GREE^; YELLOW SLEEVES, BELT, AND CAP 



me that on Kirkland he always went wide to the right the 

 second time round, the reason being that the take off 

 and landing close to the rails on the inside is so much 

 worse than at the middle of" the fences, and no one 

 who knows the course jumps the fences close to the rails 

 on the left. But on Kirkland he declared that he felt 

 absolutely safe to jump wherever he had most room. I 

 have walked the course so often that I defy anyone to 

 contradict me when I maintain that there is no course in 

 England where less is to be gained in distance by stick- 

 ing to the rails. If you go to the start and face the first 

 turning point you will see that there is no advantage in 

 going to the left. The next turn, only about 200 yards 

 further, is by the Canal, where you are far safer on the 

 right than on the left. After this there is little short of 

 a mile and a half almost straight. If Ranunculus had 

 run second, and those who lost money on him wished 

 to account for it, they might have made a plausible 

 excuse. He could only struggle home a bad fourth, 

 however, and it was absurd to pretend that he 'might 

 have won,' more especially as Kirkland was giving him 

 21 lb. and scored very easily. I cannot help paying due 

 tribute to this most genuine 'chaser." 



92 



