LIVERPOOL 113 



water, and I desired that it might be restored to its former dimensions 

 in every respect. This was done, and no more. The water is 13 ft. 

 6 in. in breadth, and more than 4 ft. deep. The rail is about 3 ft. 

 high, strongly made, and leaning towards the water. It is a very 

 large but perfectly fair leap, and I do not remember any serious acci- 

 dent befalling a horse, except in one instance, when a fine Irish horse 

 broke his back, but this happened in consequence of the frost. 



"Sefton." 



■853 



Capt. Little's "Peter Simple," aged, lost. 10 lb. T. Olliver . . i 

 Mr. Mason's"MissMowbray,"aged, lost. i2lb. Mr. Gordon . 2 

 „ Mason's " Oscar," aged, 10 st. 2 lb. . . „ A.Goodman 3 

 Twenty-one started. Betting: — 10 to i Peter Simple; 5 to i Miss 

 Mowbray; 6 to i Oscar. 



In spite of numerous rivals like Aylesbury, Leaming- 

 ton, and Cheltenham, the Grand National appears to have 

 advanced in importance from year to year, and by this 

 time was regarded as far and away the chief steeplechase 

 of the year. Frost interfered a good deal with many of 

 the earlier steeplechasing arrangements this season, and 

 the meetings at Lincoln, Hereford, Coventry, and other 

 places had to be postponed, to the advantage of the 

 Grand National, inasmuch as all the horses who were 

 engaged in more than one place had no opportunity of 

 showing whether they had retained their earlier form or 

 had gone back. The field numbered twenty-one, or three 

 fewer than in 1852, Abd-el-Kader, Bourton, Carrig, The 

 General, Maurice Daly, The Knight of Gwynne, and other 

 well-known horses coming to the post. This time Peter 

 Simple, who won in 1849, when he carried 11 st. 2 lb., 

 succeeded in winning the race again, but on this occa- 

 sion he was ridden by Tom Olliver, with 10 st. 10 lb. in 

 the saddle, and beat Miss Mowbray (who ran second) by 

 three or four lengths, the mare in turn being three 

 lengths in front of Oscar. Abd-el-Kader was fifth, and the 

 time of the race was given as 10 minutes 2,l\ seconds. 



H 



