SOME LIVERPOOLS, INCLUDING KIRKLAND'S 



use of the horse during the last mile. This he did not 

 tell me until after he had won in 1905, notwithstanding 

 that he was repeatedly down here to ride gallops for us. 

 Then I learnt the truth. He said to me, ' I told you I 

 was sure to win, bar accidents, for I should have won as 

 I liked the year before had I been able to make use of 

 the horse. I was really quite helpless on him for the 

 last mile because of the pain, and because I was so 

 tightly bandaged. I daren't tell you before, as you 

 would have been angry with me for throwing the race 

 away.' 



" In my opinion Kirkland's performances over Aintree 

 prove him to be about the most typical National horse 

 that has run in my time. He won the Sefton first time 

 over the course, the next time out there he was beaten a 

 short head for third place in the National. The year 

 following he was second, and the next time he won, carry- 

 ing 1 1 St. 5 lb., his time being 9 minutes 48I seconds. 

 Since the race has been run only eight horses have won it 

 in shorter time, and of these only two had won carrying 

 more weight — carrying it I mean in shorter time — viz. : 

 Cloister, 12 st. 7 lb., time 9 minutes 42I seconds, 

 and Why Not, 9 minutes 45I seconds. I was a good 

 deal nettled, I may perhaps add, by some of the news- 

 paper reports which made out that Ranunculus might 

 have won had he not gone so far round. It is a difficult 

 thing to go * far round ' on that course. If anyone 

 took an outside place in the race it was Mason, who told 



91 



