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AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FAMOUS TRAINER John Porters Own Story of His Connection with Ormonde and Other Grand Racers Truly a Iwok to captivate the mind of any lover of turf literature of the highest type is John Porter of Kingsclere an Autobiography This delightful wealth of reminiscence was as its title page sets out written in collaboration with Edward Moorjiouso The editorial supervision of the latter accomplished writer had much to do with the di ¬ rectness and simplicity with which the story of one of the greatest trainers of all time is told One thing he was always greatly pleased with was this thisIn In 18S the Prince of Wales as he then was sent some horses to John Porter of Kingsclere the great English trainer upon the recommendation of Lord Alington Porter it was who persuaded King Ed ¬ ward to buy that great brood mare Perdita II Mr David Falconer a Mark Lane jute broker who raced as Mr Renholin owned her and asked 11 thousand guineas for her Porter liked the look of hur although she was angular but she looked like a likely brood matron matronIn In his autobiography Porter writes writesI I had to see the Prince that morning in his room at the Jockey Club I told him about Perdita II and that I had seen her herThey They are asking a thousand for her sir but I may be able to get her for a little less The Prince asked me whether I thought she would do for his stud and I said yes Then said the Prince you can buy her if you oan get her for nine hundred When Sir Diglrton Probyu was handing over the money to me he said You will ruin the Prince if yon go on buying these thoroughbreds What a bargain Pordita II turned 1 Perdita II became a perfect gold ¬ mine The Prince some years after he had become King said to me When yon bought her voti as gooil as made me u present of a quarter of a million of money King Edward had all his racing for nothing The produce of Perdita II won twentysix races worth ii4li5 including Persimmons S173530 Diamond Jubilees SM5i5 and Florizel IIs 30200 AVhen at the stud those three horses earned about S7 S7iUOOtl iUOOtl in fees Diamond Jubilee was sold to the Argentine for 1 1i i Miitt and Samlringham another sou went to the United States And so we get at the quarter of a million which King Edward calculated he had realized by the aid of the produce of that game little mare we saw win at Chester jiltout the time that real old slave Whipperin the Kingsclere trial horse was winning races every year on the ancient soup plate course courseSubsequent Subsequent chapters in this autobiography deal with that luckless horse Friars RaNam with Sain ¬ foin and Common Urine and La Floeho Throstle Jind Matchbox and of course Flying Fox Porter declares Urine to lie seven pounds to ten pounds behind his sire Ormonde He does not hold any exalted ideas of the merits of Flying Fox I have always thought he wiis i ood horse It may be he was not so wonderful as we were at the time inclined to think The sale of the Eaton horse is well told and cornhides with the comment that what was Mr Sievicrs good luck was our mis ¬ fortune fortuneAs As showing how charmingly John Porter writes and how deeply he goes into the subject of blood lines followingI and their values we quote the following I have always looked upon Hermit as a good Derby winner but he might have failed had not Captain Maehell been compelled to give him an easy timv for ten days or so owing to the breaking of a blood vessel Hermit was a delicate horse and did not reqnjrc much work This was the case with most of Xewniinsters sons and daughters daughtersIt It used to be the fashion in those dnvs and not without reason to impose Newminstor blood on that of Stoekwell or vice versa The Rirdeatehers often had cnrby hocks descendants of Touchstone Touchstonevery very seld had a curb Oh the other hand many manyof of the Touchstones had straight shoulders and not the best of forelegs defects which the Rlrdoatchors rarely displayed The offspring of Stoekwell were much hardier than those of Newminster NewminsterAs As a rule a mare by Stoekwell was a far better mother than u mare by owniinstor The former had a great supply of milk This is a characteristic which Bend Or a grandson of Stoekwell transmit ¬ ted to his daughters and a verv valuable one it is isIn In 1W S the Duke of Portlands horses went to Kingsclere to be trained and the autobiography re ¬ calls stories of La Rothe William the Third the closing years at Kingsclere and the laying of the Nowhiiry race course i scheme upon which Mr Porter staked his good name and fortune when his training days were over The appendix to the book is full of entrancing figures For Sir Joseph Hawley John Porter won 115 races worth 317885 for Mr F Gretton 1 15 races worth SlSS5i for Mr John Gretton 55 races worth 5SVMI for Lord Alington and Sir F Johnstonc lit races worth il77 t for the late Duke of Westminster 210 races worth SI 23 1720 for the late King Ed ¬ ward IS races worth S33SII for Mr W Low I7 races worth S132C70 for Mr Francis Alexander 33 races worth 58 25 for the late Raron llirsch 30 races worth X221155 for Lord Crewe races worth S55C 5 for the Duke of Portland IS races worth 257045 and for the present Duke of West ¬ minster U races valued at 15120 15120All All told John Porters 425 successful horses won 10IKJ races valued at 31500105 and add to that the sums credited to horses that were placed second and third to wit 337810 we arrive at a grand total of 53 27015 Seven times did John Porters horses win the Derby thrice the Oaks six times the St Leger five times the Two Thousand Guineas and twice the One Thousand Guineas GuineasTli Tli ere is not a word of malice in the book a wonderful story of a life which knew its mo ¬ ments of anguish as well as its mills of great joy The misty morning that Porter first heard Ormonde make a whistling noise must have been the dark ¬ est day In the career of one who served his em ¬ ployers so well so faithfully and so zealously This autobiography is a great book bookThis This remarkable contribution to turf history is published in London by Grant Richards Ltd St Martins St and would cost an American buyer
