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THE START — OFF THEY GO, WITH WHITE FOR CHOICE 



CHAPTER I 



THE DAWN OF STEEPLECHASING 



HOW, where, or why steeplechasing came to be 

 indulged in cannot be accurately ascertained. 

 Mr. J. P. Hore, who is never weary of examining old 

 records, tells us that there was steeplechasing of a kind 

 at Newmarket as early as the time of James I. Those 

 races took the form of hunting matches and wild-goose 

 chases, but they could have had but little in common 

 with even steeplechasing of a hundred and fifty years 

 later. When about five years ago Mr. McCalmont 

 instituted steeplechases on the Links at Newmarket, 

 Mr. Hore brushed up his memory, and reminded 

 us once more that there is nothing new under 

 the sun. 



Although many dates and facts are wanting, it is 

 easy enough to see how steeplechasing gradually came 



