144 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



favorite Benham third only. Bob Lockhart's Bangle beat 

 Marion and Spider in the Selling Stakes, and The Earl had 

 an easy win in the Durbangah Purse from Jung Bahadoor 

 and Sonepore. Bob pulled out Bangle for a second selling 

 race, and putting little Perrett up, won from Stockport, 

 Thisbe, Success and Corkscrew. On the third day Rex, the 

 best pony India ever saw, won the Civilians' Cup in a trot 

 from The Earl, Geraldine and Sonepore ; and then Tingey 

 on Doleful and Jimmy on Mercedes fought out a great finish 

 for the Chumparun Stakes, the professional beating the 

 amateur by a head. A hockey pony race, won by Jimmy on 

 Exchange, led to an objection, which was disallowed. The 

 fourth day was a little better, but the handicaps were wretched. 

 Wentworth beat Queensland and Success in the Doomraon 

 Cup, and then came the race of the meeting, when the de- 

 spised Flash, let in at yst. won the Hajeepore Stakes from Rex 

 gst. I2lbs., Geraldine gst. I2lbs., Sonepore yst. 4lbs., Spider 

 yst, and Jung Bahadoor gst. 7lbs. The Stewards did not make 

 this handicap, but sensibly got a racing man to do it for them. 

 Doleful, steered by " Apples/' beat Mercedes, Blue Bell, 

 Thisbe and Corkscrew in the Champagne Stakes, and Jung 

 walked over for the Chupra Cup. So ended the racing. The 

 Asian's correspondent wrote of it : 



" As far as the racing is concerned, there is not the 

 slightest doubt that Sonepore has been for the last five years 

 deteriorating terribly, and it seems a pity that the managing 

 committee are not sensible enough to recognise the fact, and 

 entirely change the character of the meeting. Years ago 

 Sonepore was visited by heaps of outside racing men, but now 

 it is entirely deserted, save by the three local stables of Chum- 

 parun, Tirhoot and Durbangah, and even their representa- 

 tives can scarcely write, like the visitors of a Dak Bungalow, 

 1 satisfied;' and from what I have heard on all sides, it is hop- 

 ing against hope to expect outsiders to patronise it. One 



