154 STEEPLECHASING 



for Ben Land ; but he afterwards won some races at 

 Bedford, and also for Lord Poulett with Arthur O'Leary. 

 After a while he gave up training steeplechasers for flat 

 racing, and while he was at Ascot was pretty busy in 

 a small way. He was particularly partial to the Kent 

 and Sussex Coast meetings, at which his blue and 

 yellow jacket was well known and in great favour. 

 His own sons were the stable jockeys, and they won a 

 number of races at Tunbridge, Chatham, and Rochester 

 meetino-s. 



That popular favourite. The Lamb, the winner of 

 this year's race (187 1), was another of the famous Irish 

 horses which have done so well over English steeple- 

 chase courses. He was foaled in 1862 and was bred by 

 a Mr. Henchy, a farmer with sporting tastes, who lived 

 in the county of Limerick. He was by Zouave — a mare 

 by Arthur, and Zouave was bred and owned by Mr. 

 Courtenay, who was the owner of Mathew, the first Irish 

 horse, as already mentioned, to win the National. The 

 Lamb received his name very early in life, and the story 

 is that one of Henchy's sons who was very delicate took 

 a great liking to the foal, who was so very gentle that 

 he was promptly christened The Lamb. As a three- 

 year-old he was sold for ^o sovereigns, but as he kept 

 on winning a number of small races it was by degrees 

 discovered how good he was. Before this, however, 

 someone had the refusal of him for 2 5 sovereigns, as a likely 

 hunter for his young son, but the offer was not accepted. 

 Mr. E. Studd, the owner of Salamander, also declined 

 to buy him, stating that he was not strong enough to 

 carry a man's boots, but this well-shaped grey retaliated 

 afterwards when he beat Despatch, one of Mr. Studd's 

 horses for the National of 1871. He was offered to one 

 or two other people before he was sold, but they all 

 thought him too weak and weedy. 



Meantime he had passed into the possession of Mr. 



