REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 7 



Captain Lovatt, Mr. DeVaux, and Mr. Lovell were the chief 

 winners. That grand old indigo planter Mr. McLeod (not 

 the well beloved Jimmy of our days) only pulling off one race, 

 the Ladies' Purse with his grey Arab Gregor. 



In 1845 and 1846 much the same lot of sportsmen were 

 to the fore, with the addition to their number of Mr. Thomas, 

 a Mr. Norval, and a gentleman racing under the nom dc 

 course .of Mr. Namreh, which but thinly veiled the identity 

 of Mr. Sherman, Managing Proprietor of the Jeetwarpore 

 Indigo concern, in the Tirhoot district. Till he got broke 

 over Indigo, Mr. Sherman was a staunch supporter of both the 

 Sonepore and MozufTerpore Meetings, and some years after- 

 wards his youngest son George, followed worthily in his 

 father's footsteps, owning at different times several good 

 ones, notably Spider, Gamecock, Avenger, and many smart 

 ponies. Both father and son were absolutely straight, ran for 

 the true love of sport, and were most excellent losers. Cape 

 horses were then well to the fore, and had a special scale of 

 weights allotted them. Terribly meagre are the records of 

 those days, for there was no Turf Club to force the easy-going 

 Stewards and Secretaries to furnish a lucid description of the 

 races, the riders' names or weights carried, and it was only 

 when some Iccalite afflicted with the caccethes scribendi 

 thought it incumbent to send an account to The Sporting 

 Review, that we find any data to go upon. Frequently 

 these accounts were written weeks after the meeting was 

 over, were based on mere recollection, and are consequently 

 scarcely reliable. A Doctor Sawyers was then one of 

 the most consistent patrons of racing in India, and bore 

 the proud title of Father of the Indian Turf. He owned, 

 bred, and raced many good horses, Cape, English, Arabs and 

 his own country-breds. He took his best Arabian, Selim, home 

 with him in 1846, with a view of having a try for the Good- 

 wood Cup, but of course the game little horse was no good 



