SOME MORE NATIONALS, INCLUDING GLENSIDE'S 



celled, Ascot, Goodwood and Doncaster among them, 

 and that there would be certain extra fixtures at New- 

 market to compensate, so far as compensation was 

 possible ; but what would happen the following year 

 with regard to the National, or to an imitation of it, 

 remained in the clouds. Few men were so pessimistic 

 as to believe that racing had for ever finished at Aintree, 

 still there was no denying the uncertainty of the outlook, 

 and it may be that owners were specially eager to win 

 what would be in all probability the last race over the 

 old course at any rate for an indefinite period. In 19 13 

 as already described Irish Mail, the property of Mr. 

 H. Tyrwhitt Drake, had run second to Covertcoat, and 

 shortly after the race Sir Charles Assheton-Smith evinced 

 a determination to buy the son of King's Messenger 

 which was not to be resisted. He was above all things 

 keen to carry off three consecutive Liverpools and thus 

 to establish a record which he believed could never be 

 broken, especially as a third consecutive success would 

 have been a fourth victory, seeing that Cloister had 

 scored in 1893. He was prepared to pay more than 

 Irish Mail was worth, and was hugely pleased with his 

 bargain in the Spring of the year. 



It is seldom in my experience that an owner does not 

 think his fancied animal has at least a few pounds too 

 much weight, and the 10 st. 12 lb. allotted to Irish Mail 

 did not altogether satisfy Sir Charles, though I could 

 not see that it was excessive. This latter was the 



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