344 STEEPLE-CHASING. 



is half-bred, and so was The Colonel, who won the Grand 

 National two years in succession, as was Pathfinder, also a 

 winner. The letters *h.b.' after a horse's name may mean 

 anything ; as, for instance, that this is just the horse to buy 

 after a selling race at a regular meeting, because it is eligible to 

 run for Farmers' Plates, limited to half-bred horses. If only a 

 loophole can be found in the conditions it can run at a local 

 meeting for nothing or next to nothing ; and, seeing that it 

 would probably meet horses of the inferior class for which the 

 race was really intended, its chances would be great ; whereas 

 on a public course the expenses would most likely include 

 travelling, stabling, sweepstakes of 5/. or io/., entrance fee 2/. 

 or 3/. in addition, and jockey's fee, 5/. for a losing and io/. for 

 a winning mount. The temptation to the unscrupulous man is 

 great. 



It is not always easy to exclude suspected horses. The 

 local races under G. N. H. rules, as every reputable cross- 

 country meeting must be, are necessarily advertised in the 

 ' Racing Calendar.' Here is the bait, and many immoral 

 fishes at once begin to see whether it will be safe to take it. 

 The stewards can easily say whether the animals entered are 

 * hunters that have been regularly hunted ' with a certain pack 

 or packs, and so, taking the Brocklesby programme, the first 

 three races have to some extent a safeguard, though a gentle- 

 man-rider farmer might have succeeded in qualifying without 

 exposing his horse. But, in spite of the penalties, it would be 

 very possible for a steeple-chaser to slip into such a race as 

 the Brocklesby Open Steeple-chase or the Members' Plate. 

 The result is of course to discourage those who have good 

 hunters that can gallop a little and jump fairly well, but cannot 

 compete with horses of a totally different class. To take 

 a modern instance : Zoedone, afterwards winner of the Grand 

 National, won Sir Watkin Wynn's Hunt Steeple-chase of 487. 

 at a little meeting at Ash, Whitchurcb. An attempt, which has 

 been attended by some success, is put in practice at certain 

 meetings to classify horses. The entries are made, and a 



