i!2 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



her in three lotteries, on an average of Rs. 10, and won easily. 

 He then took her on racing terms, eventually buying her, and 

 many were the close finishes at the Behar Meets between her 

 and Geraldine ; she was a rare plucked one, for she would 

 struggle home frequently to victory, after having burst a blood 

 vessel. Spider was a huge sixteen-hand country-bred, picked 

 up by a Mr. Christian of Purneah for a hundred and fifty 

 rupees, and lent to George Sherman, who sent him on to Harry 

 who afterwards bought him. He was all head and bones, a rat 

 tail not adding to his beauty. Dhan had formed his staple food 

 in Purneah; but he turned out a very fast one, and had his 

 wind not gone, just as he was getting fit, he would have been 

 a champion in his class. Judex Simpson had the little pony 

 Mouse, and also the last of Frank Vincent's Barh country-breds, 

 which he sold off during the meeting. For twenty years Frank 

 Vincent had successfully bred horses on the south side of the 

 Ganges, and as long as he used Crassus as a sire, he did well, but 

 when he got hold of the handsome flatcatcher Birdcatcher, most 

 of the foals were peacocks. Events opened with a splended race 

 for the Leger, between Telegram, Lincoln and Emigrant, Tele- 

 gram winning by a neck only. An equally good race for the 

 Derby between Anarchy, Marquis and Cardigan, the little one 

 winning by a head; Cardigan same distance behind Marquis. 

 An awful upset occurred in the Tirhoot Stakes, for which 

 Caractacus was a hot favorite, for the fiddleheaded, much 

 laughed at Spider won by twenty lengths ; everyone crowding 

 round to look at him when he came in. The field pulled up at 

 the distance post, the jockeys being too flabbergasted to per- 

 severe. The Bettiah Cup, although only like the Leger and 

 Derby having three starters, was a grand struggle between 

 Newcastle and Fieldfare, result a neck, Glengarry beaten off. 

 Bill, a dead outsider, neatly ridden by Gilbert Nicolay, beat 

 Jimmy on the favorite Shamrock for the Behar Stakes ; 

 and this finished an uncommonly good day's racing, only to 



