Wadlow’s to go and live with him. I gave him two or three of the best years of my life, often taking my turn and sitting up for night duty. He was quite a good-living man, reading the Lessons and Psalms morning and evening. He went to church regularly, and was also very regular in his habits; always took his long walk before lunch and drove out in his little brougham in the afternoon. All of this was, of course, after he retired, and he lived to the great age of eighty-six. Both my father and uncle died as young men. CHAPTER II ACROBAT AND OTHER WINNING MOUNTS Ir was during the time I was with my grandfather that I bought my first race-horse, called AcRropaT— Acrobats & two-year-old—-from Weever for £25. acrobatics He was absolutely a bag of bones. Mr. Weever had previously taken him to Worcester to try and get rid of him. After running in a selling race there, he was offered £18 for him, but said he could do better than that at home, which he did. I ‘“‘ cut”’ him, and he quickly improved. Then I put him in training. As I had no training ground, I exercised and galloped principally on the side of broadway roads. He got quite used to this, though it was dangerous, as he had to jump the grips. I soon found from the feel he gave me that he could race, so I said to Mr. Weever one day, “Would you mind giving me a gallop with that horse I bought from you?” and he said “ Yes.” He had at that time an animal winning handicaps with 8st. 12 Ib., and asked me if that would be too good. I said “No.” “ Very well, old man, 10 ACROBAT AND OTHER WINNERS 11 what weights would you try them at?” “10 lb., 6 furlongs,’’ I replied. “What, you fancy yourself a bit!” We tried at these weights on the Bourton Hill training ground, and AcroBatT won the gallop. “ By gad, old man,”’ said Mr. Weever, “‘ that horse is worth £400.” He was in two races at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, and I rode him in both races. I asked Mr. Weever to put me £10 on my horse, and do as he liked for himself. The horse won easily. I got £60 to £10, and he had a good race himself. At that time I was his owner, trainer, jockey, and groom. ACROBAT was a very impetuous and high-couraged horse. In those days many of the courses were roped instead of railed as they are now. He had not forgotten his race the first day, and on the second day, when he was led out on the course, the lad stuck to his head too long, and when he let go of the bridle the horse was sideways across the course instead of facing down it; and as the horse would always charge blindly in the direction he happened to be facing when he was excited, he made straight for the ropes and went clean over them into the crowd, with me on him. When we were over the ropes he knocked a ginger-beer stall over; people struggling, women picking up their dresses and screaming. We were 12 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES all mixed up in a heap of human beings. We didn’t part company nevertheless. The animal was nearly mad with excitement, and breasted the spiked railings round the ring, got his jaw on the spikes, and stuck there. I threw myself off and gave him a chance to get higher and free himself, after which I was able to mount again. When we got to the ropes a police- man had cut them, and his head being loosed straight we got away to the post, he behaving badly while there, and getting stuck in a bog close to the side of the course. However, we got fairly well away and won again. The Press comments the next day were that AcroBaT was trying to get into the bookies’ ring, to inquire his price! His next race was for the Birmingham Cup, which he also won at the next meeting at Sutton Coldfield. Knowing that the jockeys were going to make false starts to get my horse beaten before his race, if possible, I spoke to Major Dixon, who was the starter. “Major,” I said, “I’m afraid you are going to have a bit of trouble with AcroBaT again, so Acrobat Please look out. I shall be down first reformed at the post on the inside, and my man shall hold him and I stand by. When you see the jockeys ina line don’t wait for me; I will jump on him as my man looses him.” ACROBAT AND OTHER WINNERS 18 I told my man to be prepared to loose his head the second I spoke to him, and as luck had it, when they were in line, I jumped into a 2-lb. saddle, and without getting my feet into the stirrups, got away half a length in front on the inside. It was very difficult to pick up the irons in the race, as the webbing which held the irons caused them to jump up and down, and twisted, unlike leather, which would hang pretty straight. I didn’t pick them up until just before I got to the last turn, and after a good race we beat Fred Archer on Colonel For- rester’s Deceit by a neck. I felt very proud of having won my first Cup. I won a race for myself at Croydon with AcRoBAT, Charles Archer riding him, as I could not do the weight. I sold him for £320, but not till he had won the Bradgate Cup at Warwick for me. About this time I rode in a pony race at Malvern, four times round toa mile. There was a tale going that one of the older jockeys was asked how in the world did he know how many times he had been round when riding the mile races. “T take a piece of chalk in my pocket, and make > a mark on the judge’s box as I go by,”’ was his answer. What a fib! I took Emblem Villa, near Croome, Worcs., in (21877), the house being named after Lord Coventry’s mare, who won the Grand National. 14 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES I bought horses for jumping, and schooled them, and won races with many of them. I gave £60 for UncLtEe Tom from a young farmer, who I knew had sadly neglected this horse. He Buying a WaS irregularly fed, and I was informed jumper did not get any feed at all at times. After building him up for eight months, I won a big hurdle race at Cardifi on him, beating Jack Good- win on Lapy GuLEenLocHAy. Also won a hurdle race at Bristol, and sold him to the late Mr. Hugh Owen for £300. I bought a cast-off from the late Alec Taylor, named CoLLINGBOURNE, and won a hurdle race on him at Worcester, where the course at the top turn was completely under water. We jumped two flights of hurdles, of which only the two top bars were showing above water, on the town side. COLLINGBOURNE won the Cup at the Cheltenham Steeplechase meeting, and I sold him well after- wards. If he had stood training he would, I think, have won the Grand National, but one of his hind legs gave way. In 1879 I was married to Miss Davis, daughter of Mr. Stephen Davis of Woolashill, Worcs., the owner Marriage, of Of Dartnty, DrspairR, DEBONNAIRE, pemege » DEWDROP, etc., on all of which I won sequel steeplechases. I was riding Dainty in the Bristol Royal Steeplechase. The fences MRS, SAM DARLING. ACROBAT AND OTHER WINNERS 15 were very big that year, the first of them being one of the biggest. One of the runners, RoyaL CHARLIE, refused this, and the rest of the field lay fairly well together until we reached the far side of the course, when they had all fallen except Dainty. I thought she had only got to stand on her legs to win the race. Presently up came Roya CuHar tis, full of running. A German was riding him, and I asked him if he had gone the course, little thinking he could possibly have turned round and jumped the refused fence. He couldn’t speak a word of English, and I couldn’t speak German. We came to this fence, which he had refused, together, and he came on the left- hand side of me. I thought he wanted me to help him over. I made a feint, as if I were going to ride at the fence, and he set his horse going. About thirty yards from the fence I pulled my mare back, which left him in the front, so that his horse refused again. Horses very often refuse again the fence they have once refused. That enabled me to win the race. His horse was going very much better than mine at the time he refused. He eventually came down the flat course to the paddock. DEWwprRop.—There were six or seven runners in the Swindon Grand Annual, which I won on DEwprop, trained by Mr. Fred Davis of Woolas- hill, Pershore, Worcs., my brother-in-law, who is 16 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES one of the most knowledgeable men I know. He trained Darnty, second for Grand National, Drs- The starter’s PAIR, DEWpDROP, and DEBONNAIRE to win : zine many races, all of which they bred at Dewdrop = Woolashill. He is the Amateur Champion begonia grower, a good landscape gardener, County Councillor, and J.P., well up in county and parish matters, just and kind to his fellow-men, and deservedly very popular with all classes. It was a beastly wet day, rain and snow, snow- flakes as big as halfpennies. The starter, who was obviously ‘‘ cheery,” went to what he thought was the post, but which was nothing of the kind, as I knew, seeing I had walked the course before racing commenced. He was 200 yards this side of the post, which would have led to disqualifications had we started there. I said to the jockeys who were riding : “ What’s the use of starting here? You'll only be riding two and a half miles for nothing.” “Oh,” they said, “it’s a rotten day ; let’s go.” I said, ‘‘ You see what the starter’s like ; I’m not going to start here,’ and promptly went to the other post, and was certainly 200 yards behind the other horses when he dropped the flag and they started. When they got to the first fence, the water jump, it was frightfully heavy going, and the horses were cannoning one another like ninepins ; this enabled ACROBAT AND OTHER WINNERS 17 me to get within reasonable distance of them. After jumping two more fences we came to the turn into the straight, prior to going into the country again, and there the horse who was the hot favourite, named ELLiot, went the wrong side of the hurdle. I shouted for all I was worth, “ You've gone wrong,” but he did not pull up, and I followed on, still lying well last. Two or three of the field fell when they got into the country again, and I gradually drew up to Charles Archer, who was riding SARACEN, and Davis on E1107, still in front, going well. There was some firm going close under the rails, which enabled me to get a little advantage. I then passed Archer and got up side of ELuior, who was absolutely full of running. I was quite content being second, knowing I should get the race by objection, as I thought; but in another moment the whole thing presented itself differently to me. The rider of ELLior was mistaking the winning-post for a box marked “‘ Pay Here,” very similar to the winning-post. I never attempted to move, for fear he should go one better, but I saw he was looking at that box, and I still swayed between the box and the winning-post ; and then, just in the last four strides, I gave my mare bang, bang, with the whip, and she just won a neck on the post. There was some hooting, but Exiior’s jockey had absolutely made a mistake in the two 2 18 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES posts. The owner of the second came to me and asked what had happened. I said: “ Your horse went the wrong side of the hurdle.” “ Then why did you go on?”’ he replied. “ Because I saw a chance of beating him, and thought this would save the bother of an objec- tion.” “ T can’t believe it. We did not see it from the stand.” ‘‘ Well, go down and see the track for yourself,” I said. He did, and was satisfied. From Emblem Villa I moved to Sandford House, Severn Stoke, as tenant of Lord Coventry. I was eee training for myself at first. Soon after- Lord wards I had several clients. The gallop CoventtY there was where Captain Coventry after- wards trained InQuistTor and others. My uncle trained for the present Lord Coventry, before Weever. Mr. Everett, of Finstall Park, a client of mine, was breeding from CarpINnAL York, etc., in those days. I bought from him a yearling called Gazette, for Mr. Hogarth,’ and it is worth relating, as I’ve never heard anything like it before or since, that the colt, after being loaded, and with nothing 1 Re Mr. Hogarth in the ’eighties. In those days I first met Mr. Gill, now K.C., who used to drive with Mr. Hogarth in his carriage to Kempton regularly, to see the latter’s horses run, and, I may say, often win. ACROBAT AND OTHER WINNERS 19 on him but his bridle, jumped through the partition of the horse-box at Bromsgrove Station into the lad’s division, and out on to the platform without a scratch. He afterwards won a race at Kempton Park, ridden by the present Charles Morbey. When I was at Severn Stoke I gave £20 for a mare called Miss Grace, out of a baker’s cart; and after six months, when I had got her strong and well, I was riding and driving her steadily. She carried me really well with the hounds, and I finished up with winning the hurdle race on her at Worcester. I well remember Lord Coventry saying, after the race, that she was the quickest over her hurdles he ever saw in his life. I had a most deceptive little black horse, under- bred ; looked more like a cob. He was in a steeple- chase at Moreton-in-the-Marsh, a pretty big country then. He surprised every one by winning easily, and none more than my grandfather, who saw him unloaded at the station, and said: “ You are not riding that commoner over Moreton course, are you ?” “ Yes,”’ I said, “‘ and he will jump it.” “ More like break your neck,” he answered. But he was wrong, good old gentleman. CHAPTER III THE BEGINNING OF BECKHAMPTON In the autumn of 1880 I migrated to Heddington, in Wiltshire, and had various successes there. Beckhampton at that time was in the sale market. I met my solicitor in Calne the day the negotia- tions were going on between the owner, Harry Woolcott, and aman named Weston. I drove up, and asked the owner if he had closed about the property. He said ‘No,’ and Mr. Parry, the agent who was doing the business for him, re- marked that as the would-be-buyer, Mr. Weston, had not turned up, “ Why not deal with Mr. Darling, and no humbug? ”’ So he said: “Are you prepared to pay a deposit?” I said Paying the | was, and I gave him a cheque for deposit §~—- £50, and Beckhampton was mine. Beckhampton stable has room for fifty-eight horses. There are fifty-eight boxes, which have been nearly always full. The boys in attendance to look after these horses generally number about twenty-nine or thirty, besides the heavier men 20 , ade ee furoyyoog fo-mon PUL ya ae ae ak Oe. “774 ies i Salt 28 DADAKC gag “” THE BEGINNING OF BECKHAMPTON 21 living outside. The details that a large racing establishment entails would probably surprise many of the sporting public, who can have no possible idea of a busy trainer’s strenuous life. I have constantly built on since I purchased it, bringing everything up to date in every way— acetylene gas, drains, etc., etc. It was a training stable before I bought it. Sir George Chetwynd had horses there with Woolcott ; also Mr. Graham, for whom he won the Oaks, etc., with Formosa, City and Surburban, etc., with Sapinus, ridden by Fordham. At the time they tried Sapinus they fixed the trial for the day when there was a very big coursing meeting at Beckhampton, the country being very celebrated for coursing in those days. While the whole country was paying attention to the coursing, forty courses of which were out of what is now my own covert, SABINUS was being tried within half a mile of them! It was kept absolutely quiet, and no one was any the wiser for a long time after. It was never my intention to farm and train at the same time, but part of my Derby gallop, or Gaining a trial ground, was on a farm belonging to sallop na Colonel Holford, who decided to sell ; afarm and to make quite sure of having the use of this gallop my only course was to become its purchaser. The buildings were in a deplorable 22 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES condition, and the land was very foul. In fact, it was in such a state that the neighbouring farmers thought I was very plucky to tackle it at all. Since then, with incessant attention for fourteen or fifteen years, I think I may claim to have made a success of it, having won over two hundred prizes with cattle, sheep (principally Hampshire Down), cart-horses, swedes, mangolds, and turnips ; and my carters have taken the first prizes for ploughing. I can also boast of 46-lb. weight to the bushel of black and grey winter oats. I think I can claim to owning the largest Dutch barn in the country. It is a hundred yards long, and is a great boon for storing corn in such an open country as this. There is also a very large barn used as a granary, with a floor of pitch pine. Harvest homes and political meetings are held there. I called the farm ‘‘GaLTEE More Farm,” after my first Derby winner. Other additions in the way of farms came later ; indeed, in mentioning this one [ have rather over- shot the mark, and I must hark back to earlier days in connection with training business. So, then, to start with the earliest of real consequence. Mr. C. W. Mr. C. W. Lea (of Worcester Sauce Lea and Prince of Tyre J won many races for him, but no classic. I bought a yearling called PRINCE OF fame) was a very valued patron of mine. “WUVA OMOW IQLIVS “ASNOH 8 AAITIVE 4 THE BEGINNING OF BECKHAMPTON 23 Tyre by AttHotas, for one hundred guineas, from Mr. Wolfe, for myself. I had previously bought GULEs out of a selling race at Bath, for Mr. Lea, and won the Kempton Park Handicap, etc., with him. When I found that Prince or TyRE was a good two-year-old, I was anxious for Mr. Lea to own him, as he had been such a good patron of mine. I suggested this to him, but he thought the horse was worth much more money than I had asked him. Eventually we agreed to change for GuLES. PRINCE oF TyRE was perhaps the best two-year-old in England up to the end of May, winning four or five two-year-old stakes right off the reel, ridden by W. T. Robinson, the present trainer at Fox Hill. One thing to always remind me of this colt was that he was fidgety in his box; he walked round and round for hours, placing the litter in the middle of the box, walking outside it until it became as chaff. I tried everything to pacify him, but with no effect. Then I procured a goat, and I shall never forget the rapid exit the goat made when first put in the box. Prince or Tyre flew at him, so strongly did he object to the odour of the goat. He eventually settled down with a cat. I won a big seller with GuLEs at Kempton Park, which brought me in about £1,200. He was then sold, but I heard little more of him. CHAPTER IV CONCERNING JUMPERS I soucut Rineet for Mr. Fenwick from Captain Machell. She was lame in the back, but I killed The Duke One of my sheep and put the hot skin ees on her back and got her sound. She Noel Fenwick won the big Derby steeplechase twice, autumn and spring, ridden by Arthur Nightingall. Then I sold her well, and heard nothing of her afterwards. Mr. Noel Fenwick bought TissAPHERNES for £800, to put to jumping, and the first time he was put at a hurdle he stopped dead and seized the top bar with his teeth. That day I was riding a very smart hunter that could jump and gallop, and I rode the near side of this horse, and another horse was on the other side. I told the boys to race as hard as they possibly could at a hurdle, and by whip- ping him myself as we went along, we all charged the hurdle together, and got him over. Captain Roddy Owen rode him in one hurdle race, but I could soon see from his proppy style that jumping 24 ‘puvys JO JUOAT UL MOTPN'T 4V Joo} XTS-AQITYY PorMsvout wv porwwojo Sdoouey ouy ATaA ‘sosvyoo[deays Stq Auvut jo TOUUT AY “LONOUWUOO heir areal nd mand cere. ener Fain NE ere eae re Cen ee ee = * =. 7 Rent a 7 = ¢ 7 ‘ vee CONCERNING JUMPERS 25 would not be his game, so I persuaded Mr. Fenwick to put him in the Metropolitan, which he won, starting at ten to one. The Duke of St. Albans and Mr. Fenwick together owned a horse called Woopianp. I took him and five others, together with two of my children (the present Mrs. Marsh and young Sam), to Ayr, so I had a pretty good handful to manage. Woop- LAND got second to FuLLerton for the £1,000 Handicap, Finding FULLERTON entered at wrong age, I objected, and got the stakes. With the six horses I took to Ayr I won with all but one. The best thing of the lot was Happy TuHoucut, Mr. Abingdon Baird up; and she was making the run- ning round the top turn when she fell over some Scotsmen who were playing cards on the course. There was a row afterwards, but nothing came of it. I trained Coronet for Mr. Gardiner Muir, who won most of the three-mile steeplechases he went Coronet, and £0r, including the big race at Croydon, his death the Mammoth at Sandown, and races at Ludlow. He was perhaps one of the finest and biggest of fencers who ever looked through a bridle. I measured one of his jumps—thirty-six feet. A more sad end one could not imagine than poor CoronEtT’s on the frosty ground at Sandown. Being steadied while racing at the pay-gate fence by Willie Moore, the horse reached for his head, got disap- 26 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES pointed, and his hind legs went from under him. He fell clean through the fence to the other side on his shoulder, which he broke. He could not be saved, though he was slung for some time. Many sports- men came down from the stands to see him put in the ambulance, and one had only to look at many of their faces to see how they were affected by the scene. Soon after that happened I made up my mind to give up steeplechasing. About the same time as CORONET was a horse called BALLoT Box, belonging to the late Sir Pat Nickalls. He came to me in a very poor condition, and after he had got strong he won the Croydon Metropolitan, the big Sandown steeplechases, and Ballot Box the following spring, carrying 12 st. 7 lb., he won it again, giving THe Fawn 21 1b. The latter won the big chase at Leopardstown just afterwards. Sir Patrick said to me: “T have been training this horse round my cabbage garden; I expect you will do something with him.” He had won point-to-point races before. After that he carried 12 st. 4 lb., and was third in the Liverpool, ridden by W. Nightingall, which I think a very good performance. He measured just over fifteen hands. A very in- teresting thing in connection with the two horses Coronet and Batitor Box was that CoRoNET *SSUTIOOTY sundg pue uuIngny WMoOpuLg 4v sasero SIq oy este ‘uopAoa) 4v oseyoo|doe4ys StIq og SurauTAa sogye ‘q, pP-9s ZT SutAaavo ‘yeuoeN puely oyy UL Party, ‘HONI F “SG(NVH GT ‘XOd LOTIVA . 7 fe ayy Oh ae T CONCERNING JUMPERS 27 could give Battot Box a stone at three miles, and Bautuor Box could give CoRONET a stone at four. These were two of the best horses in England during their period, Bator Box over a four- and CoRONET over a three-mile course. I always thought Battor Box the best horse I ever saw run over Sandown, as he took the fences, which are so close together, without taking anything out of himself, while his bigger opponents were often out of their stride at these particular fences. He afterwards ran third in the Liverpool Grand National, carrying 12 st. 4 lb., ridden by Willie Nightingall. The performance so pleased the late Sir Pat Nickalls that he presented me with a gold watch, on which “ Ballot Box’ was engraved. Had the winter been more open, I quite think he would have won, for he was trained for quite a fortnight on a foot of snow, and the weather was so severe that I had my cart-horses to harrow the frozen snow every morning before he did his work. Batuot Box was a bad feeder away from home. When he won the International at Sandown I had him fed at six o’clock at home the night before, and at five o’clock next morning. The morning of his race he had a big feed, left home at six o’clock, but did not touch an oat until after he had run. In connection with the second race at Sandown, Arthur Nightingall’s web broke, about 28 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES the first fence, so that he had to ride the whole of the course with one iron. Among several good chasers I had at that time were KuyBER, Mataca, EpWArbD, COMMONER, Buoopstone. The last probably would have won a Manchester Cup with a light weight on. Lord Cholmondeley asked me to train a horse named Mervyn for him. He had a very suspicious leg, and was handicapped with 6 st. 4 lb. in the Man- chester Cup. I strongly advised Lord C. not to try him, fearing that he would leave the race on the Downs, but he said he would like to try him, so that he could tell his friends to back him. I said I was afraid the result would be as I had anticipated. However, early one morning his lordship arrived here to try him, having galloped over from Wroughton (his hunting box). The horses had just left the yard, and I said to Lord Cholmondeley : “Can I offer you some breakfast ? ”’ “Oh, I’ve had mine, Sam, thanks.”’ My own tea and a poached egg were on the table when I left the room. On my return I found they Log 4 La disappeared. Lord Cholmondeley Cholmonde- had taken them, and I’m sure enjoyed Balboner them as much as he did the joke. How- *68 sever, I went minus my breakfast, and we rode to the Downs to see the gallop, which MERvyN CONCERNING JUMPERS 29 won; but he broke down, as I felt sure he would. I knew he would only stand one gallop, and if he had had that at Manchester instead of on the Downs I think he would have won the Cup, but Lord Cholmondeley would try him, and he was the owner after all. “T wish I had taken your advice,” he said. I might mention that I suggested £2,500 (the value of the stakes) to a pony was a very good stake to win with a crippled horse. He was never any good afterwards. Mr. W. G. Jameson sent old ComEaway, the Grand National winner, to me some time after he had broken down, and fired all round ; all his joints were double their ordinary size. I got him through a good preparation without any jumping practice, and in his last gallop of four and a half miles he gave 14 lb. to a good winning mile-plater called STENSALL, and beat him easily the last mile. Unfortunately this gallop found his weak spot, and he was never trained again. I have mentioned ComEaway, though he comes out of sequence in point of time, for he was really the best latter-day jumper I had to do with; but while on the subject of Lord Cholmondeley I should mention that about this time his lordship had Bar-LteE-Duc and Last Toast. Bar-Le-Dvco, after being second for the two-mile nurseries at 30 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES Newmarket, won a £1,000 nursery one-mile at Derby, and Lasr Toast won the two-year-old stakes at Sandown. His lordship landed a good stake over each race. I trained for Mr. James Best a very smart mare called La Betta. She won the two-year-old stakes Mr. James 2? Kempton, and I took her on to Best and Newmarket. The race she won at pars Kempton was an optional selling, and we were not in to be sold. The race at Newmarket had penalties for winners other than of selling races, and as I was not in to be sold for this optional selling, I carried my penalty as a winner in face of many who thought I should not. It was referred to the Stewards, who said I was right, and the mare won. For the same gentleman I trained a horse called EDWarpD, and qualified him at Chand- lers Ford for National Hunt flat races. Horses had to be placed in a steeplechase to get a certificate. He was a very difficult horse to get over a fence, but eventually I made him jump, schooling him myself. He was in a Selling Hunters’ Flat at Four Oaks, near Birmingham. Knowing that I had sent the Edward ang CCltificate to Messrs. Weatherby’s, and his not seeing it published in the next ses Calendar, I promptly wrote to Messrs. Weatherby to see if they had received it. They replied : CONCERNING JUMPERS 31 “Yes ; EDWARD Is qualified to run on and after such and such a date.”’ I got to Birmingham with their letter in my pocket, and Mr. Arthur Brocklehurst, who was running a horse in the same race, came to me and said : “Sam, I have been through all the Calendars, and EDWARD is not qualified to run; his certificate is not lodged.” In the interest of the owner I made no remark. Epwarp won the race easily. After the race there was an objection, and I then produced the letter from Messrs. Weatherby, which settled it. Mr. Brocklehurst’s party were lunching at the Queen’s Hotel, Birmingham, and when passing their table next day Captain Cotton said to me: “You’re a nice fellow! Here is Mr. Brockle- hurst trying to do you a good turn by advising you that your certificate is not published, and you keep quiet and say nothing.”’ I said: “Tf you had been the owner of EDwarD you would have liked me to have kept your business as quiet as I have kept Mr. Best’s.”’ Another of Mr. Best’s horses was FatsE ALARM. cecare She won a steeplechase at Ludlow, and to False [ was surprised to hear them shout “‘ Ob- a When I found out the reason (he? jection I felt that I was pretty sure to get the race, for 32 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES the grounds of objection were that my mare was not eligible to run, the condition of that race stating that it was for horses that had not run in an open steeplechase. I contended that FausE AuARM had not run in an open steeplechase, but she had run in an open hunter’s steeplechase. They had omitted the word “hunter” in their conditions, but had intended to put it in. After appearing before the Stewards for a short duration, the race was given in my favour. That brings me to my important racing experi- ences, which were on the flat, though whether more enjoyable I can hardly say, for as we grow older we cannot fairly measure such experiences. Pere: | Rael (NN VIEWS OF YEARLING YARD. CHAPTER V RACING ON THE FLAT I wave been fortunate throughout all the period during which I trained at Beckhampton to act for owners who, without exception, were good sportsmen of the best sort. I shall never enter- tain any but the most pleasant recollections of each one of them, and especially of Captain Greer. Captain Greer, who started racing in a quiet way, eventually became one of the most popular Captain Stewards of the Jockey Club. He sent Greer me TRAGEDY to train, but she would not stand. He said he would like to go partners with me in some mares, and about this time I gave the late Lord Rodney £1,000 for a yearling called Brrp or PassaGe, by Kinwaruin. The first time out she won at Kempton Park, afterwards at New- market, and should have won the Woodcote at Epsom, but she ran very wide at the turn. Several men wanted to buy her at that time, and I eventu- ally sold her to Captain Cookson for £4,000. I 3 33 34 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES then thought of Captain Greer’s suggestion for a partnership, and went back to Lord Rodney, purchasing from him HrronpELiEe and Bonnie Morn for £2,000, Bonnie Morn then carrying Kitcock. Captain Greer put three of his mares to my two, and we became partners in the progeny. My mares went to his stud in Ireland. Bonnie Morn also produced Break or Day, winner of Royal £1,000 Stakes at Epsom, and Goop-Morn- ING, winner of the Coventry Stakes at Ascot, who as a three-year-old became bad tempered, and once bit a new leading rein through at one bite, at morning exercise. An awful catastrophe hap- pened with Goop-Mornine at Kempton. He and REVENUE ran in the same race, the latter very backward, and ridden by Sloan; and before leaving home, Goop-MorninG could give REVENUE 18 lb. and beat him. Goop-Mornine was a hot favourite, and was apparently winning easily. Morny Cannon, riding aie vy hehe thought he had won, and put his ing! A hands down. Goop-Mornine stopping TT AU fast, Sloan persevered with REVENUE, got up, and beat him by a neck. I fear I can’t find words to describe my feelings. I had a very bad race. Goop-Mornine was afterwards sold to go abroad, where he turned an absolute savage. He and other winners were from Bonnie Morn. RACING ON THE FLAT 35 Captain Greer’s mares did not produce much until WILDFOWLER arrived. WILDFOWLER, by GALLINULE out of TRAGEDY, won the Criterion as a two-year-old. He was back- ward when he ran fourth for the Two Thousand Guineas. I could not train him for the Derby. He had a long and steady preparation for the St. Leger, which he won with his head in his chest, beating the Derby winner, JEDDAH, an odds on favourite. He did not stand training as a four- year-old. Captain Greer bought my share of him, and put him to the stud. Captain Greer bought GaLLINULE for £1 000 from Mr. Abingdon, and he became top of winning Gallinule Stallions for some time, having sired for £1,000 many of the best horses of the day. Unfortunately for me I was not partner in this horse. Some time after Captain Greer sold TRAGEDY to Sir Tatton Sykes for £5,000, and I sold BonniE Morn to Sir Tatton Sykes for £4,000. BonntkE Morn paid Sir Tatton well. The next good horse that Captain Greer had was SLIEVE GALLION. He won the Cobham Plate, Sandown, the New Stakes at Ascot (1906), Cham- pagne Stakes at Doncaster (1906), the Two Thou- sand in the Spring (1907), the Craven Stakes, St. James’s Palace Stakes (1907) at Ascot, etc., etc., and was sold at the end of the season to Hungary. He 36 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES had terrific speed. SLIEVE GALLION’s neck was set on wrong. I well remember telling Captain Greer, before putting the tackle on him, he would be difficult to mouth, and sure to be awkward to ride. I did not put a jockey on him for a month after all the others were broken. His awkward mouth prevented him winning the Derby. — KiLcock was a most charming horse, and very good looking. His Jubilee was one of the most discussed races ever known. I put Wall, an old seasoned jockey, on Kiicock, and he came up the course with his ears pricking as though he was going to win in a canter. For some unaccountable reason he went past the post in the same way, with- out making any effort. Neither horse nor jockey made any effort. At the time the horse could have won with about 8 st. 7 lb., and he only carried 6 st. 12 lb. He seemed as if there were no jockey on his back. Wall was absolutely useless on him. Wall had the good sense to admit this after the race, and to recommend that Kincock, with a stronger jockey, should be backed next time. KiL- cock won the Doncaster Handicap soon after in very easy style. Afterwards the Wokingham and the Queen Stand Plate at Ascot (1899). He was afterwards sold to Hungary for the stud. My dealings with Captain Greer have been most cordial and agreeable in every possible way, ‘SuTPBC, TARG pur ty) uregded Jo Ajxodoad “MOOOTIM a oe rR ae ee RACING ON THE FLAT 37 since 1884 until the day when Captain Greer be- came a Steward of the Jockey Club. We then dissolved partnership. Since my retirement I have received a letter from him of which I am proud. Only a thorough gentleman could write such a letter: “T am sure you well know that such an event as your retirement from active training could not take place without being also an event of great importance to me. We have worked together on the Turf for so many years, and they have been marked by such unremitting care and attention to my interests on your part, and such marked success, considering the few horses I’ve trained, that I can look back on every incident connected with my racing career, not only with pleasure, but with the knowledge that I owe most of that pleasure to you. “No doubt you will be at hand to give your son Fred, who should make you a most worthy suc- cessor, and to whom I wish every possible good luck, the benefit of your advice and experience.” While on the subject of owners, I will give a list of some for whom I have trained: The Czar of A list op Russia, the Emperor of Germany, the my owners Duke of St. Albans, the late Duke of Devonshire, the present Duke of Devonshire, Lord 38 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES Lonsdale, Lord Rosebery, Lord Dalmeny, Lord Ilchester, Lord Cholmondeley, Lord Enniskillen, Count Lehndorff, Sir B. Sheffield, Count Lutzow, Sir James Miller, Sir John Miller, Sir Pat Nickalls, Gen. Owen Williams, Captain Hughes Morgan, SirS. Scott, Mr. George Faber, Mr. James R. Keene, Mr. Foxhall Keene, Mr. James Buchanan, Mr. C. W. Lea, Mr. Best, Mr. C. E. Howard, Mr. Cholmondeley, Messrs. Clark and Robinson, Mr. Craven, Mr. Joe Lewis, Mr. Carroll, Mr. Mackay, Mr. Wideners, Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Jameson, Mr. Ray, Mr. Everitt, Mr. Lanwell, Mr. Hogarth, Mr. G. Muir, Mr. Chillingworth, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Bingham, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Fowler, Mr. J. Daly, Mr. Noel Fenwick, Mr. Clement, Mr. K. Arbuthnot, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Wilfrid Wilson, Mr. Clarence Wilson, Mr. W. T. Jones, Mr. Rutherford, and Mr. Gubbins. A large number indeed; and the name of Mr. Gubbins makes me pause, and commence a fresh chapter. CHAPTER VI MR. GUBBINS AND HIS IRISH DERBY Ir may be that the misconduct of Irish Nationalists caused Mr. Gubbins to devote his attention more entirely to racing than he had done prior to the year 1893. Up to that time he was Master of the Limerick Hunt, but had most reluctantly to give it up, owing Mr. Gubbins 12 tHe boycotting. He was not abso- boyestted to lutely decided until one day, when Beckhampton 5 - out with the hounds and moving for cover, when they were met by a large party of hooligans, who started throwing sticks and stones at the hounds, scattering them in all directions. Mr. Gubbins then said : “For God’s sake leave the hounds alone; I’d rather you threw your stones at me!”’ And that day he took the hounds home and never hunted again, though a very short time afterwards the priests implored him to do so, as so many were out of employment through the dispersal of the hunt. Mr. Gubbins shortly afterwards asked me to 39 40 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES take his horses from Telscombe in Sussex, where they were then being trained by Tommy Lushing- ton. Among the first lot that came to Beck- hampton was BuLarRFINDE, who won the Irish Derby the following year (1894). In connection with this it is interesting to note that I stayed with Captain Greer, with whom Lord Enniskillen was also staying, for the Curragh meeting. Captain Greer lent his lordship and myself a couple of hacks to go and see BLAIRFINDE do his work the morning of the Irish Derby. Lord Enniskillen had gone on before, and when I met him on the Curragh train- ing ground he said: “Sam, I’ve just seen Linde (a trainer on the Curragh), who said, ‘I’ve just seen Sam Darling’s Blairfinde’s Horse, and call him a d——d ccach- “Derby,” horse; and if he wins our Irish Derby and Linde’s dual I will eat him!’” mrrty I may say Linde was training a horse called BALDECOOTE, who started favourite for the race. My own jockey, Tom Garrett, rode Buarr- FINDE, and to prevent any trouble with the other jockeys I instructed Garrett, before he got to the last turn, to rush his horse to the front and make the best of his way home, which he did, winning by twenty lengths. Poor Linde afterwards standing by the weighing room, and looking at BLAIRFINDE, put both hands in his pockets, and said ; a MR. GUBBINS AND HIS IRISH DERBY 41 ‘A divil of a fine horse, shure! ’’ And that was the man who was going to eat the horse if he won the Derby! He afterwards came and congratu- lated me, and said: “ Old Jack Gubbins might have told me his horse was going to win, particularly as he is staying with me!” When I went over to see BLAIRFINDE run in the Irish Derby, I caught the 8.45 mail at Euston, and as I was going down the train looking for my seat, the late Lord Chief Justice, Lord Russell of Kil- lowen, put his head out of the window, and said: “Where are you going to, Mr. Darling ? ” “T am crossing to Ireland to-night, to race at the Curragh to-morrow, my lord.” “Oh, come in with me.” I did so, and he then asked : “What will win the Irish Derby ? ” “ Are you going to see it run?” I asked. “Well, possibly, if I can get away, but I am to be initiated into the freedom of the City of Dublin to-morrow. If the ceremony is over in time, I shall come to the Curragh.” “Tf you do,” I said, ‘ would you kindly find me in the paddock, and I will try and tell you the winner of the Irish Derby.” Sure enough his lordship appeared in the pad- dock next day, and said : 42 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES “Well, Mr. Darling, what will win this Derby ? ” “IT think,’ I answered, “I shall, with Biarr- FINDE.” The horse was then at six to four, and The Lora 28 the stable money was on, Lord Chief Justice Russell turned round and said: aap “T’ll have £5 on with the stable,” which brought him £15 to his fiver, three to one instead of six to four, which he would have got if he had put it on himself. The Lord Chief Justice was highly delighted after the race. When I visited Mr. Linde I saw BALDECOOTE as a yearling. He was led out for my inspection, Recollections and I said : ects Well, how much for him, Mr. Linde.”’ He said : “ A thousand guineas.”’ There was a drop-fence in front of his house, Eyrefield Lodge, and he took up his huge walking stick, and struck the horse on the quarters, Saying : “‘Get away down there,” to the man who was leading him. Dan and the yearling jumped down the drop-fence into the field, and I said: “By jingo, Mr. Linde, that’s a bit of a risk, isn’t it? What in the world did you do that for 2 ”’ “ Begad,” said he, ‘‘ they must walk before they trot.” MR. GUBBINS AND HIS IRISH DERBY 43 I paid Mr. Linde, who was one of the kindest and best, an annual visit. Linde’s horses were at exercise on the Curragh one morning early, when a certain gentleman, whose father was a baron, rode much too near the horses, which one of the entire horses, named Red Prince II, resented, and which annoyed Mr. Linde, who said : ““ Where are you going to, ye spalpeen?”’ The man turned round, and answered : “Sir, do you know who you are talking to ? ”’ “No, and never a bit do I care! ” said he; “* you have no right upsetting my horses.” ** Well, I’m Baron ——’s son.” “Well, it’s a pity your mother hadn’t been barren too!” I am aware, of course, that this story has been often told, and it may be regarded as a “ chestnut,” but it is seldom ascribed to its true author, and therefore I put the facts on record here. It was, however, a year or two after BLarRFINDE’s Irish Derby when the incident in question occurred, for I remember that on my way home to see Mr. Gubbins my train was in Limerick Station, for by some mistake I had got in the wrong train, and arrived at Limerick in a carriage to myself. Up came a porter and said: “Shure, are you Mr. Sam Darling ? ” “ Yes,”’ I said, and he walked away. Presently 44 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES he came back with nearly all the porters on the station, and said: “Your honour, we’re delighted to meet you. You trained GALTEE More when he won the first The English Derby for Ireland, and shure Habe we will never forget the whisky flying whisky about that night. The mountains were alight with it! ’? Also saying how proud they were of meeting the trainer of the winner; and as the train moved out the spokesman came up to the carriage window, and said : “Your honour, we can tell you that if you’d only put up for Limerick we’d return you for Parliament.” Once at Charleville Station I stood on the plat- form with the late Tom Vigors (“ Ashplant ” of the Sportsman), and a driver of an Irish car saw my luggage there, labelled “S. Darling.”’ “Whose is this? It’s not Mr. Sam Darling’s, is 1b 2” “ Yes, it is,’ said Vigors. “ Bedad then, if he will jump into my car, I'll drive him to Charleville for nothing.” All this proved how keen the natives are at the successes of the Irish horses. I went through the Bruree and Knockany studs every year with Mr. Gubbins, and mostly did a bit of vetting; but one of the greatest surprises Mr. MR. GUBBINS AND HIS TRISH DERBY 45 Gubbins had was when a brood mare was very lame at Knockany. He said: “‘ This mare’s very lame, old man, and we cannot find out where it is.” Having noticed her peculiar gait, I immediately looked under her flank, and there I found a great abscess. As it was ripe I pulled out my lance and cut it. The mare walked away absolutely sound, to the astonishment of Mr. Gubbins. CHAPTER VII MR. GUBBINS AND GALTEE MORE Berore dealing more fully with the period of GattEE Mors, I should like to tell my readers something about Mr. Gubbins, for few who only knew him in his later days, when he was a martyr to gout, have any idea what manner of man he once was. His house at Bruree was full of trophies and mementoes of sport, for indeed he was a very Me eerie Meme horseman. In 1870 he won the tcalpaoe Downshire Plate, three miles over Punchestown, on Mr. J. D. Whyte’s chestnut horse FarryLAND, by GAMEKEEPER, with 13 st. 8 lb. in the saddle, and in the following year he was second out of fifteen runners in the same race, on his own horse SALUTE, and poor Harry Linde third, on his own horse BLACKBIRD. In 1883 he rode a brown gelding of his own, “D. P.S.,” 15 st. 8 lb., in the Welter Cup of the Down Royal Meeting, over the Maze course, and won. He was taking something on, too, for Mr. 46 MR. GUBBINS AND GALTEE MORE 47 Garrett Moore was second. In the same year, at Cork, Mr. Gubbins and “D. P. 8.” were again successful, this time with 15 st. 7 lb., beating Captain Kirkwood on BiacxBirD and three others. In the ‘eighties Mr. Gubbins was hunting from Grantham, and won the Ladies’ Purse at Melton with one of his hunters, Hussar, ridden by Major Amcotts. A memento of these Grantham days hung on the Bruree smoking-room wall. It was a Brush on a Shield, with the following inscrip- tion : *“ Presented to Mr. John Gubbins, December 2, 1887, after a brilliant 45 minutes with the Belvoir Hounds. Mr. Gubbins, in the name of the Duke of Rutland and the members of the Belvoir Hunt, I present you with this Brush, and bid you a hearty welcome to our Country. “ FRANK GILLARD, “ Huntsman.” No sportsman could ever wish for a_ better credential than the above, and with it I pass on to Galtee ir. Gubbins as he was when I trained asad = for him. His paddocks at Knockany and the home farm at Bruree comprise some of the finest land in Ireland, and his stud groom, Mike Burns, was as knowledgeable as they 48 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES make them. From both Knockany and Bruree the Galtee mountains form a prominent feature in a beautiful landscape, the big height of “ Galtee More ”’ towering above its fellows, and it was rightly chosen as an auspicious name for the bay colt by KENDAL out of MoRGANETTE, when he was foaled at Knockany in 1894. His after career demon- strated that he fully recognised the duty imposed on him by his name. GALTEE More and Bantry Bay were yearlings together at Knockany, and Mr. Gubbins thought The career Wore Of Bantry Bay. He proved to of Galtee be only a moderate horse. Mike Burns More ° sage always had a very high opinion of GALTEE. GALTEE More started by winning the Hurstbourne Stakes at Stockbridge, ridden by my trial jockey, Garrett. Then he won the Mole- combe Stakes at Goodwood, the Rous Plate at Doncaster, and the Middle Park Plate—in an abso- lute sea of mud; I think the heaviest going ever known—at Newmarket. He beat VELASQUEZ in a canter of six lengths. The late Mr. C. Greenwood (“‘ Hotspur ”’ of the Telegraph) said to me: “Sam, you'll never beat him like that again,” but he did exactly the same thing in the Two Thousand in 1897, beating him by about the same distance. GALTEE More became a four-to-one-on chance PLUS > VEY OE: CHOY fo PIU TE: 2 boy Ve “ty hyn “7D Pre VOY ? CY ‘ YY, . PN OOD DUES TY” OPE PI fe Caney : Via P72, OQ 2 WY > 22) fA ® ~ a / i > - ~ ' - ¢ 4 4 ‘ . - om \ee ‘ s 5 wr MR. GUBBINS AND GALTEE MORE 49 for the Derby, after winning the Two Thousand, His guar- Which meant a very anxious time for dian dog me. After several false reports that he was going to be got at, I had a huge dog, a cross between a retriever and a Newfoundland, a very intelligent beast, put as a guard for GALTEE More. I placed him in the passage outside his box (on a mat) one night, and he seemed to know exactly what was required of him. He went there without any persuasion afterwards. Nothing happened to GattEE Morg, notwithstand- ing the false reports that had arisen in the neigh- bourhood ; and when he went to the station to go to Epsom, this dog followed him, and at the station, without being spoken to at all, he jumped up into the luggage car, sat up on his hindlegs and looked at me as much as to say, “I’ve done my part.” He then went back home. Then commenced the railway journey, which proved to be of a very trying nature for me. I A trying travelled with him in his box. We ae es were shunted at Wimbledon (and there Epsom was, I should think, about £60,000 worth of horseflesh on the train), and were kept there for the best part of an hour in the brozling sun. I was absolutely beside myself to get away, and on making inquiries as to why we were de- tained, they said there were some trains to go t 50 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES through, which proved to be workmen’s trains with scarcely any workmen in them! This was on the Monday before the Derby. We eventually arrived at Epsom, where there was a huge crowd to meet the favourite. I chartered two policemen, one walking in front of my string, one behind, and I brought up the rear in the car- riage, followed by the crowd. We at length