SPORT Sir Joseph Hawley, however, on one occa- sion at least (in 1848) sent one of his horses to Canterbury for the Queen's Plate ; but Miami, his representative, did not achieve success, although a year earlier she had won the Oaks. The race was run in heats as will be seen from the following table, the result being : — ilr. Harrison's ch h Pyrrhus the First by Epirus, 5 yrs., 10 st. . A. Day * I I Mr. E. R. Clarke's b f Alpheia, 3 yrs., 8 st. 4 lbs. . . . W. Planner * 2 3 Sir Joseph Hawley's b or ro f Miami, 4 yrs Sly 3 3 2 From the foregoing table it will be seen that the first heat resulted in a dead-heat between Pyrrhus the First and Alpheia, the remaining two going to the former, who was none other than the Derby winner of two years before. There is no trace of Lord Falmouth having gone to Canterbury even with one of Mat Dawson's lesser lights bred at Mereworth, a place still known to fame as the nursery of Hurricane, Kingcraft, Wheel of Fortune, Jannette, Childeric, GaUiard, Busybody, and others, while Leybourne is no less conspicuous as having to its credit such good horses as Fitz Roland, Aphrodite, Teddington, Musjid, Beadsman, Blue Gown and Pero Gomez, besides the already mentioned Miami — all classic celebrities. Lord Falmouth's great stud was disposed of by auction at Newmarket in 1884, and realized the large sum of 111,860 guineas. Sir Joseph Hawley's stud had been broken up in 1873, when it was sold at Middle Park. The Blenkirons — father and two sons — made the Middle Park stud famous. The stallions which they have had there include Blair Athol, Kingston, King John, and Gladiateur, and among the mares have been Seclusion and Shot. It is on record that Mr. Chaplin gave no less a sum than 1,000 guineas as a yearling for Hermit out of the former mare, and the very next lot, out of Shot, was knocked down to Mr. Merry for the same figure. Mr. Merry's purchase eventually came to be known as Marksman and the pair subsequently fought out a very memorable Derby, the verdict going to Hermit, which beat Marksman in a desperate finish to a hard fought race by a neck. Little indeed now remains to tell the tale of the high-mettled racers once reared within those famous paddocks at Middle Park, and the only sign of quadruped existence that could be seen recently as one passed along the Eltham road was a board fixed at the end of the old elm avenue, announcing the simple fact that horses were taken in to graze where so many heroes and heroines of the Turf once had their being. Not very far removed from Middle Park is Avery Hill, where the late Colonel North ' established a breeding stud, and succeeded in producing a very fair lot of horses. But this once busy centre of activity exists no more as an establishment for the raising of blood stock. Leybourne was used as a breeding stud some time ago by Mr. Phillips, who, after Sir Joseph Hawley's death, had there among others Galliard and Peter ; and Mereworth, where the sixth Lord Falmouth achieved so many successes, is now in the hands of his son, the present Viscount, who still keeps several brood mares there. So far he has not had the good fortune that favoured his famous father, but he can at least claim to have turned out one classic winner in Quintessence. There are, or were, a few other studs, most of them of minor importance, upon Kentish soil, and a diligent search of the Stud Book would reveal the names of many famous horses who have been produced in this quiet little corner of England. Mr. Musker recently tried his fortunes within the county with Melton, at Westerham, where many brilliant horses have been produced from time to time, and Mr. John Corlett of The Sporting limes still struggles hard with his little lot out Sutton Valence way in the Staplehurst district. His luck with Torpedo Catcher has not been very great, but one of her progeny at least. Let Go the Painter, achieved the distinction of winning a race on native soil, when at Folkestone he carried off the chief handicap on the card. It may be of interest to note, in conclusion, that one or two of Kent's long disused courses still remain, notably that at Bromley, which is now (1907) used as a golf links, thereby following the fate of many another once famous course in this and other parts of the kingdom. At Strood too, although the actual course has long since disappeared. ^ It is a coincidence that the late Mr. Thomas Blenkiron and Colonel North, who were connected with these two neighbouring breeding studs, are buried almost side by side in the little churchyard at Eltham. The former was the elder son of the founder of the Middle Park stud and the father of the owner of Ambition, who used to race in the name of Mr. EUerton. It was this Mr. Thomas Blenkiron who advised Colonel North to invest the money he had got from his nitrates on the Turf, with what successful results every one knows. 499
