232 STEEPLECHASING 



chosen by the promoters. The course was all grass, 

 and the fences were of the regulation pattern, while the 

 show of horses for the race was considered orood. 

 There were eleven starters this year, the placed horses 

 beinof : — 



Mr. R. Howett's "Equity," 4 yrs., 10 st. 



10 lb Mr. E. P. Wilson i 



„ E. Jay's "Gamecock," 5 yrs., 12 st. 



I lb Capt. L. H. Jones 2 



„ F. W. Taylor's "Spark" (late Old 



Frank), 4 yrs., 10 st. 10 lb. . Mr. W. A. Villar 3 

 Betting : — 5 to 2 Equity ; 7 to i Gamecock. 



Equity, who showed the way at the start, was headed 

 at the second fence by Loose Fish, who on coming 

 down the descent refused. Semiramis led over the 

 brook and past the stand, but on ascending the hill was 

 challenged by Water Rat, who, however, soon afterwards 

 came to grief Six furlongs from home Gamecock, 

 Equity, Semiramis, and Spark were close together, but 

 Equity drew away at the brook, and won a good race 

 by half a length ; a bad third. 



1885 



As far as the day's racing went, Lincoln, the venue 

 this year, cannot be said to have gained much, as the 

 steeplechase was decidedly poor. The Grand National 

 Hunt Steeplechase may almost be called a fiasco. Out 

 of twenty-seven entered on the card seven only went to 

 the post, and though, thanks perhaps to the slow pace 

 at which it was run, there were no falls, some of the 

 competitors did not succeed in going the course. This 

 was hardly the fault of either horses or riders, as the 

 crowd at the water jump opposite the stand encroached 