arrived at the Warren, Ben Ellam’s old place, and quickly got the horses shut up. GALTEE More was a most charming horse to do with. I found him all right at the stable in the A visitation CVening. At 7.30 he was fed and done of rats up for the night. At about ten o’clock I thought I’d go and have another peep at him, and see if my men were also there, as they were sleeping with him. To my surprise, when lghts were lit, the stable was alive with rats. GALTEE More’s manger was nearly black with them, and they ran over the grooms—Harry and Ted Pearce— during the night. However, they did not disturb the horses much. Harry was my travelling head man, and a real good trial jockey. He has been in my employ thirty years, a good servant whom I valued much. Ted Pearce always looked after GALTEE More. Speaking of rats I remember a mare called La Maupite in the late sixties, belonging to the present MR. GUBBINS AND GALTEE MORE 51 Lord Coventry. She had killed a rat in her manger by biting it, and half ate some of it, a most extra- ordinary thing for a horse to do. No cat could have got in the box after horses were shut up. GALTEE More got through his work in the morn- ing all right. He went the course steadily on the The Derby uesday, and a canter of five furlongs on morning the morning of the race. When leaving for the race-course, Mr. John Corlett, of the Sporting Times, who joined us at lunch, accom- panied us, and he wrote in his columns of this memorable journey of the Derby favourite. When we arrived at the Durdans’ corner, we could not get in by the door that should have How we Obened into the paddock. There was reached the a horse called GLENMORGAN in front, a ee travelling companion of GALTEE Morg, and we became as near as possible entangled in the vehicular traffic; and Mr. Corlett with his umbrella, and myself close behind, tried to persuade the man to loose the chain and let us into the course, but the man said he hadn’t any orders to do so. I put my shoulder under this fellow and gave him a shove, and politely sent him into the course (to the delight of the crowd), and so we got through. Then they would not let us into the paddock, and we had to walk between a line of cab horses, standing tail to tail at the side of the pad- 52 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES dock where the horses from the town side came 1n. I had the greatest trouble here with GaLTEE Morg, for, of course, he was a stallion, and there were some mares close by, which made him very excited. He was breaking out and sweating a little when we got into the paddock, but soon settled down. Since then horses have often been admitted to the paddock from the lower side, for many are stabled at Sherwood’s, as well as at the Warren on the far side of the course, but Mr. Dorling was not obliging enough on that occasion, and the gate was bolted and barred even against the Derby favourite. In the race itself GALTEE More got nicely away, running about fifth, until approaching Tattenham How he Corner, when he dashed to the front ite without an effort, and won very easily. GaLTEE More, after winning, was led in by Mr. Gubbins, and immediately after weighing in I followed him to the paddock. Many people in the crowd were securing hairs from his tail as he passed along. The horse went through the ordeal very well, but I was most anxious to get to the paddock as quickly as possible, as otherwise I am sure he would not have had a hair left. On the morning of the race GALTEE More had half a feed of corn (plain oats) early before he went out; a feed and a half when he came in; then two double handfuls damped, three hours before the MR. GUBBINS AND GALTEE MORE 53 race, when we went to get him ready ; and twenty “ go-downs,”’ t.e. swallows of water, three hours before the race, viz. about twelve o’clock. GALTEE More ran triumphantly through a great season, for he gained his triple crown by winning the A blaze ot. Leger, and he had also won the New- of triumph market Stakes and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Ascot. There is no wonder that such a big horse began to feel the effects of continuous work for first-class engagements, and some people thought it time to retire him for the season when the speedy CHELANDRY ran him a close finish for the St. Leger. The truth, however, was that this was a ridiculously false run race, as nothing really went along until they were half a mile from home, and the time in which it was won, 3 min. 31+ sec., was not so good as that for a two-mile race on the same day. When we bear in mind that Nicut Hawx’s time for the St. Leger last year was 3 min. 32 sec., we can easily see that GatTEE Morz’s race was nothing like a trial over the full course. Anyhow, he was very far from played out for that season, aS he ran perhaps the greatest race of his A glorious Career in the Cambridgeshire later on, defeat ~~ when with 9 st. 6 Ib. in the saddle he finished fifth, not more than a length behind the winner, ComFREY, 7 st. 2 Ib. Jack Watts rode him on that occasion, and said 54. SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES afterwards that he had not until then realised what a wonderful horse he was. Indeed, had not GALTEE More been a trifle sore from his continuous work, and flinched a little coming down Bushes Hill, Watts was of opinion that he would have just won, for he was catching the leaders with giant strides in the last furlong, and few in Tattersall’s enclosure knew how near he was to actually catching them at the finish. The judge, however, will confirm what I have stated here. I hoped to have trained GALTEE More for Cups and other engagements the following season, but he was sold to the Russian Government, as I shall relate in another chapter, and he had a leg which I did not think would stand. NOLINVHMOUA FTO GUVA MOVE WAHL TO WANWOD Poh oe Bie op ae SE RAE LN hr gi eT a ie Te “SUTAVLS SPREE BE C0 ok ATTRA eT NTR EER De TR RE MTT Mg TY SYR mar ae ape : Mca eae ~ ya < es te 7 . z ‘ n j Ay 7) Di : ; j i} J - y , ee ee = 7 ‘ . , a wall ii f CHAPTER VIII THE SALE OF GALTEE MORE NaturRALty | had no wish that GaLTEE More should be sold, but in the spring of 1898 the Rus- sian Government asked the International Horse Agency and Exchange, Limited, torecommend them a horse at a limit of 10,000 guineas, likely to make a high-class stallion. Mr. William Allison, manager of the Agency, wrote to me, asking if that sum would be taken for Kincocx, and, as I thought it would, he recommended Mr. Dorojynski, who by that time was in England representing the Russian Govern- ment, to go to Beckhampton and buy Kitcocx. Mr. Dorojynski, a big, hefty gentleman, came down to Beckhampton and liked Kitcock very much, but on seeing GALTEE Mors he said: “T should prefer to buy that horse! ” Bee nal No doubt on that score; but he was commis- told that he would have to obtain a sioner greatly enlarged commission, if his as- prefers sles More pirations were so high. He was a good to Kileock . ° judge, for he saw CYLLENE win the New- market Stakes shortly afterwards, and he said 55 56 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES GALTEE More and CyLLENE were the only two horses he wanted in England—and this although he had been to see scores of others. He was advised that Gatrer Mores, who had won the classics, was better worth attention than Aninereased CYLLENE, and he accepted that view, commission but had to return to Russia to discuss the financial position. A few weeks later he re- turned with General Arapoff and Count Nierod, General Arapoff being empowered by the Grand Duke Dmitri, manager of the Russian Horse- breeding Board, to purchase GALTEE More. This triumvirate came down to Beckhampton on May 12, 1898, and were highly delighted with all they saw. Mr. Gubbins accompanied them. They were so enraptured by GaLTEE More himself that they never hesitated about the purchase, subject to his being passed sound for stud pur- poses, but they entreated me to let them see him extended in a slow-speed gallop; “‘ for that,” said they, “ we shall never see in Russia.” Mr. Gubbins was willing, and though GALTEE More had a very questionable leg, I sent him, led One little PY SHADDOCK, who was equally shaky, gallop —_ two or three furlongs well on the rising grade. The Russians were in ecstasies, and SHAD- DOCK was bought as well as GALTEE More. So excited did the Russian gentlemen become, THE SALE OF GALTEE MORE 57 that, just before driving away, General Arapoff Biniear wore down a picture of GALTEE MoRE Arapof’s from one of my rooms and carried it loot off as if it were “loot.” Of course I took this all in good part, and the General, later on, sent me back the picture. It was agreed that GALTEE More was to run for the Ascot Cup in the name of the Czar or RussIA The Ascot if all went well with him, and in this « Pi connection a letter, completing the norun!” negotiations, contained the following passage : ““T may say without hesitation, that if he shall tun for the Ascot Cup in the name of the Grand Duke, or some other illustrious Russian personage, his victory (which is already assured) would do more than all the efforts of diplomacy to promote between the two nations that good fellowship which ought never to have been interrupted. Such a victory would be hailed with enthusiasm here (in England), reviving as it would the august traditions connected with this particular race, making it once more, in very truth, The Em- peror’s Cup.” Of course it is well known that before the Crimean War the Ascot Cup was styled the Emperor’s Cup, and was given by the Czar; but as regards 598 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES the good wishes in the above quoted passage, General Arapofi, who left GALTEE More with me to train for the Ascot Cup, according to my dis- cretion, observed on parting : “Remember! No win—no run!” Of course, under such conditions, I could not risk the horse’s doubtful leg, and was thanked after- wards for having delivered him sound. The occasion of the agreement to purchase for 20,000 guineas was celebrated by Mr. Gubbins A dinner entertaining the Russian commissioners mere oro to dinner at Prince’s Restaurant, on the reluctant evening of May 13, 1898; and when the Russians had gone, as I am informed, to the Empire, Mr. Gubbins, as Irishmen are apt to do, and vowed he would not sell the horse at all. However, he was pursued to his turned * contrary,’ rooms, and a form of receipt for the money was left for him to sign. Next morning he had gone off to Ireland, leaving the receipt signed, though it was not until after 4 p.m. next day that the money, £22,500 in all, was paid over to the Horse Agency, in the presence of a Notary-Public. This amount included the insurance premium and transport of GaLTEE More to Russia. Departure of 1 was very quickly decided that GaL- Galtee More tee More could not be trained for the Ascot Cup, and on June 11, 1898, he left from ‘ANOGHO ANON AALIVO AHL TM GsLliviin ‘BONVHOXa INV AON3ZOV 3 OH IVWNOILYNYSSLNE BHL ees YYPewrwvri_D “ ‘. aD, % \ L = Sag VO, LRG 4 Wee co San . ‘ a f \ Q é ‘ x 7 M § / ) ‘ . f oer, | 74 © ., « Migs ticles. So" a uNy: REI ar alg THE SALE OF GALTEE MORE 59 Harwich for Russia in charge of the late Tom McLean, Pearce, his boy, having accompanied him as far as the boat, s.s. Berlun. He was berthed, I believe, on the starboard quarter of the main deck, where there were stalls for three horses, all of which stalls were knocked into one for his accommodation. The amply sufficient box thus made was well padded, and the deck, besides having the usual footholds, was thickly strewn with ashes, and then straw laid over all. As soon as the horse was on board tarpaulins were ready to close in the space where he was, and prevent his seeing a number of dealer’s horses. None of these however were allowed to stand anywhere near him. He reached his destination quite safely, and was by far the most successful stallion in Russia while he remained there. CHAPTER IX FROM BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA In 1898 I won the St. Leger with WILDFOWLER, as stated in a previous chapter, but he was not within twenty-one pounds of a horse like GALTEE More; and when he was ultimately sold to go to France, I believe the price was 5,000 or 6,000 guineas, which seems a small sum indeed nowadays for a classic winner. Nothing which ever came under my control came near to equalling the three great sons of MorGANETTE—BLAIRFINDE, GALTEE More, and Arp Patrick; and I am sure many of my readers will like to study the record of the wonderful family of which she was such a distinguished member. Sol have had all the details carefully made out. The family first came into the front rank through Diversion, by DEFENCE, who was foaled in 1838. Her daughters, Miami and MapamMEe EGLANTINE, were brood mares of the very highest class, and it was from the former of these that MoRGANETTE descended, as appears on the next page. 60 Morganette > 2 bumyongs Ue Pwo YIP? ge) fo he voor purl oy P WADA “e y Ae mm aaa YOO Ye PY gfe vow AP Oropyy \ ial EE: , tan un) 9S ai Ei canui inalalinte 4, ey tee BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 61 No. & Family. MORGANETTE (Dam of the winners of over £53,000.) Brown, 1884 By SPRINGFIELD 12 Out of LADY MORGAN (dam of Lady Both- well, Morgiana, Tredegar, Ruperra— —winner of £4,623, Alloway—winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, St. George’s Stakes, Great Yorkshire Handicap, ete. ; grandam of Johnny Morgan, Rozelle— winner of the Coronation Stakes, Arran- dale—winner of the Midland Derby Stakes, etc., John Morgan, etc.) .. .. by THORMANBY 4 Out of MORGAN-LA-FAYE (winner of races and dam of Mozart, Marie Stuart —winner of the Oaks, St. Leger, Ascot Gold Vase, and £12,000 in stakes, dam of Crime, White Sail, Queen of Pearls, and Merry Gal—winner of over £13,000 and dam of White Eagle, Merry Moment, Ulpian, etc.) a Be =- -. by Cow. 2 Out of MIAMI (winner of the Oaks and dam of Morgan-la-Faye, Catawba, dam of Lorna Doone, Minnie Warren, Mrs. Strat- ton, ete.) .. . by Ventson Il Out of DIVERSION (dam of Madame Eglan- tine—winner of six races and dam of Rosicrucian, The Palmer, Morna, Frivola, Centenary and Chaplet—dam of Morion, Winkfield, etc.) .. a ae .. by Derence & Norr.—Her sons ArD PatTRicK and GaLTEE More have between them sired the winners of over £200,000. The Baron 24 Birdeatcher 11 Echidna h, 1842 2 | Stockwell 3 OE ) aD (ch, 1849) Pocahontas Glencoe Z pte byt = eS (b, 1837) Marpessa ce "le eH | The Libel 14 Pantaloon 17 ma he) br, 1842 i é Bribery (br, ) Pasquinade a (ch, 1851) | Splitvote St. Luke 2 = (ch, 1841) Electress A be TL a Orlando 13 Touchstone 14 3 Marsyas 12 (b, 1841) Vulture 5 (ch, 1851) —| 3 | os % Malibran Whisker G1 E: & Se (ch, 1830) Garcia Te aay f Pyrrhus the First | Epirus 13 5 ~ | Maid of ch, 1843 3 | Fortress a) — Palmyra x) (br, 1855) | Palmyra Sultan 8 f= (br, 1838) Hester fe Jee en ee os ea) (2) M Pantaloon 17 Castrel 2 elbourne : Z ~ Wind: (ch, 1824) Idalia = * ay ae o) us a ne ath Ae Phryne Touchstone 14 Zz go | (br, 1847) | (pr, 1840) Decoy $ $ | ie Muley Moloch 9 | Muley 6 BS A Muley Moloe ey = | &< | Alice (br, 1830) Nancy a Hawthorn = (b, 1838) | Rebecca Lottery Tey (b, 1831) Dau. of Cervantes q Bay Middleton 7 | Sultan 8 Fe Cowl 2 (b, 1833) Cobweb ° o @. 9 a iy (oO) Crucifix Priam 6 a | ay (b, 1837) Octaviana 2/28 ee ee! Venison 14 Partisan 7 S02 | Miami (Br, 1833) Roe Ss este) Diversion Defence & (ch, 1838) Folly by Middleton %—Little Folly (grandam of Defence and Dangerous, winner of the Derby) by Highland Fling 12— Harriet by Volunteer 9—Mare by Alfred 12—Magnolia by Marske 8—Mare by Babraham 15—Mare by Sedbury %— Ebony by Flying Childers 6—Old Ebony by Basto 6—THE MASSEY MARE, Family No. 5. * Windhound extended. 62 ‘ a BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 63 STUD BOOK RECORD. 1889—br f Annette by Mayboy. (Did not run, dam of Ania, £254, Quick March, £949.) 1890—ch f Marietta by Kendal. (Winner of three races, £726.) 1891—b or br c Blairfinde by Kendal. (Winner of the Irish Derby, £560.) 1892—c (dead) by Kendal. 1893—b or br ec. by Kendal. 1894—b ec Galtee More by Kendal. (Winner of £27,019, including Two Thousand Guineas, Derby, and St. Leger.) 1895—br f Sugar Loaf by Gallinule. (Ran, but did not win.) 1896—slipped foal to St. Florian. 1897—b f Galtee Queen by St. Florian. (Placed third once.) 1898—b or br c Galteebeg by St. Florian. (Placed once.) 1899—br c Ard Patrick by St. Florian. (Winner of £24,908, includ- ing the Derby, Prince of Wales’s, and Eclipse Stakes, etc.) 1900—b f Temple Hill by Kendal. (Ran, but did not win.) 1901-2-3-4-5-6— Barren. Died in 1909. MorRGANETTE was bred by the late Mr. Houlds- worth. He sold her to Mr. Gubbins for £200 or £300. With a little bit of luck with her progeny she would have proved the most wonderful brood- mare ever known. One colt out of her was the best looking of all her stock, but could not be trained. There were two or three nice fillies, but something happened to each of them. Her colts that made history were GaLtTEE More, BLair- FINDE, and ARD PATRICK. ERCILDOUNE won the Duke of York’s Stakes at Kempton, and shortly afterwards was beaten by a short head in the Cesarewitch, which was very 64 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES bad luck, as I had contemplated bringing off a good double event, and Tommy Loates, who rode him in the Cesarewitch, admitted that had he not pulled round coming down the Bushes Hill he would certainly have won. The next good horse was Arp Parrickx. He, like the rest of MoRGANETTE’S progeny, was very slow in coming to hand, and was a very backward colt. I could not get him ready for the Two Thou- sand, as he would not come to hand in the spring. MoRGANETTE was dam of ArRD Patrick, GALTEE More, and BiarrrinDE, three Derby winners. Before writing more, however, about ARD Patrick, I must explain that at the end of his eee two-year-old season I was pretty badly South run down by my work, and was advised aiea to take a sea voyage to South Africa. This was in the winter of 1901. So, leaving the stable in charge of my fidus Achates, Mr. Heard, I embarked on the Union Castle s.s. Garka, at Southampton, during Christmas week, together with Mr. Allison (‘The Special Commissioner ”’ of the Sportsman), his wife and daughter, and a very cheery, though limited number of other fellow passengers. This was my first experience of foreign travel, and the Boer war was still on. Mr. John Corlett, on hearing of my expedition, jokingly said, ‘Sam Darling has gone out to settle it.” TT MR. J. E. HEARD, o%) BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 65 I was not in those days a champion sailor, nor, indeed, am I now, and as we ran into bad weather immediately after passing the Needles, and had four successive days of it, I prefer not to dwell on that experience. The following report, however, of how we were faring on the evening of December 30, 1901, will satisfy most readers that up to that time my lot was not a happy one. It was written at the time. “Tt is about 8.30 p.m., and we are still labouring through the Bay, which we entered at 12.50 p.m. yesterday, and may emerge from about In the Bay : : 12 mid-day to-morrow. It is well, I suppose, when you are about it to experience these things properly, and if you are ordered a thorough change to be sure and get it. From this point of view we have not been unfortunate, for after an easy run from London to Southampton, we began to come in for bad weather an hour or two after leaving the latter place, and this soon told its tale among the hitherto eager seafarers. Getting worse throughout the night and following morning, it was more than most had feared, even in their dreams, before the Bay itself was tackled, and then it simply went double on what it had been doing before without ever an easy. The good ship Gavka is as steady and stable a craft as can be, and our captain, who is a bit of a Job’s comforter, 5 66 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES said she was not rolling at all, in his opinion, though she might begin to do so in the night. Now, had she been one of several other vessels he could mention, we should know what rolling really meant. The captain’s words were quite true, for certainly in the night we got an enlarged experience of rolling, and throughout to-day we seem to have been heaving over ceaseless mountains of water and plunging down into yawning valleys with- out end, partly pitching and partly heaving, the ship behaving admirably—in the captain’s opinion—and he knows well what is good or bad behaviour on the part of a ship in such circum- stances.” “The Special Commissioner,’ who enjoys im- munity from sea sickness, worried us all about the New Years OcSitability of celebrating New Year's Eve in the Eve, No one thought of agreeing to *Ysuch a proposal, but on referring to a file of the Sportsman, I find that he wrote on the evening of December 31: “Tt is New Year’s Eve, and I, at any rate, will see the New Year in, though the saloon light where I am writing is put out at 10.30, and that in the smoking-room at 11.30. I have never, to the best of my recollection, missed seeing a New Year in, and I am not going to begin now. More- over, I propose to knock at our various ‘ state- BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 67 room’ doors, bestowing on the occupants the customary good wishes.”’ The same writer, dating January 1, 1902, con- tinued : “When last I wrote I explained my intentions as to seeing in the New Year on board this vessel, and those who know me will not have doubted that I did it; but the task was not easy—at least for one among the first-class passengers, most, if not all, of whom had lost the salt and fire of life for the time being. They turned in long before the due time, and I sat writing up in the room above the saloon till it was a case of ‘ lights out’ there, and then the smoking-room was the next resource for putting in the necessary hours; but even there it was a case of closing the bar at 11.15, and still three-quarters of an hour to make good. I went out on the fore-deck, and heard the gay sounds of a sing-song going on amid the third-class pas- sengers, many of whom are as undesirable a crowd as you could wish to imagine—Polish Jews and so forth of the most squalid type. In the second-class saloon there was mirth and melody, and as I stood above it there came roaring up a chorus from “San Toy,’ and in deeper, mellower, heart-search- ing harmonies the primeval chorus of the sea. ** How strange it seemed to stand there under a beautiful starlit sky, listening to all this frivolous 68 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES gaiety, and looking on the great ocean while the old year was dying. I do not want to labour this effect in what I am writing, but merely to suggest it, and let my readers think it out for themselves. It was now near midnight—and such a beautiful night, too! I went inside to see the saloon clock : only one minute more to go. I watched it half a minute, then went on deck and bade adieu to the old, young year, 1901, and welcomed the newcomer, 1902. “With that—being to the manner born—I hastened down to pose as ‘ lucky bird,’ or * first foot,’ and wish a ‘ Happy New Year ’ to others who had not borne with me in my vigil; but here my dream was ended, for, by some I was sternly repri- manded for having been on deck without a great coat, and having cold hands; by others I was objur- gated, even more forcibly, for waking them, until it occurred to me that, after all, I was little better than the ‘Waits’ at Christmas, and so I began, almost with shame, to turn in. “Then, however, I had my revenge, for the chief officer—a great and good man—had appointed 12.30 a.m. as the proper time to holystone the decks, and the alarming sound overhead did me no hurt, for I was still awake; but it wrought panic among others, and I quickly saw the electric light turned up in the cabin of Mr. 8. Darling, BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 69 which is next my own. Thus were they all forced, however unwillingly, to at least acknow- ledge the existence of the New Year, though most did it under keen apprehension that some- thing had ‘ gone wrong with the works.’ Holy- stoning the decks just above your head is a sort of sound you do not readily satisfy yourself about. I myself thought it was some practical joke, but it was very real business, and the next morning the chief officer gloried in it. Meanwhile—or rather later, to be strictly accurate—the sun had risen, bringing in a New Year.”’ I have drawn on “ The Special Commissioner ” for these intermediate experiences, as they are more agreeable than were my own during the same period. Still quoting from my friend’s diary, I can clearly call to mind what rapid benefit I received from the voyage. On January 3, 1902, he wrote: “ Already his friends in England would hardly know our friend, Sam Darling, who is as fresh as The beneit @ lark, and is developing great skill at of a voyage the game of ‘ Bull.’ I have just been playing deck quoits with him, and, if all goes on as well as it now promises, he will return to England a ten years younger man. These facts will, I am sure, be of interest to my readers, so many of whom are interested in the Beckhampton trainer and his 70 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES Derby horses. Sometimes we are inclined for reading, and I noticed yesterday that Mr. Darling had selected a book entitled A Master of Craft, but, finding it to be, after all, only a seafaring work, he soon rejected it.” I suppose there was some double entendre about the last sentence, but no matter. My further progress to complete health must have reached its zenith by January 14, 1902, for written on that date comes the following : “Mr. Darling has this day participated trium- phantly in the ribbon race. For the benefit of the uninitiated, I may explain that this is a race for ladies, each of whom is supplied with a different coloured ribbon, and a certain number of gentlemen stationed at the opposite ends of the deck hold similar ribbons, but concealed in their hands. The ladies race down the deck and find by rapid inquiries which man has got the corresponding ribbon for each. It is for each man, as soon as found, to knot the two ribbons together as quickly as possible and race back again with the lady, she holding one end and he the other of the com- bined two. Now men are not, as a rule, very nimble with their fingers, and some get agitated and nervous over their futile endeavours to tie knots. Our worthy friend from Beckhampton, however, was cool as a cucumber, and clever as a cD. FRE N HIS SO AND x SAM DARLING ” %. BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 71 cat. In every heat when a lady matched his ribbon he tied up the knot in a twinkling, and jumped off the mark like a professional sprinter. Five times did I see him do this, and in four of these he was first past the post. Once, indeed, he was too quick, and started while still tying the ribbons, amid loud cries of “ Objection!’ But when it came to the final heat he put in an Al performance, dashing his lady past the post fully six lengths in front of the second, whose pilot, though twenty-two years of age, and himself the winner of the potato race, was quite outclassed on this occasion.” These trifles would not be worth mentioning were it not that they form an object lesson of the easy way in which a man who can take a sea voyage may regain health and vitality in a short time. I was, at that period, training myselfi—so to speak—to be ready for the training of ARD Patrick and Port Buiair when I got home. Thanks to the trip to South Africa and back, I was able to take on the big campaign of the 1902 season with full vigour and confidence. The rest of the voyage was uneventful, though Sabbath VCLY Pleasant, until the Sunday evening, oe January 20, 1902, before we reached Cape Town. Then indeed there was a diversion, which afforded excellent sport, and again 72 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES I quote from my friend, who wrote at the time, what my memory absolutely verifies : “Last evening, I, who write, incited various young bloods to box on the first-class deck, and we had quite a good show. It all began through a young Irishman wanting to have the gloves on with a German schoolmaster, who had treated him more or less disagreeably throughout the voyage; but when the gloves were brought no- thing would induce the Teutonic pedagogue to emerge from the protecting vicinity of two ladies, though his would-be opponent offered him one pair with pertinacious courtesy. However, having got so far, we declined to be disappointed, and our young Irish friend found some one else to take him on. They fought two short rounds of hurri- cane character, the Irishman having all the best of it; and after it was over, the German school- master, who had ventured to the side of the vessel, hastily returned to the protecting petticoats. Two other opponents were soon found, and these went through three rounds, timed by myself, amid much applause. Then Dr. Waldron and his brother had a go of three rounds, and quite a lively one it was, the countenance of the brother showing unmis- takable signs this morning. It was really amusing sport, and livened everybody up marvellously, except one puritanical gentleman, who was horrified BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 73 at such Sabbath-breaking. They wanted me to try my luck with a great, hulking second-class passenger, about 25 years old and fully 14 st. in weight, who may or may not have been useful, but I did not see the force of giving 25 years and 3 st. to anybody, so declared my preference for a bout with Dr. Dunlop. That gentleman, however, retired at once to the smoking-room, where I soon afterwards joined him. “This morning the German schoolmaster has had his nose pulled by the young Irishman, and further developments are promised this afternoon, as to which I shall have time to write another line or two. “* January 21. “We have Table Mountain well in view this morning, so the end of the voyage has very nearly come. I must just add a line to say that my young Irish friend, referred to above, failing to draw the German schoolmaster, but spoiling for a turn up with some one, fell foul of a comparatively harmless fellow-passenger, and they indulged in a rough-and-tumble on the deck, with the result that they were reported to the captain, who sent for the carpenter and the irons, This had an imme- diately pacifying etlect—just as the ‘ Monstrous Crow ’ had on Tweedledum and Tweedle-dee. 74 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES ‘‘Last evening therefore passed without any ex- citing incident. We finished it with ‘ Auld Lang Syne’ in approved style, cheers for the captain, and so forth. It has been a long voyage, but a very happy one. That is all I have time to write.” After this came all the trouble of landing and getting away from the docks, which you could not do without having been carefully “ vetted ’’ for plague, before leaving the dock gates. I put up at the Queen’s Hotel, Sea Point, which was quieter, and probably more comfortable, than the Mount Nelson, and found the country very pleasant, though martial law was still on and it was necessary to get a permit to go more than twenty miles from Cape Town. Thanks to the late Mr. Graham Cloete, brother to Mr. Brodrick Cloete, we saw whatever was pagans possible of South African racing, and and racing with Mr. Allison I visited some stables, staies of which the following is his report, and it is a perfectly accurate one. ‘We went along the same day, January 30, 1902, to see two training stables in that neighbourhood, and though Mr. Darling had seen some rough ones in Ireland, his eyes were somewhat enlightened by these. The first was the establishment presided BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 75 over by Mr. Bradley, a short distance from the Kenilworth race-course. This gentleman was most kind, and I would not criticise his place except that he did so himself. Suffice it that the build- ing is of what we should style the ramshackle type, with hardly room to make a gangway behind the horses from one end to the other. Sawdust bedding is another feature; but, withal, the horses were looking well, and among them we saw BoscoMBE CuiMEs and IRRESISTIBLE, the latter of whom is an even greater thief here than he was in England. The Master of Beckhampton looked ruefully at him, remembering the day when, with Sloan up, he beat JuBERT at Newmarket and cost the stable ‘a thousand’ of the best; nor did his depredations end there, for in consequence of this victory they followed him and had £500 on him next time he ran and was beaten. Mr. Bradley showed us two beautiful galloways, Pat C. and another, and really for the time being, a good galloway seems to be the most useful type of racer to possess in this country. Pat C., who had won the Divided Gal- loway Handicap at the recent South African Turf Club’s Meeting, is built something on the same lines as EAGER. “ Bidding good-bye to Mr. Bradley, we drove as fast as two razor-backed, hide-bound scarecrows of horses could take us to Mr. Randall’s stable, near 76 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES Newlands, about a mile and a half away, and here, Mr. Randall's 2t any rate, the buildings are sufficiently nigger =~ spacious and with good ventilation, but it must cost this young trainer no small effort to dissipate the lethargy which seems to hang over the locality. Left to themselves for a few moments while the master was in his house, the boys of various ages were sleeping around the yard, together with various weird-looking dogs. A forbidding-looking nigger was on guard, and eyed us askance as if we were after no good; but soon Mr. Randall appeared, and every one was sharpened up. His stable may be reckoned as one of the most fashionable at present in South Africa, and the principal inmate of it is our old friend CHESNEY, who, after many vicissitudes by sea and land, has at last found himself in luck’s way. This good-looking chestnut, brother to Matuma, had won the Metropolitan Merchants’ Handicap, the principal event at the 8.A.T.C. Meeting, on the 26th ult. He was weighted so as to stop him if possible, having to carry no less than 10 st. 7 lb., with THE Gown, a previous winner, handicapped at 6 st.; GreEN Sxa, the hitherto best, 9st. 5 lb. ; IRRESISTIBLE, 7 st. 5 lb., etc., ete. ; and this is what the Racing Calendar of January 16 says of him: ‘Only five runners turned out for the £500 Metropolitan Handicap. CHESNEY was BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 177 installed favourite at evens, although carrying top weight, 10 st. 7 Ib. He won in magnificent style, and good judges are unanimously of opinion that he is the finest horse, both in looks, speed, and stamina, that has hitherto appeared on a South African course. He was never extended, and won like a champion.’ ““ We had him led out for us to see, and this is the first time since leaving Australia that he has ever been really trained. *”’ I found South Africa most interesting, and saw many notable things in Mr. Cecil Rhodes’s house, and the Stand, not very far from there, where they originally sold slaves by auction. I also saw as much of the racing at Kenilworth as time would permit, and when asked for suggestions about the horses and racing I gave them freely to the best of my ability. To my surprise the sportsmen of Cape Town appreciated this to such an extent that they presented me with a silver tea and coffee service. The suggestions I made were re the mating of horses, training, treatment generally, the courses, and many other things. Mr. Cecil ‘Rhodes’s house. Outside Cape Town, attached to Mr. Cecil Rhodes’s house, was a large 1 CuEsNEY has since then proved a successful stallion in South Africa, 78 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES menagerie, with all kinds of wild animals, not very ee securely fenced in. After inspecting Bagot the estate of Mr. Cecil Rhodes, Captain Reed a Bagot Chester motored us round Wyn- gressive berg, and as the car slowed up through Dutchman a village a big Dutchman rushed out, with a long fork in his hand, and struck the car close to my back. I only just escaped. I said to the Captain : “ What’s the meaning of this ? ” “ Well,” said he, “ just now they don’t like the English,” When we got to Wynberg we were having a look round where a certain ditch was pointed out to me, which had, previous to the war, contained a very large number of rifles, buried there by the Boers in readiness for an attack on the troops landing. These were found by a man when taking a walk with his dog. The dog started to scratch on the ditch, and the man saw something shining. He at once disturbed the surface, and found what the ditch contained, viz. a large number of rifles. The country itself was extremely pleasant, though at times the heat was rather trying. I was staying only a very short time in the country, for I felt the call of Beckhampton all the while; but on February 4, 1902, I made yet another expedition to see what I could of training BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 79 stables, and we found that sizeable horses can be raised in South Africa by those who go the right way to work, and have suitable land. The animals to which I refer were the property of Mr. Nourse, and were trained by White, at the Vineyard Hotel, Newlands. Captain Bagot Chester was good enough to run us out on a motor-car to see this stable, and on the way we passed through Mr. Cecil Rhodes’s domains, where all manner of beasts may be seen in their spacious paddocks. White, if I recollect rightly, used to be with one of the Leaders, and he was certainly doing well here, both as trainer and jockey. The stable was more like one of our home ones than any I saw out there ; but the horses were all bred in South Africa, and, with few exceptions, were by PEARL Diver, whom many of us will remember as one of the first sons of MastTER KiLpaRe, and contemporary with MELTON. PEARL Diver was located at a stud somewhere near Graaf Reinet, and Mr. Nourse used to buy eight or nine of his stock bred there every year. This year, unfortunately, there were none to buy, as, thanks to the Boer marauders, all the foals were lost, though the mares were saved. PEARL DIVER’S stock would be a credit to any horse at home, one of them in particular—WiLD PLUNGER by name— being good enough looking to win in the best company. He was a great performer in South 80 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES Africa, and White was rather anxious for Mr. Nourse to send him to England to try his fortune there. Two features of this stable, which are for South Africa very remarkable, may be mentioned—viz. that the horses were bedded on straw and that there was a good supply of excellent green food in the shape of lucerne. This last point must tell immensely in their favour, though where this lucerne came from is a mystery. There was plenty of lucerne of sorts to be obtained ; but I nowhere else saw any fresh and green like this. There were only two or three ponies in the stable, one being the imported mare, Bonnet Box, said to be by GLoRIATION. She was quite a little wonder in her way, and said to be as good at poloasracing. All the other occupants of the stable were well-grown, big-boned animals, and they proved to demon- stration that size can be maintained in South Africa—at any rate, under such conditions as are observed at the stud where these horses are produced. I appear to have not committed myself to any opinion on the forthcoming “ classics” before I weaine sailed for England on the Dunvegan —_ Castle, on February 5, 1902, for the Seasonable following quotation from the Sports- advice = man is no doubt correct : BECKHAMPTON TO SOUTH AFRICA 81 ‘‘CAPETOWN, “* February 5. ““ «My advice is—Don’t bet on the Derby at all for a long time yet. I certainly shall not do so.’ These are the words of wisdom communicated to me yesterday by S. Darling, and may be taken as his final message before his departure for home, as he sails to-day by the mail boat Dunvegan Castle, and should reach England in sixteen or seventeen days’ time. I am only sorry he has had to go so soon, but it is certain that the change has done him an immense lot of good, and if he lands in England as fit as he is now, it will be good business to follow the Beckhampton horses throughout the coming season.” It may be fairly claimed that the writer of the above gave a good “ tip,” for we know now what Arp Patrick did, and for myself—I am still running. CHAPTER X ARD PATRICK ArpD PatrIick’s two-year-old career does not need to be carefully recorded, though it was good enough to give me great hopes of his following season. At that time we had also a good colt in Port Buarr, whom many expected to be among the best of his year. Like many another big colt before him, ARD Patrick did not come to anything like his best for the Two Thousand Guineas, and a fortnight later he rolled about while running for the New- market Stakes, and was disqualified for bumping Fow ine PIEcE. After that he came to hand nicely, and I was well satisfied with him when we got him to Epsom. When he was on the course to do his work there, I particularly noticed him staring at the stands, and he even did so when I gave him a steady canter past them, so I gave him several other canters past the stands until he was more settled down. He was set practic- 82 The Derby ARD PATRICK 83 ally the same work as GatTEE More. I got him out safely into the paddock. I was staying on the town side, at Mr. W. Nightingall’s place, and went to try and find Mr. Gubbins. I found him walking with his two sticks. “Well, how’s yourself, old man?” said he. “T’m pretty well, thanks,” I replied. “And how’s the horse ? ” “ He’s all right, and I’m very pleased with him ; but you know, Mr. Gubbins, when you were ill another 12 the spring I wrote you about the Sceptre at progress of AnD Parrick, and said you Tain ought to back him for the Derby. As I did not get a reply to my letter I asked Mr. C. Mills to put £1,000 on him, declaring that you could have all or what you liked of it, and I in- formed you of this.” Smiling, he turned round and exclaimed : “ Begad! I’ve got £2,000 on him, old man.” ‘““T suppose,” I said, “‘ that means I’ve got to stand what I was going for you ? ”’ “Well, I don’t suppose you mind that,” he replied. (I stood my bet, and won about £6,000.) “What do you think about it, really, now?” he asked. “1 think we shall win.” “ But how about ScEpPTRE ? ”’ “Well, I saw Scerprre out this morning; she 84 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES was looking light, and fretting very, very much, and I think we are sure to beat her.” “ That’s good news, old man.” ArD Patrick won the Derby very easily. When I saw Sceptre on the downs that morning, I said to a friend : “T do not fear SceprRE to-day.” But it was a different tale when I saw her at Sandown on the Kclipse Stakes ; she had improved very rouch. ArD PaTRICK as a three-year-old won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Ascot, and got it after an objection. At that time there was some new ground just about opposite the stand, and when he cantered down to the posts I saw him falter in this ground, and said to a friend who was next me, ‘By jingo, my horse has nearly broken his leg,” it was such a strain to get it out of this deep ground. Though he got through the race with this, it prevented me training him for the St. Leger. He did little more than walking exercise that year. I put him by for the Eclipse Stakes £10,000 next year, which he won. When he was tried abet for the Eclipse Stakes, he presented of Ard CARAVEL, who was then handicapped pa OF St AO lb., with 3 st., and beat her by a neck over a mile, and did it twice. I then had to go to Newmarket, and sent my assistant— SAS BS 26? bu Ta 2e GLE WEE wy SIG FOS Jeo ARD PATRICK 85 Mr. Heard—with Arp Patrick to Sandown, together with something to lead him. He worked him on the course. I told him to let him go the full course the day before, as I was particularly anxious he should get accustomed to the turn, as I felt pretty confident that he might, like many other horses, have some fear of galloping into those boards at the turn. The course was fright- fully hard, and as it was somewhat slippery round the turn, | had him turned up rather sharp on the outside heels, and shod him with new larger- headed nails, which gave him a good grip, and it The Eclipse 18 history that he came round the turn triumph _ with an advantage, beating ScuptrE by a neck. Perhaps there was never a more exciting race run on an English race-course, even including ORMONDE’S great race (MINTING and BENDIGO at Ascot). You could have heard a pin drop during the last part of the race, and everybody seemed to be holding their breath. I quite expected to beat SCEPTRE. On my arrival the night before the race at Sandown, ArD PatTrIcK was at exercise in the charge of Mr. Heard. Sir James Miller, with Blackwell and Rock Sanp, was also there. When I met Sir James Miller, he said : “Oh, you're going to run, then, Sam ? ” I smiled and said : 86 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES “Yes, I hope so.”’ Then Blackwell told the man who was riding Rock SanpD to trot on. As every race-goer knew by this, he was a very bad goer, and I said: “Oh, I’ve seen him trot worse than that.’ I may say as I came through town I called on Mr. Gubbins, and told him I thought we should win, but after seeing ScEPTRE arrive that evening, I was convinced she had made extraordinary im- provement, which certainly damped my ardour. I told Mr. Gubbins in the morning that I thought we should have our work cut out as this mare had so much improved, and he said to Mr. Fred Craven, when he asked him if his horse was all right : “Yes, but Sam seems to be very alarmed since he has seen SCEPTRE; but at the same time thinks he may just beat her.” The two horses, ARD Patrick and ScEPTRE, were two really high-class race-horses. ScEPTRE was a public idol, but there was no question about it ScEPTRE was right on the day of the Eclipse Stakes. Arp Patrick gave her sex allowance. I consider that the truest test of these two horses was shown on the Kclipse Stakes day, and not on the Derby day, and I always considered Arp Patrick the better of the two, for the simple reason that on both occasions when he met her he “ONITYVG LSANU ies ds 2 ARD PATRICK 87 defeated her, and Arp Patrick never was so well in every way for any of his races as he was for the Derby and Kclipse. In connection with the training of Arp Patrick, I had a horse called Sweet Sounps, which I bought ee purposely to lead him. SweExEr Sounps “Sweet being rather bad tempered, I was always “aol cautioning the boy who rode him. After Arp Partrick’s final gallop for the Derby, led by Sweet Sounps, I sent these two horses to walk round my plantation and to get a turn in the shade of the trees, and I again instructed the boy to be careful with Sweet Sounpbs, but he loosed his girth, which is customary after galloping, and did not see that the pin of the buckle had not caught in the hole. It dropped down, and the buckle touched Sweet Sounps under the knee. He went down on his knees as if he had been shot, threw the boy off and seized him by his leg and ran round with him like a terrier with a rat, tearing his clothes off and part of his flesh. When he loosed him the boy ran for protection behind one of my ploughs. Arp Patrick was ridden away behind the trees. SwrErT Sounps made for home bridleless. My third son, Ernest, who met him up the road, approached him without fear. Part of the rein was on his neck; he put this round his nose and led him into the yard as quiet as a sheep. 