29 



that Cup but for the impetuosity of their respective owners 

 who were riding so extremely jealous that they galloped off 

 the paper after jumping the water about two fences from 

 home. Mr. W. A. Dring won in 1893 on a very nice little 

 horse named Tantalus, another beau ideal of a paperchaser. 

 But in 1894 Mr. Rees again was invincible and beat them 

 all on a fine but somewhat difficult horse, The Drummer. 

 Mr. C. C. Campbell was the victor of 1895 and he also won 

 the Average Cup in that year, as also in 1894. Miss Theo 

 was another little one, and what a rare good bit of stuff 

 she was. During that period it was the U. S. A. first, the 

 rest of us nowhere ! ! In 1896 Col. Hunt won it on Post- 

 boy and this was another year when impetuous youth, as 

 represented by Messrs. Campbell, Boden, Rees, Butler, 

 Barrow, etc., over-shot the paper just before the last fence. 

 Aconite's win in 1897 has already been referred to ; and 

 in 1898 Mr. Barrow on Molly Riley got home first, though 

 the mare's victory was considerably aided by an accident 

 which befel Messrs. George Walker and Archy Birkmyre at 

 the last fence. In 1899 Baal ridden by Mr. F. G. ]\Iayne won 

 after leading all the way, though he was hotly challenged 

 at the finish by Mr. Barrow on Molly Riley against whom 

 the verdict was a short head. In the following year Mr. 

 R. A. C. Pugh began his attack on the trophy with Lady 

 Bird, and she won the Cup in 1900 in good style. Next 

 year, 1901, saw Mr. Gresson victorious on a very neat 

 Irish mare named Sligo, one of the very few English 

 hunters that has won this Cup. Mr. Gresson had hunted 

 her at home from Cheltenham and she was a magnificent 

 jumper. In 1902 Mr. Bell Irving furnished the winner in 

 a big grey Dunnabie, who was a lot better horse than 

 people ever imagined him to be. The rest of the story is 

 soon told, as Mr. Pugh annexed it in 1903 on Beeswing II, 

 a blood mare who was at one time by no means an ideal 

 ride over fences, and Major Frank Maxwell, v.c, in 1904 on 



