384 STEEPLE-CHASING, 



had assembled at Aintree, and when the field came into sight 

 the last time round the heartiest cheers were raised at the 

 spectacle of the top weight striding comfortably along forty 

 lengths ahead of his nearest follower. Such enthusiasm as the 

 crowd displayed when Cloister literally trotted past the post 

 has never been exceeded on a race course ; for the love of a 

 good horse is*strong in the breasts of sportsmen, however 

 absurd the sentiment may appear to those who cannot share it, 

 and Cloister had, as the phrase goes, ' beaten the record ' in 

 every way — he had won the race more easily than it had ever 

 been won before, his weight was 12 st. 7 lbs., the highest by 

 8 lbs. ever carried, and the time, 9 min. 42 sees., the best ever 

 made over the course, which had been altered since Hunts- 

 man's year. 



After the race Dollery protested that he had come along in 

 front because the others seemed to be going so slowly, vowed 

 he had never been out of a ' nice half-speed gallop ' and that 

 they ' often went much faster at home.' As for jumping, he had 

 once or twice placed Cloister at his fences and asked him to 

 take off, but the horse had ' put another little one in.' ' " So I 

 said to him," Dollery explained, " All right ! you know more 

 about it than 1 do, I dare say — jump 'em as you like ! " ' 

 Another jockey riding in the race stated that Cloister had 

 carried away a couple of rails, and had he not been such an 

 extraordinarily well-balanced horse must have fallen. The 

 Midshipmite seemed to be going so strongly a mile from home 

 that Sensier, his rider, thought he only had to ask him to go 

 up and join the leaders, but when he did ask there was no 

 response : when the horse had done pulling he had done 

 going. Father O'Flynn, the previous years winner, ran 

 generously enough till the weight 11 st. 11 lbs. stopped him. 



There are naturally a number of excellent horsemen who, 

 perhaps from sheer bad luck, have failed to win a Grand 

 National. Of prominent amateurs Mr. Arthur Yates may be 

 named. Nearly every other great race fell to his lot in his time, 

 but the blue riband of cross-country sport was denied him. 