88 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES The same horse, once, being stripped for a gallop, tried to savage Mr. Heard. I afterwards won a £1,000 race with Sweet Sounps at Derby. I have never been very emphatic about which was the better of the two horses, GALTEE MORE Galtee More #220 ARD Parrick. GatTEE Mors had Sood a thickening of the tendon under the Which was knees, and this at different times caused the better? me no little anxiety, and in the end was the cause of my not training him as a four-year-old for the Gold Cup at Ascot. It is doubtful which was the better, but the benefit of the doubt would probably be given to Arp Patrick, as I could not very well train GatrEE More as a four-year-old. Could I have done so the question of merits might have been decided. GattEE More was tried before the Two Thousand, one mile, ridden by Charles Wood, to receive a stone from KiLcock, who was then handicapped 9 st. in the Jubilee. The way GALTEE More won he would have just about beaten Kitcock at even weights. I did not try him for the Derby. I have a good deal more to say about ARD Pat- RICK however in another chapter, for long before his four-year-old wins Count Lehndorfi had been wanting to buy him, but Mr. Gubbins and Mr. Allison and I had been in Egypt during the pre- liminary negotiations. CHAPTER XI VOYAGE TO EGYPT I wENT in the beginning of 1903 to Egypt with Mr. Gubbins and Mr. Allison, and I think it the most interesting of the foreign countries I have visited. The voyage was not very eventful, but the following from my scrap book shows that there was some humour in it. “S.8. ‘ OCEANA,’ “* January 12, 1903. “ Overnight I had ended the Sabbath in the smoke-room, where an erudite person, bearded like the pard, was holding forth on questions of philology to any who would listen to him. He buttonholed the naval chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Tcely, and tackled him on the subject of the Pentateuch and various matters of religious dogma—all in a loud pedagogic voice. The chaplain seemed thoroughly uncomfortable, especially when asked to explain why and when Sunday was substituted for the Sabbath Day ; but he let the bearded one talk on, which was all the latter seemed to care for. 89 90 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES Others were playing bridge. I, by way of antidote, was trying to read Old St. Paul’s once again; but when the erudite person got talking of Greek ac- cents and the importance to be attached to them when pronouncing Greek words, a fear came over the assembly, and, the bar closing just then, we went sorrowfully to bed. I may pursue the sub- ject to its sequel, however, for at 1 p.m. to-day, when we were approaching Cape St. Vincent, the erudite one, being informed of the fact, inquired when we should pass Insbon! So much for erudi- tion and Greek accents ! “This morning the naval chaplain appeared much more at home playing quoits and shuffleboard. It has, indeed, been a glorious day. I found Mr. Gubbins on deck before breakfast, and for every one ‘ the bitterness of death ’ seemed to be past. Bright, beautiful air, many vessels passing us, land well in sight, bleak, inhospitable cliffs—a long, long line of them—and it was hereabouts in old days where so many battles were fought and won. I play bull board with Mr. Darling and am defeated. A like result attends my efiorts at quoits ; but now we watch our approach to Cape St. Vincent. It is amazing what fresh life there is in everybody— even in Mr. Gubbins’s servant, who is a new man. Luncheon comes before we reach the signalling point, but there is plenty of time, and this is seen VOYAGE TO EGYPT 91 afterwards. There is no need here to describe a place which is so well known, but the whole effect is exhilarating in a high degree, and a little white- sailed, white-painted schooner coming up on the port tack between us and the shore, with the sun shining on her, completes a vastly interesting picture with just one master touch. A naval officer points to a headland far away and says it is Cape Trafalgar—at least, he thinks so, but is not sure without the chart. The erudite person is pacing and brooding alone over the relative posi- tions of Lisbon and Cape St. Vincent. It is agreed between me and Mr. Darling that Mr. Taylor Sharpe would be a godsend on this ship, if only for the purposes of tackling this erudite person. Intro- duced as Professor Taylor Sharpe, I am sure he would astonish the gentleman, and doubtless teach him a greatdeal. It is good to be alive to-day, and, as the sight-seeing is more or less over, we revert to the various deck games. The captain has met Mr. Darling in the barber’s saloon this morning and imparted to him the information that he once saw GALTEE More win a two-year-old race; ‘ And do you know,’ added the captain, ‘that horse also won the Derby?’ Mr. Darling had heard that that was so, and later on conveyed the news to Mr. Gubbins, who was duly edified. We shall reach Gibraltar in the morning, and have been slowing 92 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES down for the past two days to avoid getting there too soon. ‘““Mr. Gubbins has to-day performed an act of justice to Ireland by causing a Scotch member of Parliament who is on board to drink some special Irish whisky, and the Scotch member—away from his constituents—has declared that he never tasted such good whisky before.”’ I make no apology for quoting from Mr. Allison’s record of our voyage, for it was written at the time, and is necessarily more accurate than anything I could now write from memory, though memory, when refreshed, tells me it is exactly correct. “S.8. ‘OcEANA,’ “* January 13, 1903. “Oh, how that naval chaplain sang overnight ! Once wound up, he reeled off all the old favourites, such as ‘There is a tavern in the town,’ ‘Wrap me up in my tarpaulin jacket,’ etc., etc., and the choruses were vociferously rendered by all present. Mr. Gubbins, who had retired, was drawn from his cabin two decks below, and every one was delighted, though the erudite person smiled only feebly, and later on explained in the saloon certain musical in- accuracies—illustrating them with his own voice. VOYAGE TO EGYPT 93 “ At seven this morning we were due at Gibraltar, and the clocks having been put on an hour during ee the night we arrived there punctually. Breakfast was advanced an hour, and so really the usual night was minus two hours. It would be idle here to go into any descriptive details of Gibraltar, where the new works seem to be pro- gressing fast. The Mediterranean Fleet was well represented in the harbour, and about 7.30 H.M.S. Victorious came out and steamed close past us, her business of the day being torpedo practice. “There being no time to waste, we speedily got away with others in a launch, and Mr. Darling being at once singled out by one David Haros, courier of the Hotel Cecil, Gibraltar, arranged surprisingly moderate terms for himself and me to be driven round and shown all that was worth seeing. We were consequently off and away im- mediately on landing, and, having repaired to the telegraph office, were then taken through the market, past the Governor’s house, on to the gates, which are shut against all comers at 7 p.m. Here are the lines of British sentries; then a few hundred yards of neutral ground, and on the other side the Spanish lines. At the gates there people are searched in thorough fashion, as attempts to smuggle are frequent, but we are passed through, and then go on foot through the Spanish town, 94 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES filthy, malodorous, ill paved, with cur dogs sitting at almost every door. Half a mile of this on the most irregular of jagged cobble stones is rather trying to feet after walking on deck, but at last we reach the splendid building which encloses the bull-ring. We are taken into this, and have all details explained. We enter the place where the bulls are kept before being let out into the arena, see the slaughter-house for bulls and horses—in fact, we see all that is to be seen, and also on return- ing have a good look at the race-course on the Gibraltar side. Of course, the rock and fortifica- tions are duly noted, and then we pass through the meat and vegetable market, ultimately buying superb oranges after being forced to try them by a persistent vendor. Then through the Moorish market, where Moors have a monopoly of fowls and egos. This is interesting in its way, as the mer- chants seem quite of a medizval sort. Time begins to press and we drive on, but are advised by the good Haros to buy Moorish curios at a shop which he recommends. Here we encounter a most humorous Moor, who is a first-rate salesman. After a rapid encounter, Mr. Darling gradually gets his own way, and buys three pretty trifles at his own price. The Moor kisses them fondly as he packs them up, and says he could weep to think he will never see them more. In vain he urges VOYAGE TO EGYPT 95 us to buy lace and many other articles. We have no money, we say. Ah! but he does not want money from us, he has only to look at us to see that he could trust us to pay, even if we bought his whole shop, and so on, and so on; but we are not further drawn, so he shakes hands heartily with us, and we hurry down to the launch. “ Haros was most anxious to take us for a week or ten-day tour in Spain, making all sorts of alluring promises; but him, too, we left (though my readers may note him as a good man) after fervent hand-shaking, and, believing ourselves to be the first of the passengers to return to the launch, sat waiting for the others, but after five minutes persuaded the men to run us out and re- turn for them. Arrived on board, we found the others already there, and we were within about ten minutes of being left. By eleven o’clock a.m. the Oceana was moving again, and this time at better speed than heretofore. There is the splendid view of the old rock as we pass, with the Victorzous lying closer in between us and the shore, and then away we go on the Mediterranean, and I celebrate the occasion by defeating Mr. Darling at shuffle-board. The day is bright and beautiful, and I feel kindly disposed—even to a gentleman who asks me if there is not a horse called Rocxsanps (sic) and 96 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES whether it is worth taking a long shot about for the Derby.” And now came strange experiences at Mar- seilles, for details of which I must again quote from my friend, who wrote at the time, under date January 16, 1903: ‘How it came about I do not exactly know, but Mr. Gubbins, Mr. Darling, a Scotch doctor Aweird named McWatt, and myself left the ie ore Oceana shortly after eleven o’clock yes- seilles terday morning and landed—recklessly and without premeditation—in Marseilles. I had hoped that one at least of them would talk French, for in this part of France you cannot get on with English as you can in the North; but they were all dummies, and for my own part I am as loth to try talking French as talking through a tele- phone. “ Some evil fate impelled us on our destiny. We thought not of the various agents of Thos. Cook & Son, H. 8. King & Co., and to the offers of a courier we returned a blunt refusal. Outside the docks we got into the first vovtwre—a large load we were—and said ‘ Allez.’ Just then a gold- braided menial placed in my hands a card of the Grand Restaurant de Provence, and said, “ Best lunch in Marseilles.’ Our coachman being in doubt VOYAGE TO EGYPT 97 where to go, we gave him this card, and he started off. A very busy place is Marseilles, and we ad- mired many of the big mules and draught-horses which we passed, though there was much ‘ avoid- ance, as Mr. Jorrocks expressed it, and we learned from many of them, as the science of shoeing is clearly very behindhand in these parts, and all the evils to which the pastern or hoof is lable might be seen there. ** We reached the Grand Restaurant de Provence, where ‘ real English comfort and English waiters’ were promised, only to find that French was the only language. However, in an unlucky moment, we thought the place did not look bad, and said we would come back and lunch at one. By this time I had been forced out of my habitual reserve and compelled to set about talking French. “ Once you break the ice it is not difficult—that is, if you know anything of the language—and I made our man understand he was to drive us for an hour to the most interesting places. We won- dered where, in the circumstances, he would go; but he gauged us rightly, and took us to the race- course, and returning from that by the plage, we had an excellent view of the bay and well-laid-out cliff-side, the cascades, and so forth. Our cocher had by now asked fora cigar, and got it. Presently his old horse hung resolutely to a drink shop, and 7 98 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES he demanded a ‘ bock,’ which was also supplied. He tried to persuade us to go to a very attractive- looking hotel hereabouts, and others of his kind in the yard there joined in urging us todo so. On this we became suspicious, and ordered our man to drive, as he was told, to the ‘Provence.’ He shrugged his shoulders and did so. “Arrived there we found the gold-braided menial now officiating as porter. We entered the grill-room, and it fell to me to give the various orders of each member of our party. These needed such thought to turn into French, that I fought for time by calling for hors-d’euvre. Mr. Gubbins, meantime, was well pleased with some excellent bread, which we speedily finished, and asked for more—without result. The hors-d’@uvre were a terror. I got a fish of sorts—on which a dog would have delighted to roll had he found it on the sea shore. The others had equally monstrous * delicacies.’ “* Meanwhile I had given the orders; but so long was I explaining in French that kidneys for Mr. Darling were to be lightly cooked, that, although I did so at last and was perfectly understood, the kidneys had meanwhile been cooked to leathern consistency. Troubles now rained thick on us. Mr. Gubbins called—and kept calling—for bread, but it came not, and there was evidently great VOYAGE TO EGYPT 99 confusion about this. At last it was evident that we had eaten all the bread in the place, and a fresh supply, which was at last obtained, was of infamous quality. Mr. Gubbins and Dr. McWatt had steaks which no ordinary knife would cut nor regulation teeth masticate. Here was a moment when we all seemed savage, and then, I am thankful to say, we saw the humour of the situation—though at our own expense—and burst out laughing. “Outside, the gold-braided porter ‘ hoped we had enjoyed our luncheon.’ Ye gods! words could not answer him, and we gave him a ‘ tip’ for his skill and audacity. Here had we acted as the veriest Innocents Abroad, and fallen into the hands of the first ‘ tout ’ we came across! It is strange, not to say humiliating, for of course we found afterwards there are plenty of good places in Mar- seilles to lunch at; while we had resorted to this one, which was of a class where a mother with baby complete (taking its natural nutriment) could be present at a table near ours, and ap- parently not out of place. We made our way back to the ship, where coaling was going on, and our cabins in consequence were locked up—coal dust and misery all over the place; but at dinner that night we agreed with the chief officer that the ship is the best place in Marseilles.” CHAPTER XII FROM MARSEILLES TO THE NILE WE were quite a happy ship until a horde of pas- sengers boarded us at Marseilles, and it is amusing Marseilles tO See the disinclination of those who misanthropes have been on the voyage from the start to fraternise with these. There was, I think, positive joy when we ran into rather bad weather the first evening and made most of them ill. After that they were themselves liverish and disagreeable. Some objected to singing in the music saloon, and a crotchety old lady strongly objected to the ping- pong table, at which game the other passengers were very keen players. She asked the captain to remove it, as it affected her nerves. The captain told some of the passengers what she had said, and was afraid he would have to accede to her request. There was an appeal made to him by a sporting passenger on board, in verse, as follows : “To CAPT. STOUT ‘Music SAaLoon, “RMS. ‘ OcEaNa,’ ** January 18, 1903. ‘That music soothes the savage breast As general rule may be confessed ; 100 ‘NUGUVO NAHOLIM TO MUTA WINWOOD FROM MARSEILLES TO THE NILE 101 But breasts there be so fierce and strong Who hate both music and ping-pong : For breasts like these we can but pray— So wholly barbarous are they— But, captain, you are stout and able, So give us back our ping-pong table ! ** ANON.” This was sent to the captain’s table that mght at dinner, and after he had read it one of the ladies who sat at his table was highly amused at these lines, and promptly wrote back : “Hark the herald angels sing Do you pong or do you ping ? If you do not ping or pong You cannot join the heavenly throng.” The captain afterwards gave us back our table. A great trouble to us on leaving Marseilles was the news contained in last Thursday’s papers as to the illness of Richard Marsh, but no private telegram on the subject came to hand, and we left, after wiring to have the latest information sent to Port Said. The Stdndard and Telegraph apparently had later information than the Times, and the two first-named papers did not suggest any alarmist view, so we ended by being confident that all would be well, and hoping confidence might be justified. I had forgotten my own doings during the second stage of the voyage, but the following extract from 102 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES the Sportsman shows that I at least attempted to do something : “‘T have just been up in the music-room, seeing the skipper give away the prizes for the sports Hat ._—« this afternoon. It transpires that Mr. trimming Darling was an equal second in the hat- trimming competition, and I only regret that, being unaware of the auction, I was not there this after- noon to buy the hat which he trimmed. It would have formed such a fine exhibit in the Sportsman window that—whatever it might have cost—I am sure the proprietors would have gladly given mea big premium. ‘The sale of hats realised a record total.” —The Special Commissioner, Janu- ary 19th, 1903. The Oceana reached Port Said about 8.30 p.m. on January 20, 1903, and, thank goodness, we were allowed to stay on board for the night, for it was raining hard, and a more uninviting place than Port Said it would be difficult to find. Of course there was the nuisance of coaling; but it hardly was a nuisance, for to watch the native labourers at this work is a bit of an eye-opener. They take the whole job at a tremendous pace, hurrying in a continuous stream up one gangway plank, each with half a hundredweight of coal on his shoulders ; then, after shooting their load on board, running down another plank into the lighters for more, all FROM MARSEILLES TO THE NILE 103 the while encouraging themselves and one another with ceaseless shouting and clamour, and never for one moment did they seem to take a lull. The speed at which they rattled the coal into the ship was something amazing, and they went on and on without the slightest sign of fatigue, the scene to any one looking on from above being very suggestive of infernal regions, with black, clamour- ing devils swarming up to board us. We had to clear out of our cabins at six o’clock next morning, and then, in due course, came the The terrors Worry and struggle of getting luggage reer’ through the Customs and on board the Said =. 9.55 trainforCairo. Fortunately, Shep- heard’s Hotel is represented at Port Said by a most capable and obliging official, who saw us through our trouble; but we were like to have been torn in pieces by the greedy cormorants who marked us for their prey, and kept seizing on any stray bag or rug under pretence of doing us service. It appears, ordinarily speaking, a very simple matter to get luggage conveyed to a station, but here it is far otherwise, because the wildest excite- ment prevails, and the crowd which besets you must almost necessarily confuse a stranger to the country. Persistent bootblacks even seized us by the feet and endeavoured to black our boots whether we would or no. Vendors of oranges pursued us, 104 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES and at the station at least a dozen men claimed to have rendered us some sort of assistance. The Back. train was about forty minutes late in sheesh. starting, and the last thing which we were urged to purchase was a bottle of no doubt terrible whisky. The boy who offered it grinned afiably, showing the whitest teeth, and said, “Whisky, good-make fight! ’’ Having no desire to be affected that way, we did not purchase, but gave him a cigarette. If I were to give my own first impression (for what it is worth) of Egypt, when once one is clear of such nuisances as just described, it is the perfect colouring of the whole picture. No one except a European looks really commonplace, and in the infinite variety of costumes and colours there is not one single garish effect—I suppose the sun takes care of that—but the result is none the less picturesque on that account. It is not for me to describe in any detail how we meandered along on a narrow-gauge line from Port Said to Ismailia, taking due note of the canal as we went, and the arid waste of water on the right-hand side; nor need I say much about the renewed turmoil at Ismailia, where a change is More back- made, and where once more our baggage sheesh! = was seized by endless men—Cook’s men, Shepheard’s men, Gaze’s men, and others. Under FROM MARSEILLES TO THE NILE 105 the circumstances it was quite a heavy job to fetch up at last in the right train without losing anything except Mr. Gubbins’s hat. Here, how- ever, we got lunch, and felt more happy. Then came the journey on to Cairo, and the sight of the country all around, with all sorts of strange, weird-looking cattle grazing within the limits of a tether—camels, donkeys, a few horses—all these were there also, and countless colour effects from the various people tending stock in the field or riding some home or leading others. It is a sur- prising sight to any one who has not been here before, and not the least interesting point to notice was the irrigation and the frequent water elevators worked by one animal turning a wheel. Advancing from Ismailia, however, alongside the canal, one could so easily recall the story of the war which ended at Tel-el-Kebir, and wonderful, indeed, it is that any expedition should ever have been sent on such an enterprise with ordinary service wagons and such-like paraphernalia, which, of course, sank up to their axles in the desert. The lines of Tel-el-Kebir are still visible, though silted over with sand, and farther on you see the cemetery where some of the best were buried. Then there is Tel-el-Kebir station, and what I take to be the lockhouse of the canal, where the late Major Dalbiac and some fifteen others lay 106 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES wounded and helpless all the night after the battle, while big fleas and other noxious insects from the sand crept over them. These, however, are past memories. I hurry on to our arrival at Cairo, which was at 5 p.m., and Arrival at ere at last was something like rest. Cairo The place as you drive through it is just beautiful, and, comfortably installed on the first floor at Shepheard’s, we soon forgot the evils of the day. Outside, sitting on the terrace, you have a microcosm of Egyptian life passing and re-passing, and my immediate regret was that we were not to stay there longer. A really superb hotel is Shepheard’s—oh! what a contrast to the best in Cape Town! To me, thus sitting on the terrace, for the time being alone, who should appear but M. Edmond Blanc, who was, I think, glad to meet some one who knew Fiy1nea Fox so well, and had also seen Vinicius. M. Blanc was more than satisfied with the first of Ftyine Fox’s stock. One or two had been tried and shown remarkable stamina for their age. Starting slowly, just as their sire did when he made his debut at Ascot, they had run their gallops out in a way that encouraged very confident hopes for their future. As to Vinictus—‘‘ He is the best horse I ever owned,”’ said M. Blane. FROM MARSEILLES TO THE NILE 107 At that moment Mr. Gubbins came out on the terrace, and I introduced these two notable owners, who had never met before. Needless to say, they had much conversation—not only about horses, but about motor-cars—and M. Blanc stated his inten- tion to run Vinicius for the French Derby before attempting the English one. As this means run- ning on Sunday and again on Wednesday, with the visit to England thrown in, I thought Rock SanpD and others of our best had no serious cause to fear the Frenchman. Later on we foregathered indoors, and, of course, there was much interesting conversation, as to which I say nothing ; but we felt very happy after dinner at Shepheard’s, for truly they did us well, and later in the evening there was a small dance in the inner hall, which was wonderfully pleasant to watch, so many uniforms and gay colours being in evidence, while several Jame ducks from the Oceana crowd were footing it in fantastic fashion. A few days later Mr. Gubbins and I were the victims of some stupid railway officials. I quote the particulars from “‘ The Special Commissioner ”’ of January 23, 1903: ** Carro-AssiouT TRAIN, ** January 23. ‘Tt seems strange to be writing this in the train en route from Cairo to Assiout, but nevertheless 108 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES it is so, on this January 23, and Messrs. Gubbins and §. Darling are here also and still going strong. We started at 8 o’clock this morning, and are due at 4.30, when we shall embark on the steamer Rameses the Great, which left Cairo last Tuesday, and by to-morrow week should have conveyed us as far as Assouan, which is 583 miles from Cairo. To-morrow donkey riding will commence at 8.30, and we go to visit the tomb of ‘ The Sacred Wolf,’ the Assiout bazaar, market, etc. ** Now as I write we have reached Assiout, and Messrs. Gubbins and 8. Darling have lost their At Assiout LUggage, which has gone on to Luxor, without and cannot possibly be recovered until Mr, Cubbins Monday—this is Saturday. Personally, Pe old have “all mine, but this loss of the others’ is desperately annoying, more especially as it was due to no fault of the owners. We have come 250 miles through all-permeating dust, noting the irrigation of the country and the immense growth of sugar-cane, to say nothing of the acres and acres of green stuff, of sorts, with the motley crowd of animals eating it at tether’s length here, there, and everywhere. What a number of people, too, all over the place, living an entirely pastoral life with their flocks and herds! But such flocks, and such herds! The sheep are dreadful, and the FROM MARSEILLES TO THE NILE 109 cattle all skin and bones, many of the native breed being ridden to and from their pastures. The donkeys are the best-class animals I have seen, and the camels hold their own; but other beasts are emaciated to the last degree, though there seems plenty for them to eat if they were only given the chance. The beautiful rich soil would surely grow root crops and many other things than it is, seemingly, asked to do. “ However, let that pass, for I am in a hurry to post this at 7 p.m. We are now on board the Rameses the Great—a really beautiful boat, with spacious cabins and every possible comfort. Mr. Gubbins, despite his lost luggage, looks happy.” The above statement that Mr. Gubbins was quite happy without his luggage is correct, but I certainly was not. CHAPTER XIII LIFE ON THE NILE I GIvE now a few notes made on board the Rameses the Great, as we went up the Nile: S.S. “ RaMESES THE GREAT,” OFF LUXOR, January 27, 1903. “Yes, Lady Meux, she got that mummy. She speak strong to the museum, and she got him. Lady Meux—oh, she beautiful lady !