VARIOUS RACES 285 



finishing point being a windmill three miles distant. 

 Napoleon won easily, in spite of a fall, though the 

 betting was much in favour of the mare. A few 

 days later (March 26) in another match Napoleon was 

 beaten by Mr. Clutterbuck's Clipstone, ridden by Mr. 

 Osbaldeston. 



We are now well into the period covered by the St. 

 Albans steeplechases, yet since steeplechasing became 

 fashionable scarcely anything is heard about it in York- 

 shire ; but it took root there at last, and on Thursday, 

 the 14th of March, a steeplechase on a somewhat large 

 scale took place near Doncaster, whither "the extreme 

 novelty " caused many to wend their way. The four- 

 mile race began in a field near Green House, on the 

 right of the road leading from Doncaster to Thorne, 

 a flagstaff near Rossington Bridge marking the finish. 

 The race was by no means devoid of incident. Mr. 

 Martin's Cantley nearly came down at the first fence, 

 he refused a drain, and in company with Mr. Brooke's 

 Pontefract jumped into a double, and not being able to 

 get forward or back, the pair had to go some way up the 

 fence until an opening presented itself, and then Cantley 

 cannoned against Pontefract, whom he knocked over. 

 Mr. Addegman's Rossington got rid of his rider ; the 

 well-named Balkrail had a heavy fall over the second 

 flight of rails, and took no further part in the race, 

 nor did Pontefract. Eventually Mr. Willmott's Red 

 Rover won a fine race by half a neck from Mr. 

 Brooke's Pontefract, with Mr. Betcher's Proction a 

 good third. The time was given as 13 minutes 30 

 seconds for the four miles — at the rate of a mile in 

 3 minutes 22 seconds — nearly sixteen miles an hour 

 again. After the race a dinner took place, at which 

 about a hundred were present, and every one had 

 so enjoyed this the first steeplechase in the district 

 that it was then and there resolved that a similar 



