282 STEEPLECHASING 



1824 



As an illustration of the above remarks, a steeple- 

 chase which took place in October 1824, near Dundee, 

 may be cited. The course was from the top of Dundee 

 Law to the top of Kilpurnie Hill. The distance be- 

 tween the two, measured in a straight line, is given as 

 seven miles and a half; but the shortest practicable route 

 was said to be nine or ten miles. The Hon. W. Maule 

 of Panmure, M.P., Colonel Fotheringham of Pourie, and 

 Mr. R. Douglas of Brighton were the competitors. The 

 two first-named riders rode as straight as they could 

 manage to go, but the more wary Mr. Douglas chose a 

 more circuitous route, availing himself (in defiance of the 

 then accepted rules of steeplechasing) of the turnpike 

 road for some miles! He won by a mile, and his 

 time was said to have been thirty-five minutes for a 

 distance over ten miles at least, and supposed to be 

 much more. 



Among the races taking place at the end of 1823, 

 or at the beginning of the following year, was one near 

 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which is only mentioned because 

 Captain William Healey rode his hunter Hookey Walker, 

 by Woldsman, and in the course of the race is said to 

 have jumped the Great Burn, twenty-seven feet of deep 

 water. It seems to have been known that the Captain 

 would ride at the Burn, so a crowd, said to have been 

 numbered by thousands, and including, it may be taken 

 for granted, many of the sport-loving pitmen, assembled 

 in expectation of seeing the Captain and his horse get 

 in. To help him out in the event of such a contingency, 

 men were stationed on the banks with ropes ; but 

 their aid was not required, as Hookey Walker jumped 

 the Burn, with something to spare, and won the race 

 easily. 



