of 100/6. In what was described as "one of the most wonderful performances that has been recorded for many years" he won the race from The Abbot, a top-class three-year-old who had recently finished third in the 2000 Guineas and to whom he was conceding 46 pounds. Gretton was reported to have won £25,000 in bets on the race. At Royal Ascot his only rivals for the Gold Cup were the Cesarewitch winner Chippendale and the 1879 Prix du Jockey Club winner Zut. Chippendale made the running and was still leading by a length at the start of the straight, and Cannon was looking uneasy on the favourite. In the closing stages, however, Isonomy took control of the race and finished a "gallant and easy" winner by a length. Shortly after the race it was announced that Isonomy would probably not run again in 1880, although there were hopes that he would return as a six-year-old. In early 1881, Gretton reportedly turned down an offer of £25,000 for Isonomy. Assessment In May 1886 The Sporting Times carried out a poll of one hundred racing experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th century. Isonomy was ranked third, having been placed in the top ten by 62 of the contributors. In a related poll, the electors were asked to choose the single greatest horse they had ever seen. In this poll, Isonomy finished second, one vote behind Gladiateur. The English Illustrated Magazine called Isonomy “one of the most remarkable racehorses of the century”. By the time of his second Gold Cup he was being described as "undoubtedly the best horse of late times" and as "one of the grandest and apparently most invincible Cup horses that ever trod the turf." The Sportsman called him "the best horse ever bred in England." John Porter, who trained the winners of twenty-three classics, including three Triple Crowns, regarded Isonomy as the best horse he ever trained. Contemporary culture Isonomy found his way into contemporary literature in the 1892 short story "The Adventure of Silver Blaze" by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story concerns the kidnapping of a celebrated racehorse and the mysterious death of its trainer. When explaining the horse's value to Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes says that “Silver Blaze... is from Isonomy stock, and holds as brilliant a record as his famous ancestor.” Stud career Isonomy was retired to