BARGAINS IN RACEHORSES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2240, 4 February 1897, Page 34

BARGAINS IN RACEHORSES.

Only those intimately connected with the sport of horee-racing can form the slightest idea of the tlukiness attending the purchasing of racers. The writer has in his mind's eye dozens of fashionably-bred yearlings, costing in the aggregate hundreds of thousands of pounds, who have yet to earn a single shilling towards their hay and corn bill ; and, on the other hand, thoroughbreds picked up for an old song have turned out colossal gold mines for their particularly fortunate owners. Sainfoin was purchased by Mr John Porter, the famous trainer, for 500gs ; and, after winning the Esher Stakes, was sold for 7500gs by him to Sir James Miller, for whom he won tbe Derby. The Prince of Wales had previously intimated his desire to purchase the colt from Porter ; but the latter would not sell him owing to a suspicion of unsoundness, or H.R H. would have won his firot Derby in 1890. The famous Hampton was another remarkably cheap horse. He was so little thought of as a two-year-old that he. was entered in a selling race, and, winning this, and also the next, he wa» sold for 150gs. Making marvellous improvement, he carried off one big race after another, and his descendants number among them the greatest racers of the present day, the beat known being Ayrshire, Merry Hampton, and Ladas. Throstle, the sensational conqueror of Lsdas in the St. Leger, was on the point of becoming a very cheap horse, as, owing to her eyes being covered with a thick film when born, her owner Lord Alington offered her to a friend free, gratis, and for nothing ; but the latter disdained to acoept the gift, and the film disappearing she was put into training, with the result before mentioned. * Stranje to say, when her owner heard of her infirmity he ordered her to be shot, but fortunately for him, as events turned out, his message miscarried ! A half share in Florance was sold for £6, and Mr Hammond eventually purchased her for £1000. For this gentleman she won the Manchester Cup. Aacot Plate, and Cambridgeshire, carrying 9.1 in the latter. Kangaroo was purchased at Newmarket for something like 400gs, and was afterwards sold to the Marquis of Hastings for £13,000. * Peep-o'-Day was another cheap purchase for 75gs, ac, after winning several big races, the late Duke of Hamilton bought her for £1155. The great Hermit was acquired at public auction by Mr Henry Chaplin for exactly 1000gs, after his rival, the Marquis of Hastings, had bid 50gi lens. Had the plunging Marquis outbidden Mr Chaplin, one of the moat remarkable chapters in turf history ■would have remained unwritten, as Hermit won the Derby and ruined the Marquis, who had staked all his property on the victory of another fcorse. , Deadlock, the dam of Isinglass, who won the Derby, St. Leger, and many other races, worth considerably over £30,000, was after being driven in' a trap sold by Lord Alington for the ridiculous sum of £20 to Captain Machell, who made a profit of £480 when he disposed of her to the lucky millionaire, Major M'Calmont. The mighty Stockwell, one of the grandest racers that ever 3 ran, was bought by Lord Exeter for £180. Stockwell not only won the St. Leger, but three of his sons won tbe Derby, and six the St. Leger. His descendants in one year alone placed £61,000 to their credit, and in those days there were no £10,000 stakes. The Widow was first of all presented by the

Marquis of Westminster to hie bailiff, and that functionary thought he had well sold her when he parted with his present for £10. After running wild with a herd of cattle she whs trained, won a race, and found a new owner in Mr Leigh, who netted the comfortable little sum of £40,000 when she ran away with the Cambridgeshire, defeating 36 nailing good handicappers. Salamander, who blossomed into a magnificent steeplechaser and a Grand National winner, was hawked about to several country fairs before a purohaser was found willing to give £35 for him. He eventually paaaed into the hands of a Mr Studd, who lnuded over £30,000 when he carried off the cross-country Darby. Queen of the Rosos, beforo passing into the hands of the Duke of Beaufort, was twice bartered for a bag of corn and a rick of hay respectively. Reve dOr, one of her daughters, won the Oaks, City and Suburban, and several other good races. Harriot Laws, the Northumberland Plate winnor, was pnrch«.»ed out of a selling raoe for £215 by Mr T. Holmes, a tbeatrioal manager in N«wcaatle on-Tyae ; and two of her foals, Lawminster and Lauriscope, have since won the same event for her purchaser. Plutus, who won amongst other good races the Great Eastern Railway Haudioap, was accidentally purchased by Mr Jennings for 7gs, the auctioneer mistaking the trainer's friendly nod for a bid. Thunder, the celebrated City and Suburban wiuner, was bought originally by one of the Rothschilds for a mere song for Mat Dawson, the celebrated trainer, who made him over to the North country owner, Mr Vyner, for whom he won some of the very best handicaps. William Day parted with Bavis for £5, repurchased him for £7, and with him won the Northamptonshire Stakes, a» Bsvis cantered home alone, and landed his party a fabulous fortune in bets. The renowned Eclipse, who was never beaten, cost 75gs as a yearling, and won £25,000 during his turf career, while his direct descendants earned over £150,000. St. Gatien, who after dead-heating in the Derby was sold for £15,000, was & foal of The Rover, a 50-guine» investment ; and the owner of Saucebox and Weathergaze, St. Legor and Cesatewitch winners respectively, paid altogether 14-Ogs for his fleet racers. Red Eyes, afterwards a Cesarewitoh winner, ,was actually given away. Those d ailing good horses Carlton and Al thorp were •• begged " for £10 and £20. Tommy Tittlemouae is a notable instance of a cheap horse, as, after proving successful in five races, Mr Whipp bought him for llOgs, and altogether ho bas competed in 165 rAcas; out of these he has flashed first past the judge 41 times ! This horse will always be remembered as %he last and 8034 th mount of poor Fred Aroher. Victor Wild, who passed into tha hands of a metropolitan publican from a selling ruce for less than 400^8, has for the past three years been worshippad by racing men. For his new owner he has carried off such valuable races as the great Jubilee Stakes (twice), Royal Hunt Cup, &c, and is now worth muoh nearer £10,000 than his original price.