REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 179 



any rate back their horses if so inclined. Six started for the 

 All-Horse Race, and public opinion was undecided as to 

 whether Keswick, Caractacus or Goonambie was the plum, so 

 four lotteries quickly filled up, at the end of which opinion was 

 still as undecided as ever. However, we knew all about it in 

 the morning, how Caractacus, a screw and short of work, tired 

 after leading his field a brilliant dance for half a mile, how the 

 weight, lost, i ilbs., told its tale on the long barrelled Keswick, 

 (at least Johnny said so,) and how the cart horse Goonambie 

 wore the field down and won easily at the end. The next 

 three races were uninteresting ; Rowland cantered in, in front 

 of a polo pony, on Breach of Promise. Vice Versa did the 

 same with Chloe, and Rogue followed suit in a thirteen-hand 

 pony race, in which his owner had declared him to win 

 from his stable-companion, Little Dan. But the Buggy Stakes 

 resuscitated interest, Jerusalem, Ned Kelly and Ringleader 

 were the trio, each of them was fancied, Jerusalem most; 

 backed by his owner, he ran last, and Ringleader won easily, 

 and then everyone remembered how he once ran a good 

 second at a Mozufferpore Meeting and cursed themselves for 

 not having remembered it before. 



The third day's racing was not of an interesting charac- 

 ter ; after the half mile scurry had been decided and which 

 Keswick won very easily, and opinion was divided as to 

 whether he ought not to have beaten Goonambie in the mile race 

 the first day. 



In the 13-2 pony race, Little Hercules was in receipt of 2ilbs., 

 and had no difficulty in disposing of Rowland. He did not run 

 off the course on this occasion. Rogue placed the thirteen-hand 

 pony race to Jimmy's credit, and the meeting wound up with a 

 race for all ponies purchased in the fair a very open affair, 

 more open in fact than yearling races used to be at home, for 

 all these animals were of course untrained, though most of them 

 had been spun against some reliable trying tackle, or against 



