Melton (1882–1910) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1884 to 1886 he ran eighteen times and won eleven races. In 1885 he won the second two legs of the English Triple Crown, the Derby at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster. At the end of the 1886 season he was retired to stud where he had considerable success in both Italy and Great Britain. Background Melton was a small, but powerful and good-looking bay horse, bred by his owner George Manners Astley, 20th Baron Hastings (1857–1904) a country gentleman who named the colt after the village of Melton Constable in Norfolk. He was trained by Mathew Dawson at his Heath House stable at Newmarket, Suffolk. Melton was ridden in most of his races by the thirteen-time Champion Jockey Fred Archer. Melton’s sire, Master Kildare, who was also owned by Lord Hastings, was a successful racehorse who won the Alexandra Plate at Royal Ascot and the City and Suburban Handicap at Epsom. In his first season at stud he attracted little interest from breeders and sired only three foals: one of these was Melton. Melton’s dam was Violet Melrose a winner of six races. Racing career 1884: two-year-old season Melton began his career in the New Stakes (now called the Norfolk Stakes) at Royal Ascot in June 1884 in which he recorded an unexpected victory from Match Girl and his stable companion Langwell, who started favourite. On his next start in the July Stakes at Newmarket Melton started 11/10 favourite. He looked the likely winner in the closing stages but was finished beaten a head by Luminary, with the two finishing well clear of the other four runners. In October at Newmarket Melton ran in the year’s most prestigious two-year-old race, the Middle Park Plate. He started at 10/1 with the favourite being an unnamed colt (later named Paradox) owned by the Duke of Westminster. Fred Archer held Melton up in the early stages before moving him up into a challenging position approaching the final furlong. Melton quickened well and won a "most exciting" race by half a length from Xantrailles, with the Duke of Westminster's colt and Royal Hampton dead-heating for third. On his final start of the year he carried top weight in the Criterion Stakes over the same course on October 20, starting at odds of 2/5 and winning "in