GREEN; YELLOW SLEEVES, BELT, AND CAP 



chase, a thousand pound race, with somewhat curious 

 conditions : horses might be entered to be sold for jCs^ 

 which of course enabled them to take an allowance, and 

 an animal named St. Moritz, who did so, and was subse- 

 quently bought in for 700 guineas, beat Kirkland by 

 twenty lengths. It cannot be said that this justified Mr. 

 Sydney's criticism of the horse, but at least it showed 

 running two miles and a half over easy fences was not 

 Kirkland's game. This Hooton Park race came only 

 three weeks after the Liverpool, which is an excuse for 

 Kirkland, as it has continually appeared that animals 

 who have undergone a Liverpool preparation and the 

 exertion of the race are of little good for months 

 afterwards. 



There are admittedly exceptions to this rule. 

 Eremon, for instance, went on from Liverpool to win 

 the great Lancashire Steeplechase at Manchester, and he 

 is not quite the only one on whom the Aintree contest 

 left little effect, but I am nevertheless inclined to speak 

 of the defeats of Liverpool horses during the following 

 weeks as being the rule. Kirkland, however, was con- 

 sidered fit and well enough to be brought out only a 

 week after his Hooton essay at Sandown in the Grand 

 International Steeplechase. Mason was his constant 

 jockey, Mr. Bibby having first claim on that accom- 

 plished horseman's services. No more than 2 to i 

 was to be had about him, though his weight was only 

 1 1 St. I lb., but he could get no nearer than sixth in a 



66 



