^^^ ashgill; or, the life 



Therein is recorded the "nomination for that year 

 entries for the great races of 1848, a calendar of the 

 great races in 1846, &c." Comparing " Ruff " of that 

 distant period with the pubhcation under his name of 

 the present times, one can see at a glance by the bulky 

 tone of the latter how the number of meetings has been 

 augmented in our days, and how much wider is the 

 ramification of racing throughout the length and breadth 

 of the United Kingdom. Here is the extract from 

 Ruff " recording the first mount of little " Johnnie," 

 then a boy of thirteen summers : — 



RADCLIFFE, Monday, 7th September (1846). 



Wilton Cup of £100, two miles two furlongs. 



Hooton, by Despot, 6 yrs., 7 st. 2 lb., . . . Francis 1 



Rowena, 5 yrs., 7 st. 6 lb., . . T l^4 2 



Miss Castling, 3 yrs., 4 st. 10 lb. (br. do). . .' Osborne,' jun. 3 



' '°hea"^ tadSl. '° ' "'^'' '^^""* ^''^ ^^^*"°S ^"^ ^-^-- ^on by a 



Few men are now in the land of the Hving who can 

 recall "Johnnie's" first mount at Radcliffe Bridge; 

 indeed, none have come across our notice who were eye- 

 witnesses of that interesting first step in his career. 

 Yet there is still in the flesh one who was an eye-witness 

 of his second mount on Hopeful, at Richmond, York- 

 shire, and he is none other than that accomplished and 

 most amiable sporting writer, Mr. Harry Smurthwaite, 

 whose occasional contributions under the nom de plume 

 of " Vigilant " to the Sportsman, and particularly those 

 which recount his reminiscences of the brave days of old 

 of some fifty years ago, afford most interesting reading. 

 By the way, Mr. Smurthwaite is the author of the 

 interesting sketch entitled "From Knavesmire to 

 Penhill," that accompanied an admirable vignette of 

 John Osborne, published in the pages of Baily's 



