2o6 STEEPLECHASING 



jump opposite the stand was sixteen feet clear, and as 

 there had been no rain for some time, and the clay from 

 the brook had been thrown up on the landing side, the 

 ground there, as elsewhere on the course, was as hard 

 as a paving-stone. 



The conditions were 25 sovereigns each for maiden 

 horses ridden by gentlemen or farmers. About four 

 miles. 



Mr. F. H. W. G. Calthorpe's "Socks," 



aged, 12 St. 10 lb Mr. Goodman i 



,, B. J. Angell ns "Cheviot," 6 yrs., 



12 St. 10 lb ,, Bevill . 2 



Measham, Lady Florence, and Jump Away also 

 started. The betting was 2 to i against Cheviot, 5 to 2 

 against Measham, and 4 to i each against Socks and 

 Lady Florence. Jump Away was so far behind by the 

 time the brook was reached that Mr, Edwards pulled 

 up, while Lady Florence and Measham fell, leaving but 

 two horses in the race. For a good deal of the way 

 Cheviot and Socks raced against each other, taking the 

 lead alternately, and after making the turn for home 

 Cheviot held a slight advantage to the last hurdles where 

 Socks drew up, and after shaking off his solitary opponent, 

 won by four lengths. Although Socks had a price in 

 the betting he ran practically unbacked, and when people 

 saw him they were not pleased, as he was a common, 

 mean-looking horse ; he had no pedigree, and on the 

 only occasion of his starting in a steeplechase (Rugby in 

 1862) he tumbled down early in the race. People said 

 that he had bad forelegs which would not stand over 

 the stiff course and hard ground. The sequel, however, 

 showed that the critics were all mistaken. In the able 

 hands of Mr. Alec Goodman, he never put a foot wrong 

 at any of the big fences ; he was taken along at a good 

 pace ; he moved as easily as he would have galloped 



