BRITISH SPORT PAST AND PRESENT 



in the Quorn country. In short, to use an humble phrase, 

 one word produced another ; and the argument, as arguments 

 among EngUshmen generally do, concluded in a bet ; and 

 Captain Douglas was matched to ride four miles over Leicester- 

 shire against Captain Ross. . . . The ground run over — 

 from Barkby Holt to Billesden Coplow — is generally supposed 

 to want about a quarter of a mile of four miles, and is, for 

 the most part, of very uneven surface. From the repeated 

 trials each party had had over it, the fences were considerably 

 broken ; and were, indeed, not in a state to have stopped the 

 commonest hack. Nevertheless, though the ground was dry 

 enough to bear the horses, and all grass, it was distressing. 



' The weight of the parties was as follows : — Douglas, 

 previous to training, 14 st. ; but he rode the race 12st. 9 lb. 

 Ross, previous to training, 13 st. 5 lb. ; and he rode the match 

 list. 8 lb. ; in a 10 lb. saddle. Mr. White was umpire to the 

 former, and Sir Vincent Cotton to the latter, with Mr. Maxse 

 as judge. When Captain Ross came to Melton for the winter, 

 he found himself not only without a horse, in his own stable, 

 which he considered fit for such a match, but he knew not 

 where to go to find one. His friends, however, were par- 

 ticularly kind to him, and offered him the picking of their 

 studs. After several trials a horse called Clinker, the pro- 

 perty of Mr. Holyoake, was fixed upon ; and as in his trial 

 he went over the ground — then very deep — in eleven minutes 

 and fifteen seconds, with Dick Christian, weighing 13st. 4 lb. 

 on his back, little doubt, barring accidents, was entertained 

 of his being the winner. Clinker was purchased by Mr. 

 Holyoake from Mr. J. Leeds, a celebrated rider with the 

 Oakley hounds ; and is got by Clinker, dam by Sancho, grand- 

 dam by Fidget, out of Lily of the Valley, by Echpse. If any 

 proof were wanting to shew the effect of condition on good 

 form and high breeding it would be found in the remarkable 

 instance of this horse having been formerly in Mr. Musters' 

 stable and considered too bad to be kept at fifty poimds. 



' The following facts should be stated to the very great 



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