I40 STEEPLECHASING 



visitors, and it required all the efforts of the police and 

 attendants to prevent the crowd of roughs, which at 

 once collected on the spot, from doing any damage. 

 To settle the question of the length of the course over 

 which the Grand National was run, Mr. Topham had it 

 properly measured, and it was found to be 4I miles — 

 minus 30 yards. 



"Mr. Edwards," the rider of the winner in the 

 Grand National of 1868, and one of the most successful 

 gentleman riders of his, or any other, time, was Mr. 

 George Ede, twin brother with Mr. Edward Ede, both 

 of whom did so much for Hampshire cricket. They 

 were the sons of Mr. Edward Ede, Clayfield Lodge, 

 near Southampton Common, were born in February 

 1834, and were educated at Eton, which they left in 

 1850. Just about this time Ben Land was at his best 

 as a steeplechase rider, and between him and Mr. 

 George Ede, as I shall call him, an acquaintance 

 sprung up, which led to the amateur placing him- 

 self in the hands of the professional. Mr. Ede made 

 his first appearance in cap and jacket in the autumn 

 of 1856 in a flat race at Warwick. His first hurdle 

 race was at Waltham Abbey, where he rode Caledonian 

 for Ben Land. 



In 1857, Mr. Ede won the Birmingham Grand 

 Annual on Ben Land's Weathercock, and just afterwards 

 he rode his own horse, Lilford, to victory in the Club and 

 Farmers' stakes and won the selling stakes on Weston. 

 At Charlbury, in Oxfordshire, he won the Grand Steeple- 

 chase on Lord Coventry's Redcap, and won the Hunt 

 Cup on Captain F. Duff's Ganymede. In 1858 Mr. Ede's 

 winning mounts numbered twenty, including the Warwick 

 Plate on Ganat ; the two Windsor steeplechases for Ben 

 Land ; the Manchester steeplechase and hurdle race, and 

 the Sherwood Handicap at Notttingham on Sampson, 

 on whom he rode 8 st. 9 lb. In the same year he had 



