STEEPLE-CHASING 



He made a memorable first appearance as a four year old in 

 Ireland by winning the Members' Plate at Longford when 

 there was a very bumping finish between Seaman, ridden by 

 Mr. H. Beasley, and Mr. Croker's Sir Garnet, a crack four year 

 old of the time, ridden by Mr. D. Murphy. The latter came 

 in first by a neck, but was disquaUfied for unfair riding on 

 Mr. Murphy's part. 



' Next year (1881) Seaman rose to great fame by jumping 

 the big fences like a deer, gaining at every fence and winning 

 the Conyngham Cup at Punchestown by ten lengths with his 

 pilot, Harry Beasley, looking back at his followers. It has 

 not been often remarked, I think, that Lord Manners rode his 

 own horse Grenadier in that Conyngham Cup, and here it was 

 that he probably made his first acquaintance with Seaman, 

 whose last race this was in the maroon and blue cap of 

 Mr. Linde, for he crossed the channel and went into Captain 

 Machell's care. But in the stable at Eyrefield remained a 

 brace of five year olds with either of which Linde thought he 

 might win another National. One of these was Cyrus, another 

 son of Xenophon and an unlucky horse for Mr. Linde, the 

 other Mohican by Uncas, the property of the late Major 

 Ralph Bunbury, a most cheery and amusing sportsman, a 

 friend of my own and one of the best men to hounds in 

 Kilkenny. Mohican had won a Farmers' race in Kilkenny for 

 Major Bunbury, but he won it by about a mile, and after the 

 race poor Roddy Owen, then a subaltern at Cork, thought he 

 saw a " soft thing " and asked Bunbury to put a price on his 

 horse. " 1000 golden sovereigns " instantly replied the hilari- 

 ous owner. The fact was that Mohican had shown great 

 speed on the flat when in training at the Curragh but had 

 developed a " pain in his temper " — with the usual result. 

 However he had grown into a slashing young dark brown horse, 

 had an immense stride and was a tremendous jumper. Here 

 was the trump card ! His trial with Cyrus proved him a 

 wonder, and I believe that he easily beat and gave weight 

 to the horse that was to give him 2 lb. in the National. 



R 129 



