ORGANISED STEEPLECHASING 65 



is by no means unlikely, seeing the nature of Elmore's 

 business. 



Just as the race which should have been run in 

 1838 took place just before Christmas 1837, so was 

 the 1839 steeplechase run on the 20th of December 

 1838. It was generally asserted that had a Cup been 

 o-iven in addition to the stakes a better field of horses 

 would have been attracted, and that dwellers at a 

 distance would have sent their horses. There does 

 not, however, appear to have been any real ground 

 for the statement. 



As was by no means unusual, the start, which was 

 fixed for two o'clock, did not take place until considerably 

 later, and by the time the starting-point at Redbourn 

 Common was reached rain was falling, and a rather 

 miserable afternoon was passed. The course extended 

 for about three miles from Redbourn towards Gorham- 

 bury, and about thirty fences had to be jumped, the 

 north road to the river Colne being kept on the left 

 from start to finish. In the absence of Mr. Blythe's 

 Comet, the starters were Mr. Daniell's ch. g. Borax 

 (T. Olliver), Mr. Bruce's gr. g. Greyling (owner), Mr. 

 ElmiOre's b. g. Yellow Dwarf (J. Mason), Mr. Thomas's 

 br. g. Napoleon (Carlin), Mr. Webb's b. m. Paulina 

 (Smith). The weights were 12 stone each; but Borax, 

 a five-year-old thoroughbred which had never run before, 

 and was the property of Lord Frederick Beauclerk, and 

 Paulina carried 1 1 st. 7 lbs. only. Greyling and Yellow 

 Dwarf were well-known steeplechasers ; but Napoleon, a 

 little Irish horse, had done nothing beyond winning a 

 half-mile race on the flat. Served by her lighter weight 

 Paulina made the running, but with Greyling fell at 

 the first or second fence, and then Borax and Yellow 

 Dwarf went to the front, but in jumping a fence Paulina, 

 who had made up ground quickly, came into collision 

 with Borax and Napoleon. A thick bullfinch barred 



