NATIONAL HUNT STEEPLECHASE 213 



of it, open, of course, without guard rails or hurdles, 

 after the fashion of the time. Then at the back of the 

 stand, after a rather awkward ditch and wattle, came a 

 double post and rail, the second rail being rather higher 

 than the first. The water jump was fairly big and it 

 came within three-quarters of a mile of the finish, and 

 there was a stiff quarter of a mile uphill at the end of 

 the course. In the main the going was excellent, but 

 the land was rather holding in places. 



Mr. H. Chaplin's "Emperor III.," 



6 yrs., 12 St. 6 lb Mr. H. Coventry i 



,, Calthorpe's "General Williams," 



6 yrs., 12 St. 6 lb „ A. Goodman 2 



,, Bidgood's "Gelert," 4 yrs., 10 st. 



10 lb Owner .... 3 



Si.xteen started. Betting: — 6 to i against Emperor III. ; 10 to i 

 against General Williams. 



All the horses but Stoneham jumped the formidable 

 first fence. Thorganby and Small Talk came down 

 at the next obstacle, the last-named horse, going on 

 riderless and jumping the next fence ahead of Sensation, 

 swerved on landing, sending Mr. Thomas, who was 

 riding Sensation, clean out of the saddle, in which 

 scrimmage his ankle was hurt, as both horses fell heavily. 

 Mayflower, who had taken the lead at starting, kept in 

 front for some distance, Hippolyte meantime coming 

 down heavily, and after the posts and rails the pace, 

 which had been fast, became slower. Mayflower cleared 

 the made fence in the bottom about half a length in 

 advance of Yarborough, Father O'Leary, Emperor III., 

 and General Williams, then running so close together 

 up the hill that the proverbial sheet would have covered 

 them. Three-quarters of a mile from home Mayflower 

 began to tire and was soon after headed by Yarborough, 

 who was in turn passed by General Williams, at whose 

 girths were Emperor III. and Father O'Leary, the 



