io8 STEEPLECHASING 



any previous occasion. Amongst those present were 

 the Prince of Orange, Earls Sefton, Chesterfield, and 

 Strathmore, the Marquis of Waterford and the Marquis 

 of Downshire, Sir W. Watkin Wynn, Captain Little, 

 and other well-known supporters of steeplechasing. 

 The race itself was more or less a chapter of accidents, 

 as The Curate, Equinox, and Kilfane were all killed — the 

 two former broke their backs, and the latter his thigh. 

 The Chandler's chance was apparently not regarded 

 with any great favour, as he was not mentioned in the 

 betting. Peter Simple started at 20 to i, and won in a 

 common canter, but it was said that Captain D'Arcy, 

 who rode his own horse The Knight of Gwynne, was not 

 quite fit at the time. An ugly story has been related in 

 connection with this race. Captain D'Arcy had backed 

 his horse very heavily, and on coming into the straight 

 and seeing that he had no chance of winning, offered 

 Cunningham, so the latter averred, first of all ^1000, 

 and then, increasing his bid by leaps and bounds, finally 

 offered ^4000 if he would pull Peter Simple, which 

 Cunningham refused to do. The obstacles at which the 

 fatalities occurred were merely low banks of earth, that 

 any one could easily have stepped over, indeed one was 

 said to have been scarcely 18 in, high, and being formed 

 of the same dark peaty soil as the rest of the field, 

 the opinion was freely expressed that the horses were 

 unable to see them in time. Though Peter Simple had 

 recently won at the Wakefield and Stourton meetings, 

 he was scarcely thought of on this occasion, save by his 

 owner, trainer, and a few friends, and indeed Davies 

 laid Cunningham 3000 to 30 that he did not win on 

 Peter, and Captain D'Arcy 5000 to 100 that he did 

 not win on The Knight of Gwynne, and it is stated that 

 Cunningham's bet was settled in less than ten minutes 

 after he had passed the chair. 



