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GRAND RACE HORSE AND GREAT SIRE. When on July o. 1S83. Matt Dawson. MfihNJ ott the advice of Fred Archer, purcliased St. Simon for the Duke of Portland at l.OlHi guineas, tin-finest buy in horseflesh of all time was brought off. Not only was the son of Oalopin a superlative and unbeaten, race horse — he was never, by the bye, entered for either the Derby or St. Leger— but he has proved a perfect gold mine, having earned for his owner at Welbeek upward of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds in stud fees, besides all His Graces own inures that St. .Simon has been mated with, ays "Audax" in Horse Bail Hound. I mentioned the other day that this champion of champions i.s wonderfully fresh and well just now. and he is a fair marvel, tor he will be twenty seven next Wednesday. Speaking of St. Simon and Welbeek causes me to wonder if breeders are not inclined nowadays to run away lea much with the idea that the maris the all-important factor in producing racers of merit, as take for instance some of the Duke of Portlands matrons. He had at one time no fewer than five Oaks winners at the Welbeek Stud in Amiable. La Roche, Memoir. Mrs. Butterwick, and Wheel of Fortune, surely a quintette that from their breed in:; and performances ought to be expected to bring forth good stock; and yet. what have they produced? Amiable has generally been barren or had dead foals, the only one to race out of her being the wretched Amnesty; nor has La Roche thrown a winner, her sole runner being Ormesby. Memor -best is The Scribe, but Mrs. Butterwick has done more, having produced Greatorex a quite smart but very unsound horse, that could not be trained after his two-year-old daysi, Kirkby, and Wombwell the latter, too. In-ing difficult to train. As to Wheel of Fortune, who was much the liest racer of the lot. and one of tin- best mares that ever looked threagb a bridle, she turned out a most terrible disappointment after the Duke bought her in IM. although prior to this she had thrown a useful horse iu 0 heron.
