114 STEEPLECHASING 



1854 



Mr. Mosley's " Bourton," aged, 11 st. 12 lb. . Tasker . i 

 ,, Barber's "Spring," 6 years, 9 st. 10 lb. . W. Archer 2 

 ,, Mr. Cotgreave's " Crabbs," aged, 9 st. 2 lb. D Wynne 3 

 Twenty started. Betting : — 4 to i Bourton ; 20 to i Spring ; 9 to i 

 Crabbs. 



The Grand National of this year was prefaced by 

 sundry incidents not altogether of a most asfreeable 

 nature. Just before the race speculation appears to have 

 been almost at a standstill, owing to the uncertainty 

 which prevailed respecting the starting of Miss Mowbray, 

 and on which of his lot Tom Olllver would be seen. All 

 sorts of rumours were going about the course, and 

 eventually, a few minutes after half-past two, Miss Mow- 

 bray was scratched. Tom Olliver, who was not exactly 

 a featherweight, had by dint of severe wasting managed 

 to get down to 9 st. 5 lb., and as Mr. Cartwright was 

 his first master he insisted on Tom ridinof Maurice 

 Daly, whereas it was generally anticipated that his 

 fancy would incline towards Half- and - Half. This 

 sudden change caused no little sensation on the course, 

 and an angry ebullition of feeling was the result. 



As soon as it was generally known that Miss Mow- 

 bray had been scratched, her backers, and the public 

 generally, stigmatised it as a most unprincipled proceed- 

 ing, though it afterwards transpired that the owner, his 

 friends, and the connection in Dockeray's stable, in 

 which the mare was trained, were heavy losers, they 

 having backed her for a couple of thousand pounds, and 

 did not hedge a penny piece. On the Saturday before 

 the race she was as fit as she could be, and Jem Mason 

 had "consented" to come out of his retirement and 

 ride the mare. On Miss Mowbray reaching Liverpool, 

 however, her near foreleg gave way to such an extent 

 that it would have been dangerous to have started her, 



