212 STEEPLECHASING 



After a capital start Wilverley and Golden Drop 

 went on side by side ; but after the first brook The 

 Drone and Milford headed the other pair. All jumped 

 the second brook in good style, and everything went 

 well until the horses reached a bank on the hill, where 

 there was much grief, The Drone, Nimrod, Black 

 Drake, Forester, Tom Moody, Brunswick, and Coleman 

 being all down in a heap, though happily neither man 

 nor horse suffered any serious injury. From that point 

 the race was hardly even a match between Shangarry 

 and Golden Drop, for on reaching the last fence 

 Shangarry went away and won in a hack canter by 

 any number of lengths. The crowd then broke into 

 the course and so incommoded the horses that Helice 

 nearly lost third place, beating Milford by no more than 

 half a length. Of the horses taking place in the above 

 race Helice afterwards attained some fame as a steeple- 

 chaser, running at a great number of meetings round 

 London and over other courses as well. 



1867 



This year the Grand National Hunt Committee 

 found at Clapham Park, within two miles of Bedford, 

 a course almost ready made to their hands. The 

 Oakley Steeplechases had been usually run there, and 

 everything was in order. The country was entirely 

 grass, with fences made not to be galloped over by half- 

 schooled horses, but to be jumped by hunters. It will 

 be seen under 1865 that there were forty-four fences at 

 Wetherby, whereas at Bedford there were but thirty-two 

 in all, and two of them were flights of hurdles. The 

 first fence was perhaps open to some objection as being 

 too stiff, for although the hedo-e was no more than three 

 feet and a half high, there was a very wide ditch in front 



