REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 39 



slightly in favor of the former, little Helen, however, ran gamely, 

 was only beaten a length, and had the ground been hard, in- 

 stead of heavy, it is quite possible the verdict might have been 

 different, Diana won by half a length, after a grand race. 

 For the Doomraon Cup Helen was started again, Roebuck 

 was made a hot favorite from Legerdemain, but Peter 

 Irving on the latter, bested Curran, and upset the apple cart. 

 Cossack got home for a cup for planters' horses, given by 

 Simmy, who rode Hero for second place, Alec Urquhart whip- 

 ping in on Penelope. Then came a Hack Handicap, which 

 Simmy won on the old evergreen, Edward Morgan, all the other 

 G.R's of the district on the beaten ones. Good handicaps on 

 Friday naturally made speculation brisk at the lotteries. The 

 Winners' Handicap resolved itself into a match between 

 Diana and Legerdemain, at a difference of seventeen pounds, 

 but the mare proved best, and this was her last race in Behar; 

 she went down to Calcutta and broke down when running well 

 up in the Viceroy's Cup. Diana's success at Sonepore, and 

 the praises showered on Curran, proved too much for the lad ; 

 filled up with liquor, and feted and fed by pals, and those who 

 had won over the mare, he gradually took to the bottle, so 

 much so that Mr. McLeod had to discharge him. He joined 

 the Yeomanry Cavalry during the Mutiny, and eventually be- 

 came second whip to the Calcutta hounds, finally he became a 

 stable loafer, and died from what the Baboo Doctor described 

 as " excess of alcohol." 



The Losers' Handicap proved a good race between 

 Mr. Wallace's Babylonian, and the Cape filly Moonbeam, 

 the third Boomerang entered by the ever obliging 

 Simmy, Babylonian, with Peter Irving up, only got home from 

 Curran by half a length, which would have undoubtedly been 

 reversed, had Curran not had to declare yjlbs. over. Then 

 out came all the hacks again, and the Honorary Secretary got 

 the best of the half dozen starters, and romped home on Juliet, 