—I know her well; she come out here with her dogs and all, and she like Egypt The speaker was Mohammed, the famous Drago- man who has been with Messrs. T. Cook & Son, Ltd., since their beginning in 1872, and he is a great character, full of humour, and never at a 33 ! loss for a ready answer, even when one might think him fairly cornered. Thus, when he dropped an American lady’s cloak on the dusty hill-side, as we were returning from the tomb of King Meri-ka-ra, he anticipated her reproaches by saying, “Ah! but, Madame, it is the sacred dust! ” Mohammed has credentials from all manner of 110 LIFE ON THE NILE 111 great people, but it interested me most to hear the story of how that wonderful mummy and mummy-case came into the possession of the late Lady Meux, for it was originally acquired by poor young Ingram, who was later on killed by an elephant. He opened that case, thinking that its contents were of little value, but, finding his mis- take, had it at once closed up again. The inscrip- tion on the case, however, is to the effect that whoever opens it will die in a strange country, being destroyed by wild beasts, and will have no tomb, which was exactly the fate that befel. How Lady Meux became possessed of that mummy and sarcophagus I do not exactly know, but it is of fabulous value. Harking back for a moment, I may here recall that on our visit to the Pyramids, Mr. Gubbins— Renee Mr. Allison and I had gone forward to aoe see the Sphinx—was asked by one of the motley crowd who wished to sell him scarabs: “ Are youan Englishman?” “ No.” “Are you an American?” ‘‘No.” “‘ Are you a Scotchman?” “No.” “Are you a German ?” “No”; and by the time we got back Mr. Gubbins was evidently regarded as a “ bit of a liar” by these people, who seemed to know no Ireland. To see some sort of sport, if possible, we took on the offer of a youth who engaged to get to the 112 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES top of the big Pyramid and back in eight minutes for four shillings—no doubt he would have gone for one shilling, but we had no time to haggle, and it was well worth the money to see him do it. I held the watch, and when it had ticked 5 min. 30 sec. by the time he stood on the top, I certainly thought he was beaten; but he came down like an antelope, and landed in 7 min. 35 see. Moreover, when he came up to us for his money he was hardly blowing at all. They are very fit, these men. But the world is very small, and here, as we are progressing up the Nile, watching the primitive but very clever arrangements for pumping up the water for irrigation, taking note of the strange people and beasts of curious sorts that are grazing on either side, and wondering how the feluccas—if that be the correct name for countless vessels doing work like our lighters, but very differently rigged— can ever be got up-stream at all, Mohammed came up to me and said, “‘ Mr. Darling, do you know Mr. Ashley ? ” Do I know Mr. Ashley ! I asked if he meant Mr. Ashley of the Sportsman. “Yes, that he. He have office in street near Ludgate Hill. I always go see him when I am in London.” LIFE ON THE NILE 113 “ But, Mohammed, how did you come to know Mr. Ashley ? ” “Oh, I took him and Mr. Steel and Mr. Peech up the Nile twenty-two years ago. Mrs. Ashley, she there, too; very kind, good people. Mr. Steel and Mr. Peech, they make bets and want to get telegraphs. Very nice gentlemen, all.’’ It may not interest my readers very greatly to read how we landed at Assiout and visited the tomb of ‘‘ The Sacred Wolf,” and, higher up the hill, that of King Meri-ka-ra. Most people rode donkeys, but on this occasion we drove with Mr. Gubbins, getting away from the start with much difficulty owing to fighting donkey boys, inter- mixed with mendicants. Mr. Gubbins’s servant had become valiant, and was observed at this point donkey-riding in company with two ladies’ maids. Driving through the market and on our way to the tombs we found the scene strange enough, for in the very narrow streets the people were sitting on either side, with their goods for sale exhibited in front of them, and many of them engaged in shoe-making. How we contrived not to drive over toes or goods is a bit of a puzzle; but the return journey was still more strange, for we went through both market and bazaar, and by this time there were still more marvellous throngs of people. 8 114 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES Camels, donkeys, sheep, goats, turkeys, etc. All manner of things were assiduously offered us—and until you come to this country you can have but scant idea of what it means not to take “No” for an answer—but we emerged without being drawn into purchases, and at this juncture an elderly Huddersfield man cantered past us on a large white donkey, evidently thinking well of himself. Jehu would not have been in it with our driver, who a moment or two after whipped up his horses into a gallop, and dashed for a level crossing over the railway, where the gates were just closing and a train approaching. We squeezed through at top speed just in time, our fragile vehicle swinging on two wheels round the turn, and it was not a pleasant experience. The man on the white ass had managed to keep in front—there was hardly room for him to let us pass—and as we slowed down after getting over the crossing, he reached the boat first, and declared triumphantly that he had beaten us. Later on he was heard repeating the same story to his friends, as he walked about the deck with labori- ously bowed legs to suggest habitual horsemanship. The scene on our departure was sufficiently ex- traordinary—a parti-coloured, clamorous crowd of all sorts and kinds, offering bracelets, shawls, fly- switches, musicalinstruments, curios of innumerable LIFE ON THE NILE 115 varieties—all “‘ very good’’—and much business was done with the passengers, but not till prices were reduced in rates of from £5 to £1, or even 10s., before we really went. Higher up on the bank Egyptian schoolboys, of much better class, were asking only for English books. We sheered off amid cries of “‘ Good-bye ’’ and so forth, the mass of people presenting a most remarkable effect of colouring, to which the big, white, gaily caparisoned donkeys contributed not a little, and so at last our voyage up the Nile had fairly commenced, and not in such very great dis- comfort either for me or Mr. Gubbins, for the various officers of the ship helped us with sundry necessaries until our lost luggage could be caught up at Luxor. The chief steward had collars that exactly fitted me, and the doctor’s shirts were equally successful. At Luxor our luggage came on board all right. Mr. Gubbins had a carrying chair assigned to him, and in this he went to see the temple of Hathor, the Egyptian “ Venus,” at Denderah. It is a dis- tance of about two miles from the boat, and the four bearers of Mr. Gubbins’s chair must have been pretty useful. Mr. Gubbins was a merciful man, and resolved not to try his chair again. Next day he drove. 116 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES We stayed there for the next two days, as there was much to be seen, including a race meeting on Thursday, in which a great event is a stake to be run for by gamooses—the native cattle. I had been asked to act in some official capacity at the meeting; and before we left Cairo Mr. Gubbins was asked by the Committee of the Khedival Sporting Club to judge horses at their show, but the date did not fit in with our arrangements. CHAPTER XIV THE GYMKHANA AT LUXOR ON our arrival at Luxor I found that my name had been published as starter and judge at the Gym- khana. It proved that the chaplain had anticipated my coming, and he asked if I would mind acting. I did not see my way, however, to both start and judge. As I did not know a word of Arabic, I said, “‘ What is the word ‘ go’ in Arabic?’ “ Yallah,” he replied. I got through my duties I think fairly satis- factorily, though I felt during the finish of the Buffalo buffalo race I would rather have been au in a safer spot. This particular race Luxor = was confined to a tribe called the Bisha- reens, who wore long plaited hair, castor-oiled, hanging down their backs. They were men of fine physique, and had most marvellous white teeth. Some part of their family had the buffaloes on halters at the other end of the track, mixed up anyhow. When I said “ Yallah,” these fellows 117 118 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES went away with a weird cry, each seizing his own beast and riding it back. The man who won had to tie his buffalo up to a post opposite me. That there was great excitement at the post I need not say. There were all kinds of races, ladies on donkeys with eggs and spoons, lemon cutting, tent pegging. Mr. Allison had contracted Nile fever the day after we left Assiout, but he recovered sufficiently to attend this Gymkhana, and what he wrote at the time is necessarily more accurate than what I remember after eleven years. Therefore I again quote from his diary : «§.S. “RAMESES THE GREAT,’ ASSOUAN, “ January 31, 1903. “Since I last wrote, and being still further forti- fied with the milk of the gamoose (or native buffalo) and soda, I ventured to take a liberty and, disregarding the doubts of my good friend the doctor, attended the race meeting of the Luxor Gymkhana Club on the 29th inst. Mr. Gubbins and I drove there together, and let me say in passing that Mr. Gubbins is in splendid health— which is a fine change after his experience of three or four months in bed during each of the recent winters—and we were accommodated with the only two chairs in the Club enclosure, the rest of the company being provided with rows of hen- At Assouan THE GYMKHANA AT LUXOR = 119 coops on which to sit. A shelter at the back of us to some extent kept off the full strength of the sun, but there was no other suggestion of a stand. The course itself was of the earth, earthy, or sandy— which you will—not more than two furlongs in length, but of abundant width. “* On this course the worthy chaplain of the place was ubiquitous, mounted on a fine brown donkey, which hack-cantered with him as freely as a man could wish. As Clerk of the Course the rev. gentle- man had much to do, and he did it well. It may interest the anti-gamblers to know that, so far as I could see, there was no sign of any betting through- out the afternoon. On the far side of the course the native contingent mustered in full force, and just about where we should have the carriage enclosure were a score of mounted camels, snarling and grumbling, after their wont. These I thought at first carried the aristocracy of the neighbour- hood, but soon found that they were, in fact, the competitors for the Camel Race, which was the seventh item on the card, or rather ‘the pro- gramme,’ for there was no card. Let me without further prelude give the programme : “* Luxor Sporting Club Gymkhana.—Third race meeting of the season, Thursday, January 29, at 3 p.m. Programme: 1, Bishareen Bucket Race ; 2, Dragoman Victoria Cross Race ; 3, Buffalo Race ; 120 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES 4, Donkey Boys’ Tandem Race ; 5, Gubbins Stakes —Horse Race; 6, Gentlemen’s Race—Heads and Posts; 7, Camel Race; 8, Ladies’ Race—Egg and Spoon; 9, Obstacle Race; 10, Tug of War— Rameses the Great v. Amasis. Judges: Mr. Darling, Mr. Tytus, and Mr. Nicholson. Starters : Dr. Abrahams and Mr. Western. Clerk of the Course: The Chaplain. Racing Donkey Tariff: If hired on course, 5 P.T. each race; winners 5 P.T. each extra. No _ backsheesh. Boys not allowed to follow donkeys. Visitors wishing to race will present themselves mounted at the starting point. No entrance fee. Surplus will be given to the Luxor Hospital for Natives. Race- course is half a mile from Luxor Hotel. Admis- sion 10 P.T., members free. Programme One Piastre each.’ “ control of their riders ? —the finish often so dashing and thrilling, causing breathless excitement ! 158 SAM DARLING'S REMINISCENCES I go with the times in most things; but race- riding (if we could find jockeys as good as those I’ve mentioned) I would welcome back to- morrow. I should explain, perhaps, as showing the reason why Maher’s methods differ from those of Sloan in his first seasons here, that practically all races now are run at a much faster pace than they used to be, and the English jockeys, having by bitter experience come to understand Sloan’s trick of waiting in front at a false pace, no longer permit themselves to be hoodwinked in that way. There- fore, of course, Maher has been up against an entirely different proposition from the very simple one which confronted Sloan in his early days of riding in England. Madden, who rode Arp Patrick for the Eclipse Stakes, had, to all intents and purposes, adopted the American style, as modified by experience. PART) TT CHAPTER I STRAY FANCIES I REACHED my zenith with Arp Patrick’s Eclipes Stakes, and though I had many big winners to train after him, there seems to come a break in this story which may constitute a sort of anecdotal interlude—at least, that is how it strikes me—and I dash into certain stories which have at least the merit of being true. During the time I hunted in the North Cotswold, a gentleman who wore scarlet and rode 300-guinea With and hunters was never known to jump a wea * fence, but galloped for all he was worth jumps” on the roads. He took it into his head one day to follow some second horsemen, who were approaching a very small gap, and they heard him say aS he was nearing it, “Steady lad, steady,”’ and when his horse fought for his head to go at it he exclaimed, “‘ D—— your eyes, if you jump I'll sell you! ” 159 160 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES Another story. Kemmy Walker, in the ‘seventies, raced a great deal, and owned a good hurdler ___ called Inpustrious. This is by the Mine wins ! ; . way of introducing the story. He was a great man at pony racing, and on one occasion ran a pony very much like his chief opponent’s, whose colours were also nearly the same. Kemmy was on good terms with the judge, who always wore a large-brimmed top hat, and he posted himself on the judge’s box when the ponies were near the winning-post. Kemmy’s pony was some distance behind, but the pony with colours like his own in front, so Kemmy shouted with much excitement, “‘ Mine wins! Mine wins!”’ eventually hitting the judge on top of his hat, which came down over his eyes. He then said, “I told you mine won!” Fishing tales there are in plenty, and most of them very stale, but I have a fancy for the follow- ing, which I heard not very long ago. It was about a society gentleman who got the fishing craze very badly, and who left for Scotland ready for some good sport, with all the latest fishing tackle that he could obtain. One day his luck was not of the The Bernara best, and feeling very disappointed he Shaw fish sat, down for a quiet smoke. Presently a small boy came along with a stick for rod, and STRAY FANCIES 161 a string on the end of which was a bent pin and his bait. Without much ado he cast his line, and very quickly pulled out quite a nice fish. The boy was delighted, and with pride showed the gentle- man his catch, who very quickly replied : “ Well, that’s the b —— limit!” The boy presently started for home, and took his haul straight to his mother, who said : “What a nice fish! What do you call it, Charlie ? ”’ “T don’t know, mother,” replied the boy, but when I pulled it out the gentleman who was fishing next to me called it the b—— limit.” A certain noble lord whom I knew in the ‘fifties called on a friend in London. The lord’s appear- mat eee ance was that of a typical John Bull, and the with a cut-away tail coat. The foot- beer : man, on answering the door, promptly said : “You are too late, mate, the butler’s place is gone. Would you mind fetching me a pint of half-and-half just round the corner? ”’ which my lord did. On his return he handed the beer to the footman, at the same time congratulating him on not drinking his master’s beer when he was on board wages, and then presented him with his card. Curtain ! ! id 162 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES When I was over in Ireland on a visit to the stud, I said to Mike Burns (Mr. Gubbins’s stud Mr. Gubbins’s groom), stud groom = ** Mike, I’m very pleased you sent us over some good horses to England.” “Yes, he said, “ there are a lot of good horses go over to you from Ireland ; but you have to come to Ireland for your generals as well as your horses.” This was at the time of the Boer War, when Generals Roberts, Kitchener, etc., were to the fore. Two gentlemen of enormous proportions, one of whom I trained for, and his brother-in-law, took Another ® hansom cab from Waterloo to the true story Raleigh Club, Regent Street. When they paid their fare the cabby opened out his hand, looked with disgust at what he had received, and said : “ Blimy, if ever I drives you two gentlemen again I hopes as how you'll send your ‘innards on in Pickford’s van! ” Two sportsmen staying at an hotel in Doncaster, being casual sort of people, did not bother to in- ADoneaster Quire about the price of the rooms which bill ~~ they kept for a meeting. At the end of the meeting they asked for a bill, and found they had been charged £3 a night. It was put STRAY FANCIES 163 down on the bill as “To two beds £3.” The younger of the two sent for a cab and proceeded to carry his bed down to the hall. The proprietor, who was called by the porter, said : “Here, what are you taking that bed away for ? ”’ “ Well, I’ve paid for it, haven’t I?”’ Here’s your bill—‘ Two beds for £3 "—which I’ve paid you, so I’m taking my bed.” In 1896 I bought Cri DE GUERRE two-year-old, a bargain, for a client (after running at Liverpool Gri de Spring), from Mr. Lushington, and as she Guerre was backward I put her by fora selling at Newmarket, July 1. She was known by my men as the bay filly, and after trying her good enough to win a selling, I took her to Newmarket with my other horses, viz. Kincock and WILDFOWLER. I had the two latter out for exercise in the morning onthe Limekilns. We passed the “‘ men of observa- tion” by the clock, and they concluded I only had the two running. They did not know I sent my head man to the race-course side with Cri DE GUERRE, he riding her as a hack, and without any clothes. The owner wished to get a good price, so I advised him to go to the weighing room himself and engage a jockey, viz. K. Cannon, who when asked by his confréres what he rode, said, ‘I don’t know; some farmer-looking man gave me the colours.’’ The filly won easily, and we had a 164 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES very good race; though the returned price was short, she made 680 gs., and we let her go. CrI DE GUERRE is the grandam of Zori DE ZI, the best horse that has ever been seen in Rou- mania—whatever that may amount to. At Newmarket, in 1896, two brother owners came to ask me if I would take a two-year-old Atria, C2lled Bric-a-Brac to train her with pyrene a view to a mile selling race at Derby Talk and Autumn meeting. The elder said the Bric-a-Brac Jate R. Peck and Gurry had tried her good enough to win a race of this sort. I agreed to take her. The younger said, Why not send Common Tatx—a filly of his own—for company ? They were accordingly despatched without any attendant to Beckhampton. None of my men knew what they were. I had them in two isolation boxes, and called them “‘ THE SxKINs,” and sure enough they were thin enough to earn that title. After five or six weeks they were much stouter, and I tried them in the afternoon, and found Common Tatxk the better—of this I was con- vinced—and wrote to the owners to that effect. They were both duly entered in the Mile Selling Race at Derby. When I met the brothers at Derby the elder said, ‘‘Sam, there is a mistake, for Bric- MR. S. H. DARLING. STRAY FANCIES 165 A-Brac was always much the better, and we think little of Common Tatx.” I replied, “I am satisfied my gallop was right.” The younger said, “‘I’ll stand on Sam.” They both ran, and Bric-a-Brac opened good favourite. Presently the commission for Common TaLk was in the market—when all the “heads” were saying “What's up?”’ However, Common TALx, with 6 st. 11 lb. up, won—ridden by Herbert Jones. The elder brother was a winner, and the younger had a good race. I might say my son Sam, who was home from school, took them to Derby and delivered them to Halsey, who saw to the saddling of them. CHAPTER II MAINLY ABOUT JOCKEYS AFTER RocKETER had won the Stewards’ Cup easily at Goodwood by three lengths—he was three Slieve eats old, carrying 7 st. 6 lb., and would Gallion’s certainly have won it with 8 st.—l great ima! tried SLIEVE G-ALLION (then a two-year- old) with him, giving RockeTER 7 |b., over six fur- longs. On that gallop StizvE GaALLion could have won the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood (RocKETER’sS year) with 8 st. 7 lb. on as a two-year-old. Somewhere about this time I trained for Mr. J. R. Keene, winning the Oaks for him with CaP AND Betts, and the July Cup with Runnine STREAM. At that time Discutsz was in training for the Derby. Wanting something to lead him, I fortunately got Srnopt from Mr. A. James for £600, for Mr. Keene. soe He not only did his mission well, but and his he won the Ascot Stakes, and several jokey other races with top weight. DISGUISE was third in the’ Derby, ridden by Sloan. He was a sour and very mulish kind of horse. 166 i v7 , VIY DY” AAP Cs PA? Ge, eh “CIPP OL Mn Oe DA fe “hp 2 AY} VA)CPIUO G5 P2Y OL Dubvyfutt oY PPG VIY 987" PU) f ? VOWU “Yf VOOVE ; om py, gp Ce a ae 74> oP P,° Pita? wouypnn: eens — MAINLY ABOUT JOCKEYS 167 He often refused to go on the downs, and I told Mr. Keene that I should have to be severe with him, and with his consent I gave him an awful hiding. This was just before he won the Jockey Club Stakes ; he was quite a different horse for some time afterwards, but the old Adam again asserted itself, and he was sent to the stud in America. He ran for the Eclipse Stakes, ridden by a jockey named Henry, who was then riding under a re- tainer, through an arrangement made by Mr. Foxhall Keene, for Mr. Keene, but I had en- gaged Morny Cannon, who was far more suitable for the horse. At this time the Egerton House stable had a claim on Morny Cannon, and on the morning of the race they telegraphed from San- down to send Lorp QUuEx, belonging to the late Duke of Devonshire, and claimed Morny Cannon to ride. I therefore had to put up Henry. We were beaten two heads, but DIAMOND JUBILEE ran moderately, ridden by H. Jones. The race was won by Mr. Buchanan’s Epsom Lap. I felt very hurt and disappointed that I didn’t have Morny. Some time after, Egerton House hadn’t a jockey suitable for Stim Lap, again at Sandown. I had ae ACCLAIM running in the same race, and on Slim Higgs was to ride him for the late Duke of Devonshire. Hearing that the King’s horse (the late King Edward) was without a 168 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES suitable jockey, with the permission of Lord Charles Montagu, who was acting for the late Duke, I suggested that we should offer them Higgs. After the race I met one of the connections of Egerton House in the paddock, who asked me why I gave up Higgs to them, when I had my own horse there ready to run. I said, “ Well, that’s the way I like to pay off old scores.” They thanked me for giving up Higgs, and Simm Lap won. I won the Leger (1898) with WiLDFOWLER. Morny Cannon was engaged to ride him, but as Prince Soltykoff had a retainer on Morny Cannon, I waited until the last moment to see if he exercised his claim, which he did. I walked into the weigh- ing-room to see if Wood was riding, and said: “Will you ride WILDFOWLER for me ? ”’ JEDDAH was hot favourite, and WILDFOWLER Wildtowler’s WoOn five or six lengths, with his head Leger = on _his chest. I went to Claridge’s Hotel to see Mr. J. R. Keene about a jockey for Discurse for the Jockey Morny Club Stakes. He asked me whom I Cannon should suggest. I said, “ Morny Can- Disguise non’; and he promptly asked me, “What about Lester Reiff?’ I said: “Morny Cannon would suit Disguise better than Lester Reiff,”’ MRS. SAM DARLING, MRS." STANNING, AND MR. DOUGLAS DARLING. MAINLY ABOUT JOCKEYS 169 “Well,” he said, “I suppose you know best.”’ I then engaged Morny, and, as before said, he was a very mulish horse. I advised Morny not to move at all on him in the race until fifty yards from the winning-post, and then come with one run, which he did, beating his opponents easily. Amongst other winners of Mr. Keene’s were OLYMPIAN, KrersaGE, Battot, Noonpay, WED- DING Betis, VirGintA EARLE, and CHACORNAC. The last named, when he arrived at Beckhampton, was lame in the back. My vet. said he would never become sound. I did not like to give him Chareornac Up, SO I applied the remedy with which and the sheepskin remedy cases of back lameness, viz. hot sheep- skin from one of my sheep killed just outside his I had had successes more than once in box and applied immediately, leaving it on his back twelve hours. This horse won, amongst other races, the Snailwell at Newmarket, and was a really good-class sprinter. Mr. Foxhall Keene thought Otympran would win the Derby. After I had had him in training a some weeks, I told him I did not think eee (®) he would stay. He ran in the Derby, and showed good speed to Tattenham Corner. Mr. Foxhall Keene then wished him to run in the Grand Prix at Paris, where he was tailed off—last, 170 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES I then asked Mr. Keene to run him in the New Biennial Stakes (five furlongs) at Ascot, which he won easily. As he did not arrive at Ascot from Paris until twelve o’clock at night, I ordered him stout, and repeated the dose next morning. His success was due to this treatment, as otherwise I believe he would not have shown this form after undergoing such a severe journey. BIRKENHEAD was a partnership horse with Captain Greer. Morny Cannon won a beautifully Heese ridden race, the Stewards’ Handicap of and =. £1000, on him at Kempton. He ran in Birkenhead the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at New- market, ridden by Sloan. Sloan came down to ride him a gallop, and, good jockey as he was, the horse ran all over the trial ground with him. He afterwards rode him in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes, but he also ran out with him in the race, where he certainly looked like being second to Friyine Fox, ridden by Morny Cannon. BrIrKeEn- HEAD was a very big and heavy horse, and no jockey could have got him out riding American style. Happy Brrp was my own property, and my son, The Fred Darling, rode him in the two-year- untapPY old stakes at Newmarket. He won his Happy Bird race very easily, but on returning to the paddock Fred dismounted before reaching the DARLING. MR. FRED ee a ee rie “Ay, et Ne ® re al <7 > > . ° ' i: a. * a . = o —— 1 4 : ; i = 4 7 : « = id ale oe 7% ; , ‘ 4 (me : ‘ ; fax , = ‘9 j \ 1 7 af = “— yt : . { 4 i 7 { 7 ‘ : be , ? i a ‘ Sp J ¥ w 7 i i , i i n yA See ‘ ——- ‘i . 7 - - * { ee. | - be 4 “a oo. oe ’ * ‘ sf, ; i, p . . } y A MAINLY ABOUT JOCKEYS 171 weighing-room door. Some one in the paddock gave him a leg up, and the second objected, and got the race, as the rule states that a jockey must not be touched prior to unsaddling. It seemed a very hard case, and a more unpopular decision was probably never given over any race. No one could have been more widely sympathised with than I was over that. Just after this my son rode him a winner at Kempton Park, and, to prove the feelings of the public on the disqualification of the horse in the Newmarket race, one has seldom heard a better reception on his return to scale than he had. The man who objected to him at Newmarket was shortly after objected to for the very same thing at Alexandra Park by Mr. George Edwards, and lost the race. I must tell a story against myself re Happy Birp. After he won at Kempton I sold him to ae Mr. W. T. Jones, who wished him to again run for a nice stake at Leopardstown, in Ireland. My son Sam took him over. When the jockey presented himself to weigh out, it was found I had not confirmed the entry, so he could not run. The stake was between £400 and £500, and I was so vexed at my carelessness, and sorry for my client and all concerned, that I told him I considered myself answerable for the 172 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES stake. He said he would accept it on one con- dition, that he returned it if Happy Birp won the £1000 stake at Epsom (Foal Stake), which he did, so all ended well, and I never forgot before or since to confirm an entry. With reference to Sloan and BIRKENHEAD, it is perhaps fair to add that the jockey was by no About means at his best that year in England, Sloan and that he rode infinitely better in later seasons. It is not for me to go into the causes of this, but I think it was made clear that Sloan—whatever his initial faults, through ignor- ance of English decorum—did in a large measure accommodate himself to the position, and was going on very well indeed when his backing of his own mount for the Cambridgeshire was thought good enough to stop him from applying for a licence the following year. Many worse things have been done by jockeys. CHAPTER III SOME OWNERS I HAVE TRAINED FOR CaPTaIn GREER’S stud farms are second to none. All three of them are of the very best pasture, and captain the boxes, etc., fitted with the latest Greer and best improvements. The water (a special feature) is good, and is laid on to every paddock. It is really wonderful what a successful stud this has been, and so it deserves to be, for Captain Greer leaves nothing to chance, doing everything with the thoroughness for which he is now famous. He has had great success with his pedigree cattle, winning the Champion at Dublin and many other prizes. He is very hard to beat at golf, etc., etc. His sons are following in his footsteps, both as first-class athletes in the Army and also as good riders between the flags, and to hounds. The stallions now standing at Brownstown are FuGLEMAN, which he purchased from myself, Harta Mor, and BuckwHEat. ‘These horses are sure to do well. 173 174 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES BuRGUNDY won the Queen’s Prize at Kempton, the first race I won for the late Duke of Devonshire. cere After that I sent him on to Newmarket ae he from Kempton, for a £1000 race, one and a half miles across the flat. In transit he hurt his hind leg in the box, and I went down to see the Duke at Beaufort House. When I broke the news to him he turned round and said: “It’s a bad job, but we had a good time at Kempton ; it can’t be helped.” That’s what I call the true spirit of a sportsman. I fear the good old type of sportsman is fast dying out. I won the Newmarket Stakes for the Duke with Acctaim (1907), the Ascot High Weight Plate, Column Produce Stakes, Newmarket, and Triennial Stakes, Ascot. CHESHIRE CAT won several races; FuGLEMAN won the Jubilee Newbury Cup. Amongst other winners for the Duke were, BLacKspot, FuLucry, SYLPHIDE, JAVELIN, CYRENE, DEVIL Dopcr, PREFERMENT (Newbury Cup, 1912), and te oe TASLETT, a good winner, and beaten the a head by Jest for the Thousand ee Cuineas)\ A objected to Just for bumping, but after considerable investigation the stewards decided in favour of the winner. Later in the season, November, at Derby, DRAUGHTSMAN, a horse I sold to Mr. Buchanan, BURGUNDY. Winner of the Queen’s Prize, Kempton Park. The property of the late Duke of Devonshire. SOME OWNERS I HAVE TRAINED FOR 175 won the £1000 Nursery, beating Happy Warrior a neck, and the second objected on the ground of bumping. Although every one (including the judge himself) thought that the decision should be undisturbed, Fox, who rode DRAUGHTSMAN, having admitted that he touched the second, Happy WaRRIoR, it proved fatal to DRAUGHTSMAN according to the rules of racing. I think in their own minds the stewards agreed with the judge, that the touch did not prevent Happy WARRIOR from winning. It seemed hard lines in a case like this that the stewards had not the power to place DRAUGHTSMAN second. Unfortunately, these are the kind of turn-ups one experiences in racing. This, to say the least, was an unpleasant wind-up to one of the worst years Beckhampton has ever experienced, viz. 1913. Amongst the winners I trained for Messrs. Carroll and Mackay were Nicurriper, MELopyY, QUEEN - Tu, Torco BEARER; in fact, most of Carrolland their horses were winners. MELODY macksy won the Acorn Stakes at Epsom, and was beaten a head by Sun Star in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. This mare was a favourite of mine, but unfortunately she was very small. Messrs. Carroll and Mackay have now formed one of, if not the most up-to-date stud farms in France, and intend racing mostly in that country. 176 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES I sincerely hope they will attain their ambition by breeding classic winners. HAMMURABI was a horse I trained for the Czar of Russia. He won the Russian Derby before he The Czar Came over, and after he was acclimatised of Russia J tried him, and found the Russian form was a very long way behind ours. I saw a race, the conditions of which suited him, at Kempton, and which he carried off very easily, much to the delight of the Russians. When Messrs. Clark and Robinson started racing in England, they sent their horses to me to train, x gael and I sold them several that turned out Clark and well, viz. CHALLENGER, ROoSEATE DAWN Ad ee eehene a bought from Colonel Walker— and Costty Lapy. This was a beautiful mare I bought from Lord Rosebery, and sold her to the partners. I think the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot with CHALLENGER, and the Duke of York’s at Kempton with DuNDONALD, were two of the most important stakes I won for them. They are both good sportsmen, and may they attain their ambition and win the classics is my wish! They have already come near to doing so with Birt anD Coo, daughter of CooEE, a good Trenton mare, with whom I won some races for them. A a eer DUNDONALD. Winner of the Duke of takes, York’s § SOME OWNERS I HAVE TRAINED FOR 177 No one could wish for a better client than Mr. Joe Lewis, for whom I bought UNcLE Sot, JUBERT, PRESBYTERIAN, MAori CHIEFTAIN, Miss Mr. Joe LAC, etc., etc., all good winners, and Lewis = [ wish he were owning horses still. For Lord Rosebery I trained DANnpDyPRAT, CarAVEL, Perpiccas (1908), Savcy Bess—winning Lord Breeders’ Foal Plate, Kempton—and Rosebery AvVERNUS, winning the Brighton Cup and Silver Bells at Lanark. Avrernus also won the Gold Cup at Ayr. Lord Rosebery, who was at the Smithfield Show with Lord Dalmeny, the Hon. Neil Primrose, and Mr. Craven, saw my name as an exhibitor and said, ‘‘ Let’s go and have a look at Sam Darling’s sheep.”’ He then sent me the following wire: “ Not surprised your sheep didn’t win first prize. Never saw such infamously faked backs in my life.” As most people know, the Hampshire Down sheep, when levelled on the back, look flat, broad, and unnatural. I sent his lordship a telegram in reply : “Allow me to congratulate your lordship on your successes at the Show (he had taken first prize with some cattle). Think you will have cause to modify your opinion of my sheep when you have tasted a cut from the saddle.” Some time after this I had the honour of lunching 12 178 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES with Lord Rosebery. I don’t think I ever saw a better collection of paintings of all the old classic winners than there is in his lordship’s possession at The Durdans. Lord Rosebery pointed out a painting he had of my grandfather on RockineHamM, the winner of the St. Leger in 1833. He also has a plate of every winning horse owned by him sent to The Durdans, and they are all fixed in the riding- school, which I need not mention makes a very fine show. Lord Rosebery has the happy knack of mating his mares right. There were many things of interest at the Durdans; amongst them a stone erected in the grounds in commemoration of the famous horse Amato. I believe a similar stone will be erected to the memory of Lapas. When Lord Dalmeny asked me if I had any horses I could sell him some few years ago, I tora told him I had, and sold him five, which Dalmeny ql] proved good winners, viz. RAMROD, CARAVEL, DEAL, RITCHIE, and CREPUSCULE. RaAm- ROD (by CARBINE out of Esk) won the Newbury Cup, 1906. Ramrop was only beaten two heads for the Two Thousand Guineas. I gave 300 guineas for him at the Doncaster sales, after seeing him get loose in the paddock. His style of going caused me to buy him, and I sold him as a three-year-old to Lord Dalmeny for £1000. He is now a successful stallion in France. After all these horses had won THE START OF ROCKINGHAM’S LEGER, THE FINISH OF ROCKINGHAM’S LEGER, SOME OWNERS I HAVE TRAINED FOR 179 races for Lord Dalmeny, Lord Rosebery asked me to value them, which I did, and his lordship bought them. My experiences with Lord Dalmeny were of the most pleasing character in every way. Lord Lonsdale is a first-rate sportsman and a good friend. So far he has been unlucky racing— Lord 0 One has run more seconds—though I Lonsdale won for his lordship the Tattersall Sale Stakes and the Parkhill Stakes, Doncaster, with KuFrRosina; the Newmarket Oaks and the Seaton Delaval Plate with St. BEeGor; and the Duchy Plate at Liverpool with Santa Betis. Never have I been more anxious to win a classic race than for Lord Lonsdale. I have had the honour of paying him a visit to Barleythorpe and Lowther Castle, and it was really a treat to see over the stables, kennels, and estates generally. One could see at once that there was a master mind there. Never have I met any one with greater powers of or- ganisation than Lord Lonsdale. It is something marvellous. Lady Lonsdale is a charming lady, and delight- fully natural with every one, no matter in what station of life they may be. Many distinguished sportsmen take great interest in the morning work on the course at Ascot, and until the last year or so there was always to be found H.R.H. Prince Christian, riding with his 180 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES groom in attendance. He took a great interest Prince in the horses. Many times he asked Christian’s Persian cats I felt very highly honoured when me their names as they cantered by. H.R.H. made me a present of some of his cele- brated breed of Persian cats, which remained at Beckhampton for some considerable time, until they took to poaching, and I believe the keepers eventually shot them. Within the last few years Lord Ilchester has had several horses in training with me, most of them Lord Winners I am very pleased to say. The lichester first horse I sold to Lord Ilchester was Jack Syipz. I bought him from James Daly in Ireland, and he at the time was certainly an awful “ skin ” to look at, but he had the make and shape of a race-horse; and when he cantered in the paddock at Mr. Daly’s stud farm outside Dublin, I felt sure we could add strength to that action and get a good colt. There is a story of another trainer following close after, who came upon JACK Snipe in the paddock, and said : “'There’s one who will never win a race.” “Well,” said James Daly, ‘Sam Darling’s just given £500 for him.” He then began to wonder if he had not been too hasty in his condemnation. When I was staying with Lord Ichester at Melbury at that time he asked me to buy him a JACK SNIPE, Good class sprinter. The property of the Earl of Ilchester. e ~ 9019 . 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IW suMsibho = OO LT UIs i ose ahi MIWA ‘$F INWA ALI908 WUNLINOWOW aces 908 TUB InOKNOY ‘ieee 93ZIA30 apie aki ‘ Sazinaa Sul Pt ISU alld isu | e ’ i, veg bo AoW Yong Fury A DYLSIO FP ANTV9, CHAPTER VIII EAST AFRICA SINGULARLY enough my voyage to East Africa (in 1913) was made on the Gazka, the boat on Once more Wich I made my first voyage to South on board Africa. The voyage was of more than the “ Gaika ” ee passing interest, as there were many celebrities on board, one of whom was Sir Frederick Milner (on his way to visit Lord Kitchener), whom one remembers standing for Newark, and a little incident that happened at one of his meetings. He was advised by the superintendent of police not to take any ladies with him on a particular night, but he missed the messenger Sir iden who was sent to tell him this, having ner’s 3 ‘ ; practical left before he arrived. He took his wife politics and also the vicar’s wife with him, and when he was about to speak the electors were not receiving him very kindly, and certainly not using very choice language. Sir Frederick asked them not to forget that ladies were present. A couple of burly fellows made unsavoury remarks, where- 15 225 226 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES upon Sir Frederick jumped off the platform, took hold of each of them by the scruff of their necks and put them outside. When he returned some members of the audience shouted out: “ Well, thee be’est a mon anyhoo!” and gave him a hearing. I had the honour of defeating Sir Frederick in a game of bucket-quoits on board, but as there was no time for a return game I should not care to say which was the better player. Another of my fellow passengers was Mr. Grogan, who walked from Cape Town to Cairo, 6,000 miles. Accompanied by a friend, after great struggles and extreme privations, he reached Cairo. His ex- periences in the wilds of Africa were terrible. He has very large interests in East Africa, and pays periodical visits to England, where he is so well known on the political platform, being a good speaker. Mr. W. Stuart Menzies, a good and well-known sportsman, and quite one of the right sort, was also on board, going out for white rhino, which I believe he got, and now has among his numerous trophies of big game. He left us at Port Sudan for Khartoum. Mr. Chapman, another big game hunter, was on board. While waiting at Sudan, Mr. J. Stanning, Mr. HAST AFRICA 227 Sullivan, and myself left the boat early, and found re three donkeys on shore, which Mr. gain on : donkey Stanning had ordered for us, and we back : : . rode into the native camps, which proved quite a revelation. They were built of sacking, lids of biscuit boxes, etc. The natives came out to see us, looking as wild as any of the tribes in the interior. After inspecting the soldiers’ camp we returned to the hotel to breakfast. Soon after joining our boat we were quickly on the way to the next port. There was nothing particularly noteworthy for the rest of the voyage except, perhaps, the fearful heat at Aden. We duly arrived at Mombasa. It is simply incredible what the natives wear in the lobes of their ears as ornaments, com- mencing with sticks, rods, blocks of wood, and finally jars, the size of a medium tumbler; also much brass and wire round their necks and ankles. While I was in Nairobi I met Mr. Greswolde Williams, who owned one of the nicest homes in From «st: Neighbourhood, and on his return Mombasa from a successful big game shoot he suet kindly made me a present of a_full- grown lion-skin. Mrs. Greswolde Williams had a lioness and several cubs in captivity in the grounds of her house, and she fondled and played with these cubs as if they were kittens. I hope 228 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES she is not risking that now. Mr. Greswolde Wil- hams’s racing successes are in advance of any owner and jockey in that district. On going from Nairobi to Njora by the Uganda Railway, I saw lhons, leopards, hundreds of zebra, aA wig Lartebeeste, orang-outang, hundreds of beast ostriches, and buffaloes, from the train, show . ° and many times felt glad I was in a place of safety. I had often read of the wild animals to be seen from the train, but little ex- pected to be a witness of the same myself. On the Uganda Railway the only fuel used on the engines is wood. During the time I stayed with my children at Njora I was invited by their neighbour, Mr. Trevor Sheen, to see a full team of twenty-two oxen in harness pulling the reaping machine, which thrashed the corn as it went along, leaving the straw on the ground, which they afterwards burnt. It seemed to me such a waste. Close by is one of Lord Delamere’s farms, which is growing wattle, to- bacco, beans, and maize. I returned home by the first German boat sailing from Mombasa, Adolph Woermann. Every- thing was nice and clean and spick German and span on board. They were princi- pally Germans on board, and were very keen at all the games. Practically the whole crew, EAST AFRICA 229 including the skipper, played at bullboard, and I was in the final heat. As the skipper remarked, after I had taken six straight off the reel, it was a record for the boat, and I fortunately won the cup, the prize which was given. Amongst the presents from different friends I made on board, none I value more than the rhino’s foot, most beautifully mounted as a liqueur-stand, given me by Mr. Dick Cecil. On my return from East Africa the employees of my GALTEE More Farm, twenty-three in all, presented me with a photograph of my agent and themselves, on my birthday, March 11. This was very gratifying to me and much appreciated, and a further proof that masters and men can get along much better without so much outside inter- ference. By the way, I hope I may see the time when agitators cease to exist, with masters and men settling their own difierences. CHAPTER IX HOME DETAILS It is hardly necessary for me to explain here that since the GaLTEE More days I had gone in for « Willonyx ” oe on a pretty banat scale— house and indeed, I have already written some- farm : ; ° thing to that effect in an earlier chapter ; but later on I purchased another farm, and built on it the house where I have now made my home, 3 named “ Willonyx,” after one of the gamest and best horses I ever had,-over a distance, and it is here I am living now, and expect to end my days. On this farm there is a large riding school, in which sixteen horses at one time can exercise in the dry. The famous Silbury Hill (the largest artificial mound in Europe) is on my property. It is in the shape of a pudding basin upside down, three quarters of a mile round the bottom, and is surrounded by my water meadows. It belonged to the late Lord Avebury, who purchased it when he was Sir John Lubbock. It is a very historical 230 “HCISaUU MON IT WUHHM S“ASQOOH XANOTIIM Rg EPR EN 8 esa ota: tare As ti HOME DETAILS 231 tumulus, and has been excavated twice with the expectation of finding a coffin made of gold, which was supposed to contain the body of one of the early kings. At the time of the great manceuvres in Wilt- shire, twenty-five thousand troops passed Beck- hampton stables, and one of the troopers took a very sick horse into the yard without permission, and there drenched the horse. This horse died on the road, within a mile and a quarter of Beck- hampton, and the fever caught from this horse was so virulent that it went the round of all the Beckhampton stable, the loss being inconceivable. Among other valuable horses irretrievably damaged for racing was CoRNSTALK (by TRENTON out of GLARE). I had the highest expectations of him for long distance races; and now his lack of a racing record has rendered it very difficult indeed to obtain patronage for him as a stallion. Al- though all the farmers got compensation for damage done in the neighbourhood I did not get a penny; only a promise, through Mr. Arnold Forster, Secretary of State for War, that no cavalry should ever pass close to my stables again, but they did; so some time afterwards, hearing that troops were going through, I took it upon myself to nail placards on the trees in the village as follows : 232 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES “Cavalry are requested not to loiter here. By Order.” This had the desired effect. Some time after, Lord Methuen was in command of troops that Troop. Were to have manceuvred in the neigh- horses and bourhood again, and after riding over niet Wiehe gallops with me he most kindly and courteously put all the gallops out of bounds, as also did Lord Bath when he was in command of the Yeomanry. This was a little consolation to me after the previous trouble I had experienced. At the same time, I shall always feel grateful to Lord Methuen and Lord Bath for their kindness to me in every way. I must mention an incident that took place on my own downs near home during the time the Acatastrophe SWindon Yeomanry were out. Sir John averted == Fuller’s troops were bivouacked in one of the valleys near the cantering ground, and when my yearlings, who were only loosed for the second time, started their canter, unperceived by me the troops charged in the rear of the yearlings. I nearly had a fit, as the yearlings were cantering towards a wire fence. I galloped for all I was worth, and halted in front of the troops, holding up my whip. They stopped, and one and all said they were sorry, but they had to obey orders. Fortunately the yearlings pulled up within some MRS. RICHARD MARSH, a = * é > - >. HOME DETAILS 233 distance from the fence, and thereby saved what might have been an awful catastrophe. At the finish of the Yeomanry drill Lord Bath honoured me with an invitation to mess with them, and it was a pleasant evening we spent in camp on the downs, and the dinner was well served under the condition of things. In connection with home it comes in natural sequence that I should write something of my family, nearly all of whom are away ce My family ; on their own” now. The eldest of my children is Mrs. Richard Marsh, and I need not say I was very sorry to lose her, for she entered into everything so thoroughly, both with the racing and farming. I felt her loss most acutely, for she was a great help to me and quite a little pal. Samuel Henry Darling, my eldest son, when he left Clifton College, went in for the profession ; and after starting with me, spent some time with Mr. Marsh at Egerton House; then he came to Yatesbury, where I built for him a new stable yard. (This is a neighbouring village to Beck- hampton.) He had a small string of horses, with which he did very well. After settling down there he married Miss Marsh, second daughter of Mr. Dick Marsh, and sooner or later he is sure to come well to the front. He is now fully established at Green Lodge, Newmarket. 