152 STEEPLECHASING 



Gate on Sunday, January 22, 1899. He was born in 

 1827, and was the youngest son of Vice- Admiral George 

 Poulett, who was second brother of the fourth earl, and 

 as King William IV. was his godfather he received the 

 name of William. Entering the army Lord Poulett 

 served in succession in the 54th, 2nd, and 22nd Regi- 

 ments, and he perhaps inherited his love of sport from 

 his father, who was extremely fond of racing, and was 

 always to be seen at Newmarket, Goodwood, and Ascot, 

 while in the winter he spent some of his time at Melton. 

 The late Lord Poulett was an excellent horseman both on 

 the flat and over a country, and while serving with his 

 regiment in Gibraltar he rode his first winner in 1845, 

 in a match which he was fortunate to win by a short 

 head, and he met with several other successes. He 

 had not been back in England very long before he had 

 a mount on a horse called Flamingo at some military 

 races held on Southsea Common. Some spectator riding- 

 out from the crowd came in collision with Lord Poulett 

 and Flamingo, whose downfall caused others to tumble, 

 and in this collision Lord Poulett broke his collar-bone. 

 He also rode a good deal in Ireland and Scotland, and 

 in Ireland frequently rode the Marquis of Waterford's 

 horses, while he had also a very successful career in 

 India. 



Lord Poulett registered his colours — cerise, blue 

 sleeves and cap — in 1864 on succeeding to the title and 

 estates, and at first won a few flat races ; but it is in 

 connection with steeplechasing that he was best known. 

 In the racing volume of the Badminton Library it is 

 related that prior to the Grand National, just as a train 

 reached Liverpool, a little lamb jumped out of a truck 

 and scuttled away along the line, whereupon sundry 

 superstitious persons backed The Lamb on the strength 

 of the incident, and much to their advantage. 



Lord Poulett was in early life much given to hunting. 



