GREEN; YELLOW SLEEVES, BELT, AND CAP 



called Ranunculus, who was worthy of the respect in 

 which he was held and seemed to have been very favour- 

 ably treated with only 9 st. 12 lb, to carry. Ranunculus 

 had won a race at Haydock Park only a week before, 

 following on another at Birmingham only a few days 

 previously to that, and as it was declared that the further 

 he went the more he liked it, as also that the fences 

 would precisely suit him, his position was readily com- 

 prehensible. Kirkland had gone up 9 lb. in the handi- 

 cap, from lost. 10 lb. to list. 5 lb., which must be 

 esteemed on the whole fair treatment. 



As usually happens, trouble began early in the race. 

 The second fence brought down Royal Drake, who was 

 supposed to have a chance, together with three others, 

 Kiora, Hallgate and Ascetic's Silver, and at the next 

 obstacle Longthorpe and Nereus refused. Moifaa, 

 jumping boldly in the hands of his new jockey, raced 

 away at the head of affairs in company with an animal 

 called Timothy Titus who year after year greatly 

 flattered his friends. They led over Valentine's Brook, 

 where Detail and Biology, the former a good deal 

 fancied, came to grief. To ride Ranunculus a French 

 jockey, that is to say a jockey from France, unused to 

 English courses, Hollebone by name, had been brought 

 over, and though there would be no justification for 

 saying that with a more skilled pilot Ranunculus would 

 have won, it is tolerably certain that in more efficient 

 hands he would at least have made a better show ; for 



68 



