REMINISCENCES OF SONfePbflt. 47 



CHAPTER XL 

 YEAR 1865. 



The year 1865 is best described as the Soldiers' Year, for 

 they turned up in swarms, and were in evidence everywhere. 

 Messrs. Collins, Vincent, Urquhart and Freeman being the only 

 civilians opposing them. Messrs. Collins and Rimmer had a 

 strong stable, and they won most of the big events. Colonel 

 Robarts and his handsome eldest son, Abdool Ghyas, whose 

 mother was an Afghan lady, was as usual present. Mr. Dun- 

 bar, under which name the redoubtable Ned Urquhart ran, was 

 represented by two or three horses, but his proverbial luck 

 did not stand him in stead that year, for he won nothing ; he 

 had Pixie, an exceedingly fast sprinter, whose distance was 

 five furlongs, but unfortunately the average distance of the 

 races of those days, was a mile and a half, so a sprinter was 

 comparatively useless, save as a pacemaker. Smith of Asia 

 was there in full fig, he was running as Captain Charles, and 

 had the English mare Morning Star, and the Australian Whale- 

 bone both distinguished themselves ; a very fine command 

 of language had the gentle Smith, it was a treat to listen to 

 him blessing his syces. Colonel Twysden, a very fine horse- 

 man, and Captains Cunningham, and George, from the North- 

 West brought down their horses, and ran them pluckily, though 

 the company was too good for them, and they did not score 

 a single winning bracket. Most unfortunately one of Captain 

 Cunningham's horses died while the meet was in progress, and 

 he was convinced it had been poisoned, but a post mortem 

 conclusively proved natural causes only. The meeting fell 

 early in the year, the 3ist October being the first day. Events 

 opened by Mr. Collins winning the Leger with Dirk Hatterick, 

 his other string Amsterdam, being second, Marmion of 

 Colonel Robarts', Vernon, and Woodman of Captain Cun- 

 ningham's following them. Then again the same stable 