234 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES My next son, Fred, trained YenTo1, the winner of the Cesarewitch, for Lady de Bathe, besides bringing off one or two other good coups for other clients. He has also been very successful in Germany and Hungary, winning £50,000 in stakes in the two years he was training in Germany. At the present time he is here, and has taken over Beckhampton. His future, as far as I can see, is assured, and his heart is in his work. The next in family is Violet, now Mrs. Duncan Stanning, whose husband played cricket for Lan- cashire. She left with her brother, Douglas, for Hast Africa in the summer of 1912, and on the voyage she met her husband. I followed them out in the first week in January 1913, and on the voyage Mr. John Stanning, brother of Duncan, became my stable companion. When we arrived at Mombasa, to my surprise my daughter came on board, announcing that she was engaged, andif I approved would I give her away while I was out there. Her fiancé was on board, and she would introduce him. Presently Messrs. Duncan and John Stanning Aa Gee COME walking up the deck together— expected neither John nor myself knew anything foncraw of the engagement until we met at Mombasa—and I need hardly say that I quickly thought Duncan the best of good fellows, and within a few days I gave him my daughter, and HOME DETAILS 235 they were married at Nairobi. They are now farming in a large way (maize, beans, etc.) near Nakuru in Uganda, with success ; also coffee and cocoa, etc. I must not forget to say that I saw my old friend BosrinskI (formerly the property of Mr. James R. Keene) at Njoro. He was in training with Mr. Clutterbuck, there. He certainly looked well, and should prove a good sire. He is the property of the Hon. Barclay Cole (son of the Earl of Enniskillen). His brother, who also farmed in British East Africa, was very popular, every one speaking of him as a real good sort. Ernest, my third son, was unfortunately drowned through an attack of cramp whilst bathing. Ernest as a boy had no hiking for horses at all until he became a pupil with Mr. Harvey, a gentleman farmer and sportsman in Norfolk. Mr. Harvey dared Ernest to ride a hunter at a five- barred gate. He did so, and came an awful purler, but immediately remounted and dashed his horse at it again, this time successfully. From that time he hunted regularly, and just before his death rode the winner of a steeplechase at Sher- stone. I was not there, but I heard he had a splendid ovation; his open-hearted good nature made him very popular with all classes. Ernest was a champion on his bicycle. 236 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES My son Harold was articled to an Estate Agent, but owing to ill health has had to give up business for a time, and is recuperating at Bournemouth. My next daughter, Olive, is the only one left at home. Douglas, who sailed with Mrs. Stanning to Kast Africa, stayed out there to farm, and I am pleased to say is doing very well now on his own account, growing coffee, oranges and lemons, etc. He is a great favourite with the natives. This is favourable for one so young, as the coolies are somewhat difficult to manage, and at times masters have to resort to very severe measures. My children have been fortunate in having a kind and indulgent mother, and in times of Mrs, | sickness no one could possibly have a Darling. better nurse. She always has a first- class remedy at hand for any kind of ailment. The villagers have reason to know this. I have read the nice things various distinguished men, such as Disraeli, have written about their wives, and, with similar command of language, I would follow their example. That, however, is beyond me; and I can only state here that 1 mean as much as they ever said in appreciation. The reason I could leave home for my annual trip with confidence was that all would be well MISS OLIVE DARLING, HOME DETAILS 237 looked after by my friend and assistant, Mr. James K. Heard, who has always been very Mr. Heard. : thorough; and during the seventeen years we have been together we have not had the slightest misunderstanding. He was introduced to me by my friend Mr. E. H. Pares, of Hopwell Hall, Derby, who is his brother-in-law. Mr. Heard is a great sport and a first-rate shot. He formerly hunted his own hounds in Canada, and has now joined my son Fred. When I was away racing on one occasion a man came to the side door at Beckhampton, walked A strange ‘Straight in, and opened the breaktfast- visitor room door, where Mrs. Darling was sitting. He was looking so awfully wild that she flew through the room to find a servant. In the meantime the man had gone to the kitchen door, and was shouted at by the servants. “ By the holy Moses, where am I?” cried the man. They were very frightened, and rang the yard bell for the boys. When the boys came they asked him to move. He was very reluctant to go. However, they showed him the points of the stable forks, and then he went up the main road at the forks’ points, and nothing more was seen of him until the morning. When I drew up the blind next day I saw a man lying on the side 238 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES of the high road outside. I slipped on my dressing gown and went down to him. “What’s the matter, my man?” I said. He grunted and his eyes rolled. I asked if I should send for a cup of tea for him. He grunted again, and asked why I was so solicitous for his welfare. “T thought you were in a very dangerous posi- tion here in the road, and that perhaps you were Ria He did not accept my offer, and I sent for the sergeant of police, and had him conveyed to the station. He was recovering from delirium tremens. The only things found on him were one halfpenny and a button. He was an ordinary tramp. It gave my wife and the servants in the house a serious shock. Many tramps call at Beckhampton, it being situated on the high road. At a more recent date Another @ Man came to the kitchen door and unweleome said something very rude to the maids, Prd: deni frightened them. They sent into the house for me, and he had gone round to the front door. I asked him what he wanted. He was extremely rude to me, so I said: “You are taking a great liberty; you have no right here begging.” “Well,” said he, “ you never turn a pcor man away here.” HOME DETAILS 239 “T don’t know that we do,” I replied, “ when they are civil, but as you are not I must ask you to go.” He was perhaps a little under the influence of liquor, and refused to go. He was for pushing past me to come into the house, and as I went to the door to him I took a good strong plant out of the stick stand, and when he made a move to come past me, I gave him a probe in the rib, a sharp one at that, and it sent him flying on to the lawn. I said : “T hope you'll go away quietly.”’ The man, who was then on his feet, came at me with a big oak stick, but I was too quick, for as he raised the stick I threw up my left arm, and brought my stick down on his head. I sent up for the sergeant, who sent him up to the station. Half a pound of butter was found in his pocket, a bottle of beer, and various other foods. After being in prison for a night he apologised, and said he was very sorry for what he had done. It may be asked why I have decided to retire from the practice of a profession to which I have Reason for Cevoted so many years with profit and retiring success. I can only reply that I was beginning to feel the strain of it, and prudence suggested that I should not go on too long. It is 240 SAM DARLING’S REMINISCENCES surely better to retire before you begin to fail, and not to “lag superfluous on the stage,” as so many do after they have seen their best day. Were it not for my somewhat extensive farming operations, I might still have felt able to carry on the training stable for some years to come, but the two responsibilities combined seemed rather too much ; and as my son Fred was available to take over the stable, I thought it best for all concerned to arrange that he should do so. Needless to say, this does not mean that I have ceased to be in- terested in the stable. My new house is only a few hundred yards away from the old one, and Fred can always count on me for any advice I may be able to give him—not that he wants much, for he has had a lot of experience. I have a horse or two of my own in the stable, and shall hope to see my colours—black body, harlequin sleeves, gold tassel on cap—to the fore in races to come throughout several years yet; but the continuous pressure of training and racing is now relaxed— not by any means so that the wheels may run down, for I have still plenty to do. A twelve-hundred-acre farm affords amply suff- cient occupation for any one who is determined to get the best possible results from it, and I suppose there is no more healthy life than that of a farmer, who spends so much of his time out of doors. Any- HOME DETAILS 241 how, I can honestly say that since giving up the stable and devoting myself to the farm, I feel twenty years younger than I did ; while up to the present the stable is having a very fairly successful season, and I am glad to say Mr. Buchanan seems to have struck a vein of better luck than had hitherto been his. For myself, I must now bid good-bye to old friends, and—I hope—new, who may happen to read this book; and in doing so I trust that the allotted span of all of us will permit us to meet again many times in the coming years. 16 INDEX Abingdon, Mr. 35 Alcester, 4 Allison, Mr., 55, 64, 74, 88, 89, 111, 118, 137, 143, 144, 152, 153, 191-193, 221, 222; ac- count of voyages, etc., 66—77, 81, 89, 96-99, 102, 107-109, 118, 126, 130-143, 147, 148 Amcotts, Major, 47 Arapoff, General, 56, 57, 58 Arbuthnot, Mr. K., 38 Archer, William, 7 Ascot Cup, 57, 58, 182 Ascot Stakes, 166, 182 Ashley, Mr., of The Sportsman, 112 Assiout, 108 Assouan Dam, 133 Avebury, Lord, 230 Ayr, 25, 177 Baird, Mr. Abingdon, 25 Bath, Lord, 232, 233 Beckhampton, 20, 40, 55, 56 Beresford, Lord W., 156 Best, Mr. James, 30, 31, 38 Bethel, 1 Bingham, Mr., 38 Birmingham Cup, 11 Blanc, M. Edmond, 106, 107, 126 Bourton Hill, 1, 6, 7, 8 Bradgate Cup, 13 Bradley, Mr., stable of, 75 Bristol, 14 Bristol Royal Steeplechase, 14 Brocklehurst, Mr. A., 31 Brown, Tom, 207 Browning, Dr., 144 Bruree, 46 Buchanan, Mr. James, 38, 174, 184, 185, 186, 241 Buenos Ayres, 217 Burns, Mike, 47, 48, 162 243 Cairo, 106 Calder, Hon. Mr., 215 Cambridgeshire, The, 53, 172 Cape Town, 71 Carroll, Mr., 38 Carroll and Mackay, Messrs., 175 Cataract Hotel, Assouan, 126 Cecil, Mr. Dick, 229 Cesarewitch, 63, 64, 182, 234 Ceylon, trip to, 222 Chandlers Ford, 30, Chapman, Mr., 226 Cheltenham Steeplechase, 14 Chester, Captain Bagot, 78-79 Chester Cup, 3, 182 Chetwynd, Sir George, 21 Chillingworth, Mr., 38 Cholmondeley, Lord, 28, 29, 37 Cholmondeley, Mr., 38 Chow, The, 7, 8 Christian, H.R.H. Prince, 179, 180 Church, Old Sam’s pony, 3 Clark and Robinson, Messrs., 38, 176 Clement, Mr., 38 Cloete, Mr. Broderick, 75 Cloete, Mr. Graham, 75 Clutterbuck, Mr., 235 Cole, Hon. Barclay, 235 Collins, Mr., of Warwick, 1 Cookson, Captain, 33 Corlett, Mr. John, 51, 64 Correas, Sefior, 221 Cotton, Captain, 31 Coventry, Lord, 6, 13, 18, 19, 51 Coventry, Captain, 18 Coventry Stakes, 34 Craven, Mr. Fred, 86 Craven, Mr., 38, 177 Criterion, The, 35 Croker, Mr., 130 Cromer, Lord, 146, 147, 148 Croydon, 7, 13, 25 244 INDEX Croydon Metropolitan, 26 Curragh Meeting, 40 Dalbiac, Major, 105 Dalmeny, Lord, 37, 177, 178, 179 Daly, Mr. J., 38, 180 Darling, Mrs., 236, 237 Darling, Douglas, 217-236 Darling, Ernest, 87, 235 Darling, Fred, 37, 170, aide 213- 215, 234, 240 Darling, Mr. Harold, 236 Darling, Miss Olive, 236 Darling, Mr. 8. H., 165, 233 Darling, Sam, grandfather, 1-4, 9 Davidson, Mr., 223 Davis, Miss, married to, 14 Davis, Mr. Stephen, 14 Davis, Fred, 15 Dawson, Matthew, 7 De Bathe, Lady, 234 De Hoz, Sefior, 219, 220 Delamere, Lord, 227 Derby, The, 84 Derby Steeplechase, 24 Devonshire, Duke of, 37, 129, 184 Devonshire, Duchess of, 127 Devonshire, late Duke of, 37, 145, 174 Dixon, Major, 12 Dmitri, Grand Duke, 56 Doncaster, 3, 4 Dorojynski, Mr., 55 Downshire Plate, 46 Ducrow, Major, 124 Duke of York’s Stakes, 63, 176 Dunlop, Dr., 73 Dunvegan Castle, leave South Africa on, 80 Durdans, The, 178 Earnshaw, Isaac, 185 East Africa, voyage to, 225 Eclipse Stakes, 84, 158, 159 Edwards, Mr. George, 171 Egerton House stable, 167 Egypt, trip to, 89 Ellam, Ben, 50 Emblem Villa, 13, 18 Enniskillen, Lord, 37, 40 Epsom, 33, 34, 50, 82 Everett, Mr., 18, 38 Faber, Mr. George, 38 Featherstonehaugh, Mrs., 216 Fenwick, Mr. Noel, 24, 25, 38 Figg, Mr., 223 Forrester, Colonel, 13 Forster, Mr. Arnold, 231 Four Oaks, 30 Fowler, Mr., 38 Fox Hill, 23 Fuller, Sir John, 232 Gaika, S. S., 64, 65, 225 Galtee More Farm, 22, 229 Galtee More Mountain, 47 Germany, Emperor of, 37 Gibraltar, 93-95 Gill, Mr., K.C., 18 Gillard, Frank, 47 Goldby, Mr. Tom, 7, 8 Goodwin, Jack, 14 Goodwood Cup, 185 Grabble, Mr. Ernest, 218, 221 Graham, Mr., 21 Grand National, 13, 16 Grand Prix, Paris, 169 Greenwood, Mr. C., 48 Greer, Captain, 33, 34, 35, 36, 40, 170, 172, 191, 192, 210 Grogan, Mr., 226 Gubbins, Mr., 38, 39, 41, 44— 48, 52, 56, 58, 63, 83, 86, 88— 92, 96, 98, 105, 107-109, 111, 113, 115, 116, 118, 120, 132, 135, 137, 143, 144, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155 Hales, Mr., 186 Hartopp, Sir Charles, 129 Harvey, Mr., 235 Heard, Mr., 64, 85, 88, 237 Heddington, 20 Hogarth, Mr. 18, 38 Holford, Colonel, 21 Houldsworth, Mr., 63 Howard, Mr. C. E., 38, 181-183,. 221 Hurstbourne Stakes, 48 Ilchester, Lord, 37, 180 Ilchester, Lady, 181 Irish Derby, 40 Jamaica, trip to, 213 James, Mr. Arthur, 166 Jameson, Mr. and Mrs. W. G.;, 29, 38 ae ie a Se INDEX Jex Blake, Dr., Mrs. and Miss, 126 Jockey Club Cup, 182 Jockeys : Archer, Chas., 13, 17 Archer, Fred, 7, 13, 157 Callaway, 2 Cannon, K., 163 Cannon, M., 34, 156, 167, 168, 169, 170 Cannon, Tom, 157 Fordham, G., 21, 157 Fox, 175 Garrett, Tom, 40, 48 Henry, 167 Higgs, 167, 168, 189 Jones, Herbert, 165 Loates, T., 64 Madden, 158 Maher, 157, 158 Martin, J. H., 156 Moore, W., 25 Nightingall, A., 24, 27 Osborne, John, 157 Reiff, Lester, 168 Sloan, 34, 75, 156, 157, 158, 166, 170, 172 Wall, 36 Watts, Jack, 53, 54, 157 Wood, Charles, 155, 168 Wootton, F., 157 Jones, Mr. W. T., 38, 171 Keene, Mr. J. R., 38, 166, 167, 168, 169, 192, 193, 235 Keene, Mr. Foxhall, 38, 167, 169 Kempton Park, 19, 23, 30, 33, 34, 171 Kenilworth (S. Africa), 77 Kent, Duchess of, 2 Khedival Sporting Club, 149 Kirkwood, Captain, 47 Kitchener, Colonel, 213, 215 Knockany, 47, 48 Lanwell, Mr., 38 Lea, Mr. C. W., 22, 23, 38 Lehndorff, Count, 38, 88, 152, 153 Leopardstown, 26, 171 Lewis, Mr. Joe, 38, 177 Limerick Hunt, 39 Linde, Mr., 40, 42, 43, 46 Liverpool Grand National, The, 26;.27 Lonsdale, Lord, 37, 179 245 Lonsdale, Lady, 179 Lushington, T., 40, 163 Lutzow, Count, 38 Luxor, arrival at, 117 Luxor Gymkhana, programme, 118-119 Machell, Captain, 24 Mackay, Mr., 38 McLean, Tom, 59 MeWatt, Dr., 96, 98 Manchester Cup, 28 Marseilles, 96 Marsh, Miss, married to 8. H. D., 233 Marsh, R., 101, 233 Marsh, Mrs. R., 25, 233 Melbury, 181 Menzies, Mr. W. Stuart, 226 Methuen, Lord, 232 Metropolitan, The, 25 Metropolitan Merchants’ Handi- cap, 8.A., 76 Meux, Lady, 110-111 Middle Park Plate, 48, 204 Miller, Sir James, 38, 85 Miller, Sir John, 38 Mills, Mr. C., 83 Milner, Sir F., 225 Mohammed, famous dragoman, 110-113, 125, 130, 131, 135, 136, 141 Molecombe Stakes, 48 Montagu, Lord Charles, 168 Moore, Mr. Garrett, 47 Morbey, Chas., 19 | Moreton-in-the-Marsh, 1, 19 Morgan, Captain Hughes, 38 Muir, Mr. Gardiner, 25, 38 Nelson, Mr., 38 New Biennial Stakes, 170 Newmarket, 7, 30, 33, 48 Newmarket Stakes, 53, 55, 82 Nicholson, Mr. 120, 121, 138 Nickalls, Sir P., 26, 27, 38 Nierod, Count, 56 Nightingall, Mr. W., 83 Nil Desperandum Stakes, 7 Northleach, 8 Nourse, Mr., stables of, 79 Oceana, S.S., 89, 95, 102 Ostrich Farm, 146 Owen, Captain Roddy, 24 246 Owen, Mr. Hugh, 15 Owners, trained for, 189 Paats, Mr., 218 Pares, Mr. E. H., 237 Parry, Mr., 20 Pearce, Harry, 50 Pearce, Ted, 50 Peech, Mr., 113 Port Said, 102, 103 Primrose, Hon. Neil, 177 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, 53, 84, 170 Princess of Wales’s Stakes, 153, 170 Pringle, Sir John, 215 Queen’s Hotel, Cape Town, 75 Racehorses : Acclaim, 167, 184 Acrobat, 10-12 Althotas, 23 Ard Patrick, 60, 63, 64, 71, 81 —88, 152, 157, 159 Avernus, 177 Baldecoote, 40, 42 Ballot, 169 Ballot Box, 26, 27 Bantry Bay, 48 Bar-le-Duc, 29 Bendigo, 85 Bill and Coo, 176 Bird of Passage, 33 Birkenhead, 170 Blackbird, 46, 47 Blackspot, 174 Blair Athol, 7 Blairfinde, 40, 42, 43, 60, 63, 64 Bloodstone, 28 Bobrinski, 235 Bonnet Box, 80 Bonnie Gal, 192 Bonnie Morn, 34, 35 Boscombe Chimes, 75 Break of Day, 34 Bric-a-brac, 164-165 Bronzino, 185 Broomstick, 182 Bruce Lowe, 4 Buckwheat, 173 Burgundy, 174 Cap and Bells, 166, 193, 194 Caravel, 84, 177, 178 Cardinal York, 18 INDEX Racehorses (continued) : Chacornac, 169 Challenger, 176 Cheshire Cat, 174 Chesney, 76, 77 Chelandry, 53 Chimney Pot, 6 Clytemnestra, 7 Colin, 189, 193 Collingbourne, 14 Comeaway, 29 Comfrey, 53 Common Talk, 164, 165 Commoner, 28 Cooee, 176 Cornstalk, 211, 231 Coronet, 25, 26, 27 Costly Lady, 176 Crepuscule, 178 Cri de Guerre, 163, 164 Cyllene, 55, 56, 218 Cyrene, 174 Dainty, 15, 16, Dandyprat, 177 Deal, 178 Debonnaire, 16 Deceit, 13 Despair, 16 Devil Dodge, 174 Dewdrop, 15, 16 Diamond Jubilee, 167, 217 Disguise, 166, 168 Draughtsman, 174, 175 Dundonald, 176 Eager, 75 Earla Mor, 173 Edward, 28, 30, 31 Elliot, 17 England, 183 Epsom Lad, 167 Ercildoune, 63 Eufrosina, 179 Fairyland, 46 False Alarm, 31, 32 Fawn, The, 26 Flying Fox, 106, 170 Formosa, 21 Fowling Piece, 82, 156 Fugleman, 173, 174 Full Cry, 174 Fullerton, 25 Gallinule, 35 Galoneer, 182 Galopin, 211 Galtee More, 44, 46, 48-58, 60, 63, 64, 83, 88, 91, 156 INDEX 247 Racehorses (continued) : Racehorses (continued) : Galvani, 204 Gamekeeper, 46 Gazette, 18 Giant, 182 Glenmorgan, 51 Gloriation, 80 Good Morning, 34 Gown, The, 76 Green Sea, 76 Gules, 23 Hammurabi, 176 Happy Bird, 170, 171, 172 Happy Thought, 25 Happy Warrior, 175 Herod, 4 Hesperus, 2 Hirondelle, 34 Hussar, 47 Inquisitor, 18 Irresistible, 75, 76 Isaac, 1, 2, 3 Jack Snipe, 180, 181, 193, 194 Javelin, 174 Jeddah, 35, 168 Jest, 174 Jingling Geordie, 186 Jubert, 75, 177 Keersage, 169 Kendal, 48 Khyber, 28 Kilcock, 34, 36, 55, 88, 163 Kilwarlin, 33 La Bella, 30 La Maudite, 50 Lady Glenlochay, 15 Last Toast, 29, 30 Lemberg, 222 Little Ben, 182 Lord Quex, 167 Malaga, 28 Maluma, 76 Maori Chieftain, 177 Master Kildare, 79 Matchem, 5 Melody, 175 Melton, 79 Mervyn, 28 Miss Grace, 19 Miss Pac, 177 Morganette, 48, 60, 64 Morganette, wonderful family, 61, 62, 63 Mountain Apple, 184 Neil Gow, 185 Night Hawk, 53 Nightrider, 175 Noonday, 169, 194 - Olympian, 169 Orby, 130 Ormonde, 85 Pat C., 75 Pearl Diver, 79 Perdiccas, 177 Persimmon, 187 Polar Star, 218 Port Blair, 71, 82 Preferment, 174 Presbyterian, 177 Prince of Tyre, 22, 23 Queen Tii, 175 Ramrod, 178 Red Prince II, 43 Revenue, 34 Ringlet, 24 Ritchie, 178 Rocketer, 166 Rockingham, 3, 4, 178 Rock Sand, 85, 86, 107 Roseate Dawn, 176 Royal Charlie, 15 Rumpus, 7 Running Stream, 166 Sabinus, 21 St. Begoe, 179 Salamander, 6 Salute, 46 Santa Bellis, 179 Saracen, 17 Saucy Bess, 177 Sceptre, 83-86, 187, 212 Shaddock, 56 Simon, 211 Sinopi, 166 Slieve Gallion, 35, 36, 130, 166, 203, 204 Stensall, 29 Sunbright, 221 Sun Star, 175 Sweet Sounds, 87, 88 Sylphide, 174 Taslett, 174 Tissaphernes, 24 Torchbearer, 175 Tragedy, 33, 35 Tressady, 184, 185, 222 Tullibardine, 185 Uncle Sol, 177 Uncle Tom, 14 Velasquez, 48 Vinicius, 106, 107 248 INDEX Racehorses (continued) : Virginia Earle, 169 Weathercock, 182 Wedding Bells, 169 Wild Plunger, 79 Wildfowler, 35, 60, 163, 168, 191 Willonyx, 182, 183 Woodland, 25 Yentoi, 234 Zori de Zi, 164 Randall, Mr., stable of, 76 Ray, Mr., 38 Rhodes, Mr. Cecil, house of, 77 Robinson, Sir John, 182 Robinson, W. T., 23 Rodney, Lord, 33, 34 Rosebery, Lord, 37, 176, 177, 178 Rous Plate, 48 Royle, Judge, quotation from, 127 Russell of Killowen, Lord, 41, 42 Russia, Czar of, 37, 57, 176 Rutherford, Mr., 38 Rutland, Duke of, 47 St. Albans, Duke of, 25, 37 St. Davids, Lord, 221 St. James’s Palace Stakes, 176 St. Leger, 3, 35, 53, 60, 84, 168 Sandford House, 18 Sandown, 25, 26, 27, 85 Schooling, 4, 6 Scott, Sir S., 38 Severn Stoke, 18-19 Silbury Hill, 230 Sharpe, Mr. Taylor, 91 Sheen, Mr. Trevor, 228 Sheffield, Sir B., 38 Shepheard’s Hotel, 103, 106, 107, 143 Smith, Captain Prothero, 145 Soltykoff, Prince, 168 South Africa, leave for, 64 Spain, trip to, 216 Speed, Tom, 2 Stanning, Mr. D., 234 Stanning, Mrs. D., 180, 234 Stanning, Mr. J., 226, 227, 234 Steel, Mr., 113 Stewards’ Cup, Goodwood, 166 Street, Captain, 100 Stuart, Lady Crichton, 222, 223 Sullivan, Mr., 227 Sutton Coldfield, 12 Sutton Park, 11 Swindon Grand Annual, 15 Sykes, Sir Tatton, 35, 191 Tattersall, Mr. Somerville, 145 Taylor, Mr., 38 Teely, Rev., 89 Tel-el-Kebir, 105 Telscombe, 40 Tillett, Mr. Ben, 214 Two Thousand Guineas, The, 35, 48, 64, 82, 178, 185, 204 Tytus, Mr., 120, 121 Vigors, Tom, 44 Wadlow, Mr. Tom, 8 Waldron, Dr., 73 Walker, Colonel, 176 Walker, Kemmy, and Indus- trious, 160 Warwick College, 6 Watt, Mr., 4 Weatherby, Messrs., 30, 31 Weever, Mr., 6, 7, 10, 11 Welter Cup, 46 Westbury, Lord, 1 Weston, Mr., 20 Whitehouse, Mr., 38 Whyte, Mr. J. D., 46 Wideners, Mr., 38 Willan, Mrs., 9 Williams, General Owen, 38 Williams, Mr. Greswolde, 227, 228 Williams, Mrs. Greswolde, 227 Willoughby, Mr., 209 Wilson, Mr. Clarence, 38 Wilson, Mr. Wilfrid, 38 Winners, bought by S. D., 190- 191 Winners, trained by 8. D., 187- 189 Wolfe, Mr., 23 Wolseley, Lord, 127 Woolashill, 14, 15, 16 Woolcott, Harry, 20, 21 Worcester, 3, 4, 19 Worcester Cup, 2 Wright, Colonel, 223 Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury. | i Hh aki ei en a a oer i AVES Net SF Darling, Sam 336 Sam Darling's reminiscences D3A3 BioMed PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET —e————ooOoOoOooo—————————— UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY —_ ee eee — — —