THE NATIONAL HUNT 



could have held Comfit. The orders were for Frosty to 

 go to the front and for Comfit to wait on him. No 

 sooner had the flag fallen than Comfit jumped off with 

 a lead, while Frosty was about the last to get away. 

 The third fence was a particularly nasty one, a very 

 badly made open ditch with a deep take-off. I expected 

 grief at this point. Comfit, who would have jumped 

 at a house, led over it, five or six horses following him 

 cleared it all right, but then two or three refused and 

 broke the rail. The ditch was full of them, and among 

 the lot was Frosty, who had no right to be where he 

 was. Comfit won, but I still believe we had a better 

 horse in Frosty. 



After he had run conspicuously at Hooton for the 

 Cheshire Autumn 'Chase we sent him to Liverpool to 

 run for the Valentine. There had been a great deal 

 of rain and part of the course was flooded. Mason 

 was to ride him, and for some reason — probably he was 

 late, which, however, was very unlike him — he did not 

 walk the course as the other jockeys had done. Starting 

 below the stand and approaching the second fence Frosty 

 on the left took a very heavy fall, but Mason, 

 undaunted, remounted him, set off" in pursuit, and 

 actually caught the others before they had got to the 

 Canal Turn. Then he waited on them, and to my 

 horror approached the same fence at which he had fallen 

 at exactly the same place again. The horse turned a 

 complete somersault and broke his neck. On examin- 



149 



