CHAPTER III.

EARLY RACING DAYS.

LORD GEORGE BENTINCK evidently took an interest in racing at an early age, as in 1824, when twentytwo years old, he rode Mr Poyntz's chestnut mare, Olive, for the Cocked-Hat Stakes at Goodwood, beating Lord George Lennox's bay gelding, Swindon, and three others, after running two dead heats with Swindon. In the third heat his Lordship rode without spurs, and to his great delight won, beating Captain Berkeley, an excellent rider, who piloted Swindon. At that time Lord George Bentinck was staying with Mr Poyntz at Cowdray, and some ladies who were also guests in the house kindly undertook the task of making a jacket for him to ride in. How far this gratifying success tended to promote his partiality for Goodwood I cannot say, but after its occurrence he attended Goodwood races without intermission; was a subscriber in 1827 to the Cup, Stakes, and Drawing - Room Stakes; and was Steward in 1837.

As his father, the fourth Duke of Portland, took, as I have already said, the greatest interest and delight in breeding and racing his own horses, Lord George was familiarised from his youth upwards with the noble sport to which he subsequently became so attached. Although his Grace was a great supporter of Newmarket, and seldom engaged his horses elsewhere, Lord George, aided by his first cousin, Mr Charles Greville, obtained the Duke's support as a subscriber, in 1827, to the Stakes, Cup, and Drawing-Room Stakes at Goodwood, where H.R.H. the Duke of York was Steward the previous year. At the same time Lord George had an interest in some of the horses running in Mr Greville's name, and was a very heavy speculator. Thus it is well known that he backed Mr Richard Watt's Belzoni and Lord Fitzwilliam's Mulatto for the Doncaster St Leger of 1825 for a considerable amount. The mæ, bowever, was run when the ground was very deep, and was won by Lord Scarbrough's Tarrare, so that Lord George Rose Bowly it was reported $27.000: but from Þis Lordship subsequer, y adurinting to me that it was "the most disastrous event of bis racing ouver,” I gol sure. Dat bis less mist have greatly exooded C, sen; and is necber, and sister. Lady Cheloce Sec. ok a lowards Viseuntess The groby zich daal terusly assisted

be supposed

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that this untoward incident could not be unknown. to his father, who was much troubled and grieved about it, and expostulated most earnestly with his son, pointing out the consequences of such reckless speculation. To wean Lord George from such a dangerous pursuit, the Duke purchased an estate in Scotland for his Lordship, urging him with affectionate importunity to forswear racing and betting. For a few years Lord George respected his father's wishes; but the natural instinct could not be suppressed, stimulated as it was by his father's stud, and by that of his cousin, Mr Greville (who was his senior by seven years), and by his own great attachment to Goodwood, and to his valued friend, the fifth Duke of Richmond. The latter took the greatest interest in the noble sport of horse-racing, and permitted Lord George to share a few horses with him. This induced Lord George to make several other purchases, running his horses in the name of the Duke of Richmond. These purchases were, in 1832, Kislar Aga and a black yearling colt by Reveller; and in 1833, a chestnut filly, Chanterelle. In 1835 his Lordship bought Pussy, Tiber, and three yearlings-viz., a colt by Sultan out of Gold Pin, a colt by Sir Benjamin Backbite, and Wimple, a

1 The estate in question was at Muirkirk, in Ayrshire. On the death of Lord George Bentinck, his brother, Lord Henry, succeeded to it, and sold it some years later to Mr James Baird of Cambusdoon, whose nephew, Mr John Baird, now holds it.

filly by The Colonel. In 1836 and 1837 there were added Zipporah, Frontignac, Château Lafitte, Hooghly, and Guava. In 1838 the stud was augmented by The Currier, Tamburini, and others, all running in the name of the Duke of Richmond. Lord George also had horses running in the names of Lord Orford, Mr Greville, and Lord Lichfield-Ascot and Bodice, for instance, running in Lord Orford's name; Preserve, Dacre, and Elis in Mr Greville's; and Elis, Arbaces, Ascot, El Pastor, with others, in Lord Lichfield's. It was not to be expected that so many different interests could be reconciled for any great length of time without some conflict of opinion arising, and accordingly the two keenest speculators, Lord George and Mr Greville, soon came into collision. Their differences became so great that all efforts on the part of their most intimate friends to compose them were of no avail-the result being that the horses in Mr Greville's name were removed to other stables, whilst Elis, with others, was intrusted to John Doe, Lord Lichfield's trainer. Preserve joined Lord George's stud at Doncaster, where his brood mares were under the charge of Mr Bowe, who kept the Turf Tavern, and in whose name his Lordship subsequently ran most of his horses.

This Mr John Bowe was at that time ostensibly landlord of the Turf Tavern at Doncaster, but the real lessee was Mr Samuel King, whose daughter

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Mr Bowe had married. Lord George Bentinck ran some of his horses in the name of Mr King, but the latter was a trainer who, among other horses, prepared Tarrare-the property of the Earl of Scarbrough for the Doncaster St Leger of 1826, which Tarrare won. Mr King therefore thought it would expose him to invidious comments if he appeared as nominator of mysterious horses of which he was not the trainer, and with which he had no intelligible connection. Under these circumstances he begged Lord George to find some other nominator for his entries, and in this way the services of Mr John Bowe were secured for that purpose. In reality, Lord George would have preferred to use Mr King's name, as he was very energetic and skilful in managing Lord George's paddocks and brood mares at Doncaster, and Lord George knew him well and trusted him thoroughly.

The Duke of Richmond did not approve of having any more of his Lordship's horses at Goodwood to run in his Grace's name, although it was his Lordship's wish to have all his stud there. In consequence, therefore, of this objection on the part of his Grace, Lord George established a stud at Danebury, where he expended a large sum in building stables, forming paddocks, making roads and plantations, and double-turfing the gallops; in fact, it was rumoured that his Lordship expended £1500 for bone-dust alone. At that time John Barham Day, familiarly known as "Honest John,"