Racing Career 



The season of 1870 was destined to play an important 

 part in his riding career, seeing that, in addition to many other 

 races, Mr. Richardson won the most important event he had 

 yet ridden in, namely, the Grand National Hunt Steeplechase, 

 run on this occasion at Cottenham, near Cambridge, on 

 Schiedam, belonging to the still living Lord Chaplin, then 

 Mr. Henry Chaplin, like himself a Lincolnshire man — a fact 

 which made the victory all the more appropriate. 



Now it was — or very soon after — that Mr. Richardson 

 formed the connection with the late Captain Machell — perhaps 

 the best judge of steeplechasing in England — which was 

 destined to have such successful results, and which ended in 

 that gentleman not only sending his protige a lot of his horses 

 to his place at Limber to be trained for their engagements, 

 but giving him a roving commission to buy any more he thought 

 likely to win races whenever he had a chance. 



One of the three first investments in this line was Keystone, 

 which good horse he purchased from that well-known Lincoln- 

 shire yeoman and sportsman, Mr. Robert S. Walker, after 

 winning the Sefton Steeplechase at Liverpool on him, and that 

 the deal was a successful one was proved by his new purchase 

 winning the Cambridge Handicap Steeplechase and the West 

 of Scotland Steeplechase at Eglinton in the same year. Mr. 

 Richardson then took Keystone to Baden-Baden, where, with 

 himself in the saddle, he was only beaten by a neck for the 

 Grand Prize. 



Mr. Richardson was unlucky in this particular race, for he 

 had ridden in it, as it happened, the previous year, his mount 

 on that occasion being Juryman, the property of Count Nicholas 

 Esterhazy. He, the late George Ede (Mr. " Edwards "), and 

 the still living Major Arthur Tempest were the only English- 

 men riding in the race, and all went well until they came to 



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