6o STEEPLECHASING 



rather unsatisfactory manner and gave no sign of his 

 future greatness. His best performance was running 

 a dead heat in a steeplechase against a good hunter 

 named Columbine, belonging to Mr. Walker, and it 

 was upon the strength of this dead heat that the mare 

 was afterwards sold to the Marquis of Waterford for 

 ;!^300, for Lottery had by that time gained a reputa- 

 tion. Lottery ran unsuccessfully at Finchley, falling 

 when making a sensational jump into a lane. 



John Tilbury's farm was about four miles from 

 Elmore's, and there lived Jem Mason. From one 

 house to the other was a beautiful line of country, the 

 Kenton brook having to be jumped about midway 

 between the two farms by any one who would lark from 

 one to the other. Jem Mason, among others, was often 

 backwards and forwards, and Elmore was not long in 

 coming to the conclusion that the youngster had in 

 him the making of a first-class horseman, and he was 

 sadly in want of a really good jockey. Dan Seffert was 

 growing old ; his hands were as fine as ever, but his 

 nerves were no longer what they were in the absence 

 of judicious priming. Elmore's first-born, Henry, was 

 rather a muff in the saddle, and his younger son George, 

 who afterwards became a fine horseman, was scarcely 

 out of the nursery ; so Elmore made overtures to Jem 

 Mason, who in consequence left Tilbury. 



Meanwhile Lottery had gone on improving greatly in 

 appearance, having furnished considerably ; but, though 

 he carried Jem Mason brilliantly to Mr. Anderson's 

 stag-hounds, he, for some reason or other, was never 

 reo-arded as a stout horse in the huntingr-field. His first 

 appearance in any public steeplechase of importance was 

 in the St. Albans race of December 1837 (that above 

 described) ; and when it was over Jem Mason declared 

 that Lottery, fit and well, could beat all of those then 

 opposed to him. How completely his words were 



