GREEN; YELLOW SLEEVES, BELT, AND CAP 



Of the six and twenty starters only nine completed the 

 course, old Manifesto, now in his sixteenth year, being 

 one of them. So far as I am aware this is a Liverpool 

 record in the matter of age. Accounts of the race state 

 briefly that "seventeen fell." It may be that one or 

 two of them refused, but at any rate the story of this 

 race goes far to show what competing in a Liverpool 

 means ! 



I may now revert to Comfit, a son of Butterscotch 

 dam by Clan Ronald, who, like so many other of Mr. 

 Bibby's horses, was purchased in Ireland — for the trifle 

 of ;^I25 — and at once on his arrival in England gave 

 the most convincing evidence that his acquisition had 

 been wise. His first attempt was in the National Hunt 

 Steeplechase at Warwick in 1903, an event to which 

 detailed reference is made on subsequent pages. For 

 this National Hunt Steeplechase of 1903 Connaught, 

 son of that good 'chaser Royal Meath, was favourite, 

 ridden by Mr. H. S. Persse, who has since gained fame 

 as the trainer of the Tetrarch and numerous other not- 

 able winners. Several other animals were fancied, but 

 Comfit, whose name does not appear in the betting, 

 cantered home eight lengths in front of his field, ridden 

 by Captain R. H. Collis, who was afterwards to be 

 closely associated with Mr. Bibby's horses. 



Comfit did not reappear for some eight months, 

 coming out again for the Grand Sefton Steeplechase, 

 which that season went to Leinster. Comfit was 



62 



